Top 10 Fascinating Facts about The Fairmont Banff Springs

Fairmont Banff Springs. Photo by Jack Borno. Wikimedia

Top 10 Fascinating Facts about The Fairmont Banff Springs

The Banff Springs Hotel, formerly known as the Fairmont Banff Springs, is a historic hotel in Banff, Alberta, Canada. The entire town, including the hotel, is located within Banff National Park, which is managed by Parks Canada.

The hotel has a view of a valley and Mount Rundle, both of which are part of the Rocky mountain range. The hotel is located at an elevation of 1414 meters (4,639 ft).

The Canadian Pacific Railway opened the hotel in 1888, making it one of the country’s first grand railway hotels. The hotel property has gone through several stages of expansion and redevelopment.

Bruce Price designed the original hotel structure, which was replaced by another structure in 1914. A fire destroyed the original structure on the hotel property in 1926, but a replacement structure was completed in 1928. In 1988, the building was designated as a National Historic Site of Canada. Fairmont Hotels and Resorts currently manages the hotel property.

1. Fairmont Banff Springs has a missing room

As the story goes, decades ago a family was killed in room 873. After a lengthy investigation, the room was refurbished and booked out to travelers. Soon after, the front desk was inundated with reports of disturbances.

The rumor goes that guests would fall asleep in the room only to be awoken by hollow screams and be surprised to find bloody handprints on the mirrors inside the room. By the time staff could rush to the room to investigate, the prints would have disappeared.

In efforts to cover up the horrific tale, it was decided the room would be sealed off. The door was removed, and the opening covered with drywall, flush to match the rest of the hallway.

2.Fairmont Banff Springs’ original structure was destroyed in a fire 

A fire, gutted the top floor of the historic hotel. It forced several hundred guests to flee in the middle of the night. Investigators concluded that the fire was accidentally ignited by a torch. A roofing crew had been working on the roof the previous day.

Ten rooms were completely destroyed, and the rest of the building was damaged by smoke and water. No one was injured. The damage was estimated at $15 million by the fire department.

3. Fairmont Banff Springs shut down during WWII

The Banff Springs Hotel briefly closed in 1942 due to labor shortages caused by World War II. It would not reopen until the war ended in 1945. Though it took the majority of the 1950s and 1960s to reclaim its former status as one of the best resort getaways in North America, the war did not completely destroy the hotel’s allure.

Several changes to the hotel gave it new life by adapting it to the new economics of the time. In the 1970s, the Banff Springs Hotel became the first to stay open all year. 

4. Fairmont Banff Springs is bounded by natural waterways

Banff Springs Hotel-Bow river. Photo by Tony Hisgett. Wikimedia

The hotel grounds are bounded by roads and natural waterways. Bow River Avenue and Rundle River Avenue bound the hotel to the north, while Spray Avenue bounds the hotel to the west.

The Spray River borders the hotel property to the east. The river is a tributary of the Bow River, which flows north of the hotel property. The hotel is located near the confluence of the two rivers.

5. Fairmont Banff Springs has 757 guest rooms

Banff Springs Hotel-Interior. Photo by Adam Jones, Ph.D. Wikimedia

The Banff Springs Hotel has 757 guest rooms and suites spread across the property. The hotel also has a number of event spaces that are used for conferences, weddings, and other social occasions.Because of its location, the hotel has outdoor event spaces, including a terrace garden. 

6. Fairmont Banff Springs has 12 restaurants

A number of areas on the hotel grounds are occupied by restaurants or other food-related businesses. As of December 2017, the hotel property housed twelve restaurants.

Other amenities on the hotel’s grounds include a bowling alley, five turf-topped tennis courts, a swimming pool, and a 27-hole golf course designed by Stanley Thompson. The hotel’s spa facilities first opened in 1991. 

7. Fairmont Banff Springs overlooks mountain peaks

Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. Photo by Hedwig Storch. Wikimedia

The hotel property has a view of Mount Rundle across the valley. Other nearby mountain peaks include Cascade Mountain, Mount Norquay, Stoney Squaw Mountain, and Sulphur Mountain.

The hotel is close to a number of attractions and natural landmarks due to its location within a national park. Bow Falls is located on the Bow River, north of the hotel. The Banff Upper Hot Springs, located south of the hotel, is a commercially developed hot spring.

8. Fairmont Banff Springs is a National Historic Site in Canada

Banff Springs Hotel. Photo by Audree. Wikimedia

Canadian Pacific Railway built the Banff Springs Hotel, one of Canada’s grand railway hotels. The current hotel property consists of two main buildings: an eleven-story tower and the hotel’s main block. The tower building, or the center wing, was designed by Walter S. Painter.

The main block of the hotel was built between 1927 and 1928 to replace the original wooden hotel, which was destroyed in a fire.  Bruce Price designed the original structure, a five-story wooden structure capable of accommodating 280 guests. The hotel buildings were designated a National Historic Site of Canada on June 24, 1988.

9. Fairmont Banff Springs operates all year

The building underwent winterization in 1968, allowing the hotel to operate all year. Several renovations occurred during the latter half of the twentieth century, including one in 1971 and another in preparation for the 1988 Winter Olympics. 

10. Fairmont Banff Springs is haunted by a ghost bride

The Ghost Bride is probably the most well-known ghost at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. She’s even been featured on her own coin and stamp. Her story dates to the late 1920s.

The bride descended the grand marble stairs in the hotel on her wedding day. That day, however, ended tragically. It is said that her gown caught fire after brushing up against the candles that illuminated the staircase. As the bride struggled to put out the flames, she stumbled and fell down the marble stairs to her death.