Alberta – Banff, Lake Louise & Calgary

On arrival at Calgary International Airport, we were greeted by Mounties for a White Hat Ceremony and received a certificate and cowboy hat. Travelling to Banff took around 1 hr 30 minutes, and en route we stopped for a beer and visited the Boundary Ranch located in the Kananaskis Valley. Here, many activities can be arranged, including a BBQ, Dog Sledging, Horse Riding, or even your own Wild West Rodeo private Show!

Why visit?

Banff is the gateway to the Canadian Rockies, with some of the finest mountain scenery you’ll find on the planet, and you will never tire of the most beautiful views.  Throw in outstanding chances to see wildlife (bears and elk in particular), and loads of activities to keep you busy during the day, followed by everything you could dream of for your next events; and you have a great reason to bring your clients here!

Lake Louise is a natural feature that is impossible to describe unless you have been there; the lake is vibrant and turquoise in colour and is surrounded by mountains and the Victoria Glacier. 

A variety of hiking trails exist around the lake. Some of these trails are open to mountain biking, horse riding and of course you can canoe and kayak on the lake during the summer months. The lake can be used for ice-skating in winter, while the surrounding area offers settings for dog sledging, snowshoeing and ice climbing.

Nearby is Lake Louise Ski Resort, which offers alpine, cross-country, and snowboarding.

Calgary is a cosmopolitan Alberta city with numerous skyscrapers and has rapidly grown to become the centre of Canada’s oil industry. However, it’s still steeped in the western culture that earned it the nickname “Cowtown,” evident in the Calgary Stampede, its massive July rodeo and festival that grew out of the farming exhibitions, once presented there.

Here’s our list of things that should definitely make it onto your itinerary:

Brewster Mount View Barbecue

Doughnut tent located 10 minutes from Banff. Great event space for groups, holding 300 in one tent and 200 in the other. BBQs or buffets can be arranged, and you can enjoy an exhilarating Gunfighter Show, Line Dance instruction or First Nations Ceremony Dance, to name a few activities. Outdoor lawn games, including horseshoe throwing, Bocce Ball, giant Jenga, and checkers, can also be arranged.

In winter months, its total capacity is 500 pax & 1000 pax in the summer, as outside space can be utilised. 

Kananaski Helicopter Base

Experience a winter adventure! This incredible experience includes a 20-minute heli-tour of the white-capped Rockies, a guided backcountry snowshoe, and a little warm-up with Bailey's hot chocolate before hopping back on the heli to base.

Enjoy a helicopter adventure ‘off the beaten track’ and take in the sights & sounds of nature. We flew over Rocky Mountain peaks, enjoying the views of glaciers, rivers, lakes, and waterfalls. After we landed on the top of a mountain, we snowshoed in the middle of the wild backcountry and stopped for a picnic & champagne in the snow an experience I will never forget.

Banff Gondola

Journey to the top of the Banff Gondola to see a whole new side of Sulphur Mountain and the Canadian Rockies.  The mountaintop experience offers an inspiring ridgetop boardwalk 2900 ft. above Banff, complete with a restaurant called Sky Bistro and a 360-degree rooftop observation deck.

Segway Tour Calgary

I really enjoyed the Segway tour in Calgary, taking in the sights along the City’s river.  The Segway instructor was excellent, and the training session usually takes about 30 minutes. You’ll have the chance to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the river valley. Smaller groups of 8-12 pax.

Johnston Canyon

The group enjoyed a fantastic hike through the beautiful Johnston Canyon, just a 25-minute scenic drive from the towns of Banff or Lake Louise, Alberta. The creek has cut through the limestone to form sheer canyon walls, waterfalls, tunnels, and pools. We were taken on a tour with a great guide from Discover Banff.

We visited the lower falls, which are 1.1 kilometres along the trail, a 30-minute walk. Not to be missed is the short tunnel through the canyon rock to a viewing platform a couple of metres from the falls - just don’t be surprised if you get misted with water! After a photo opportunity, we enjoyed hot chocolate and biscuits.

Skiing Resort Lake Louise  

This was one of my favourite days; we spent the afternoon here, and we had so much fun.  A few of us had ski lessons, and after we partied for a few hours in a true après-ski style with a DJ, the place was buzzing! Unfortunately, we did have to leave, although we could have carried on for hours.

Where to Stay?

Rimrock Resort Hotel

We stayed at the beautiful Rimrock Resort, where it felt like you had just walked into a scene from Narnia with snow scattered across the trees, but you cannot explain the feeling and beauty of the Rimrock unless you actually stay there.

