Irwin's Mountain Inn

The worst hotel I have...

Liked: The guy at the reception called Ramon and the hotel manager.
Disliked: It was horrible from the moment we arrived. The staff were unpleasant, the hotel was very expensive for how old and dirty it is. The room was not the same as the one in the booking photos. The plugs didn't work, there was a power strip in the middle of the room, it was very dusty and there were some hairs in the bathroom that weren't ours. In addition, every now and then there was a noise and a light flickering, which made it difficult to get a good night's rest, and when we complained, the reception staff gave us a dirty look. Finally, our eyes were red from the dust and we complained again and it got better with the change of shift. We were lucky that we were attended by Ramon, very friendly and helpful, he spoke to the hotel manager. The manager was very kind and apologised and moved us to a better room (still expensive for the price but the experience improved).

Pretty grim and would not...

Liked: Not a lot. Room is NOT as advertised - advertised as a 2 bedroom suite. It is a 1 BEDROOM apartment with the 2nd BED in the lounge area just by the front door and NOT in a separate room at all. No privacy whatsoever to those who use that bed. The bedroom had enough space to walk round the bed but no furniture or space to put or hang clothes. In the bed sitting room there was a small chest of 3 drawers and any clothes that needing hanging had to share the outdoor coat hanging recess by the front door. Staff were unhelpful when my daughter said the accommodation was not suitable for the 3 of us and said there was no alternative space available. In the next sentence she was told that my son could rent a separate single room for $400 per night! The 'kitchen' area comprised a coffee machine, microwave and sink and 4 cups. No crockery plates etc. The bathroom washandbasin was next to and open to the kitchen and anyone using it was visible (and audible) from the rest of the room.
Disliked: Apart from the above on our first day the toilet was blocked. I reported it to reception after breakfast but when we came back at lunchtime nothing had been done. Fortunately I saw a cleaner/housestaff in the corridor and she went and got me a plunger so I could also unblock the toilet myself. Later that day (about 4.30'sh) we returned from our day's events to get ready for an early dinner but the cleaners were still in our room and we had to wait for them to finish.

Very good

A welcoming hotel

Liked: Staff where great very helpful, room was clean and tidy, beds a little hard but that’s a personal preference! 8 min walk into central Banff plenty of parking, restaurant next door although nothing to do with the hotel family had breakfast there and where happy with the food would happily stay again

Passable

Exceptional

Good

Liked: Great location, wakable to Cascade Gardens plus room transit bus stop is at the front of the building and hotel provides complimentary bus passes. Wonderful helpful staff. Easy parking. Handy laundry facilities. Comfortable beds.
Disliked: Hot tub was under maintenance the whole time we were there. We were offered to use the hot tub in the hotel next door but it was not very convenient. Carpets need to be changed (old, worn down and lots of staining)

Perfect getaway with super friendly...

Liked: One of the best things about Irwin Mountain Inn was the staff and most especially Alysun Paradise at the front desk who was so nice and friendly and extremely helpful. She helped us organise our entire itinerary and arranged everything for us like bus tours to Lake Louise and Lake Moraine and gondola rides which was so convenient. Her superb recommendations made all the difference for us. Thank you Alysun ! The other great thing about the inn is its perfect location which is so close to all the best spots and the stores and restaurants!
Disliked: We liked everything. Only thing was that the hot tub wasn’t working, it would have been great if that was operational too.

Exceptional