Hotel recommendations Calgary and Banff (rental car, rental, hotels)

[62mike]

We are visiting Banff on 16th of October and will arrive approximately 10PM. We are headed to Banff. Where would you recommend on the western side of Calgary on edge of town? Hampton Inn, Best Western, Holiday Inn class hotels. We are ok driving towards Banff that night if there is a good town maybe an hour from airport to get closer for next day.

Also, wife wants to stay in town to walk on the boulevard come and go but we also would like a couple of nights with nice views (like the Rimrock but cheaper). Any suggestions for mountain view hotels and main street hotels?

If possible we would need to stay under $200 a night! We don't ski so those amenities are not actually needed.

Barring any unexpected storm should we be ok driving in the park most anywhere?

Any potential sights we might have a chance to see the Aurora Borealis from Banff?

Thank you.

[mikeyyc]

There's a Four Points Sheraton at Canada Olympic Park that is right on your way out. There's very little between Calgary and Canmore, mostly due to the Stoney Reservation.

https://www.marriott.com/hotels/trav...b-83b6a417f6fe

Banff Ave. is great, and there's also a robust transit system that goes from the Rimrock/Gondola/Hot Springs all the way down to the end of Banff Ave, or alternatively the Banff Springs and down.

You can generally get a decent hotel for under $200, including the Rimrock. Banff Springs is about the only place that is the exception. Although I highly recommend their Sunday Brunch. Try trivago or a similar site. October isn't really ski season, it's actually the end of shoulder season, so you should be able to find a deal.

Check with the Parks Canada website as to road closures, as it's right around the time that things are shut down for the winter (eg. the road to Moraine Lake)

Your chances on the northern lights are about nil, due to the southern latitude and mountains.

[knrstz]

I have a similar situation for next summer. I'll be arriving on a tuesday evening at 10 PM and leaving the following tuesday at 6AM. We've decided to stay near the airport those two nights to maximize sleep. Does anyone have any recommendations on which hotels are nicer that are near to the airport? Thanks.

[mikeyyc]

Originally Posted by knrstz

I have a similar situation for next summer. I'll be arriving on a tuesday evening at 10 PM and leaving the following tuesday at 6AM. We've decided to stay near the airport those two nights to maximize sleep. Does anyone have any recommendations on which hotels are nicer that are near to the airport? Thanks.

There's a Marriott attached to the terminal.


https://www.booking.com/hotel/ca/cal...s=1&#hotelTmpl

[ChevySpoons]

Originally Posted by mikeyyc

There's a Marriott attached to the terminal.

It's in the international/US terminal (piers D and E). There's also a Delta by Marriott across the road from the Air Canada domestic departure check-in desks (pier C).

I've stayed in both before, and they are each very nice. A little pricey, perhaps, but when you fly in late and need to catch an early-morning flight the next day (and I have, a few times), you can't beat the convenience. I guess one way to look at it is that they may cost a little more than offsite hotels, but you're not spending money on taxis or rental cars just to get you to and from offsite hotels.