The Rimrock Resort Hotel has 343 guest rooms and over 18,000 square feet of convention facilities. The Wildrose Ballroom can accommodate groups of up to 600 and is divided into three salons. 

Sunshine Mountain Lodge

An amazing Ski resort 7000 feet above the heart of the Canadian Rockies, if you are looking to hold your event in a Ski Resort. The Sunshine Mountain Lodge is the only ski-in, ski-out hotel in Banff National Park. It offers casual and fine dining, the area’s largest hot tub, and new West Wing rooms with in-floor heating, jetted tubs, and large-screen HD TVs, all in a rustic mountain theme. They have 84 rooms in total & 24 Waterfall rooms.

The Moose Hotel

Located one minute from downtown Banff is a 4-star hotel property. The design of the hotel is Mountain elegance with warm, rich, natural materials. The Hotel features 174 guestrooms, including one- and two-bedroom suites and hotel rooms. Amenities include the Meadow Spa & pools with 10 treatment rooms and a private outdoor hot pool; an indoor swimming pool and an exercise room on the 3rd floor; and 2 spectacular rooftop hot pools with views of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. The largest meeting room is (approx 2,000 sq ft) & the Darch Suite (approx. 750 sq ft). After our hotel inspection, we enjoyed canapés & drinks in the corner house, one of Banff’s original mining dwellings, dating back to the early 1900s.

Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel

Located in the heart of Banff National Park, the world-famous Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel has 764 guestrooms and is a landmark in the picturesque alpine town of Banff, Alberta. Canada's "Castle in the Rockies" has been providing legendary hospitality since 1988.

Fairmont Banff Springs is a year-round luxury mountain resort that offers a championship golf course in the summer, unparalleled skiing in the winter, and an award-winning European-style Spa. The hotel has more than 76,000 square feet of meeting space for groups of 20 to 900. We enjoyed dinner at the hotel’s 1888 Chophouse restaurant, and after dinner we had fun in the hotel’s bowling alley, which was a great way of bringing people together.

Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise

Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise features breathtaking views of Lake Louise, Victoria Glacier and the surrounding Rocky Mountains and is located in Alberta's Banff National Park.  It is recognised globally for progressive environmental stewardship and responsible tourism and has a total of 539 rooms and suites, as well as 36,000 sq feet of meeting space.

Many outdoor activities can be arranged, including hiking, canoeing, horseback riding, fishing, mountain biking, and river rafting in the summer; and downhill skiing and snowboarding, cross-country skiing, ice skating, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and horse-drawn sleigh rides in the winter.

Hotel Arts

Hotel Arts is the ultimate urban escape. Experience a blend of modern luxury in Calgary's boutique-style hotel. Located in downtown Calgary, the heart of the city's emerging arts and entertainment district and just steps from Calgary's business centre, Hotel Arts gives you access to fabulous shopping, theatre, spas, dining, convention facilities and the world-famous Calgary Stampede. Hotel Arts features 185 rooms and suites, each appointed with chic, contemporary decor.

On each floor, the Hotel Arts features original art, from spectacular sculpture to paintings and handblown art-glass light fixtures.

Hotel Arts recently opened its new 9,500 sq ft ballroom as part of the Arts Complex expansion, which will include new retail boutiques.

We enjoyed lunch at the hotel’s Yellow Door Bistro, which specialises in bistro-style dishes with modern and seasonal twists.

Where to entertain your clients or top sales personnel? Look no further. Here’s our list of the best places to eat....

Chucks Steakhouse & Patio

Named after the owner’s dad, Chuck’s sources its wide range of beef (including top-grade Canada Prime and Wagyu cuts) directly from farms in Alberta. Flavour and tenderness are enhanced by the only on-site dry ageing room in Banff, grilling over a hardwood and mesquite fire, finishing in an 1800°F broiler and basting in butter. This stylish ranch-inspired saloon and dining room is surrounded by mountains and the Bow River vistas, with an open-to-view beef ageing room, dark wood panels, a fireplace, and large tables for groups.

Park Distillery Restaurant

The only restaurant in Banff with its own distillery in a Canadian National Park. They serve campfire-inspired meals and house-made spirits. Main courses from the wood-fired grill and rotisserie are served on tin platters and patterned crockery, while spirit-infused sauces come in metal camping mugs.

Park Distillery’s contemporary ‘alpine hut’ décor features tree-trunk accents, antler lighting fixtures, and other outdoorsy touches. Grab a bite to eat at the bar, or people-watch from windows that (on nice days) completely open onto Banff Avenue. Two patios offer mountain views, and there is a liquor and gift store on-site.

This visit was brought to you by our DMC, CTI Destination Management