Otter Hotel

Hotels
9.2 (1053 reviews)
600 Banff Avenue , Banff , ca

Facilities

WiFi available
Free WiFi
Parking
Free Parking
Non-smoking rooms
Air conditioning
Fitness center
24-hour front desk
Restaurant
Heating
See all facilities

Review Highlights

Pros:
Comfortable walk to town
Helpful staff
Great location
Nice hot pools
Cons:
Noisy air conditioning
Dirty carpets
Value for money concerns

Categories

Cleanliness
8.01
Several reviews mentioned dirty carpets and laundry bags left in corridors, indicating cleanliness issues.
Service
9.98
Consistently positive remarks about the helpful staff and excellent service.
Location
9.52
Great location praised in multiple reviews for easy access to town and hot pools.
Room Quality
8.97
Mostly positive feedback on room quality but mentioned noisy air conditioning.
Amenities
9.5
Positive reviews for hot pools and overall amenities but noted some issues with heating.
Value for Money
8.46
Mixed feedback on value, with some mentioning it wasn't worth the price.
Food and Beverage
9.51
High ratings for food quality and complimentary services.
Overall Experience
9.68
Overall positive experience mentioned in several reviews despite the noted issues.
* This sentiment is summarized by AI based on user reviews.
Updated at: 2026-01-10 22:14

Property Description

Location and Convenience:
Experience the beauty of Banff at Otter Hotel, just steps away from popular attractions like Banff Park Museum and The Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies.

Comfortable Rooms:
Relax in our well-appointed rooms featuring balconies, flat-screen TVs, air conditioning, and free toiletries, ensuring a comfortable stay.

Multilingual Staff and Helpful Service:
Our friendly staff, fluent in English and French, are available to assist with any requests and provide local area information to enhance your stay.

Book your stay at Otter Hotel now to enjoy a memorable experience in Banff.

Important information:

This property does not accommodate bachelor(ette) or similar parties.
Guests are required to show a photo ID and credit card upon check-in. Please note that all Special Requests are subject to availability and additional charges may apply.
Guests under the age of 18 can only check in with a parent or official guardian.
A deposit may be required at the property.

Check-in and check-out hours:
Check-out: 11:00 AM

Location

Guest Reviews

9.2
Based on 1053 reviews
Cleanliness: 8.01
Service: 9.98
Location: 9.52
Room Quality: 8.97
Amenities: 9.5
Value for Money: 8.46
Food and Beverage: 9.51
Overall Experience: 9.68
E
Elena couple ru
5
Overall, I found the hotel to be significantly overpriced
Pros:

For the money paid didn’t like much about the hotel except free underground parking

Cons:

1. A very creative interpretation of a “Mountain View” room. The primary view is another wing of the hotel and the guests on their balconies (or in their rooms if the curtains are open), with only a mountain peak visible behind it.
2. There is virtually no storage space—just five clothes hangers in a tiny open wall niche. No wardrobe, shelves, or drawers.
3. Getting coffee or tea in the room involves an unnecessary song and dance. Instead of providing a simple coffee machine, guests have to complete paperwork by a certain time, boil water in a kettle, and then manually brew filter coffee in a separate device. Most tourists—especially those leaving early for a hike—just want a quick cup of coffee, not a Rube Goldberg process.
4. No bedside lamps.
5. Overall, the room layout is poorly thought out, making the space feel cramped and inefficient.

2026-07-04 via Nuitee
P
Pauline couple us
3
Poor services/quality for such high price
Pros:

View from the hot pool.

Cons:

Rooms do not look as nice as on pictures. Room with direct view on other hotel rooms (no privacy). Noisy air conditioning, poor WiFi, no bar or cafe.
The wait for elevators is too long.
No slippers for Hot pools/Sauna.
The front desk strongly recommended us to book with them two activities/excursions which did not worth it (and very expensive!). We were very disappointed.
Overall: price of a 5 stars hotel which looks like a 3 stars in practice (while being 4 stars).

2026-07-03 via Nuitee
G
Georgina extended_group gb
10
Best stay in Canada
Pros:

The best stay in the Rockies
Beautiful pool
15 mins from centre of Banff so a lot quieter
Beautiful architecture and rooms
Staff so helpful and went above and beyond

Cons:

Nil

2026-06-30 via Nuitee
A
Alan family_with_children ie
9
2026-06-30 via Nuitee
R
Ronald couple nl
9
Great accommodation for a stay in Banff.
Pros:

Restaurant was great. Friendly personnel, good food.

Cons:

At the first time around you'll have to find your way in the hotel (which elevator?). Once you're settled, that works out fine.

2026-06-29 via Nuitee
H
Helen family_with_children ie
9
Lovely stay. Staff weren’t that engaging but facilities were great
Pros:

Setting and facilities and restaurant.

Cons:

A bit out of the town but gave bus passes

2026-06-29 via Nuitee
S
Sheryl couple us
10
A lovely way to experience Banff - Hotel Otter was above and beyond expectations!
Pros:

The hotel staff greeted us with a smile and great information as we arrived. We had questions about some of the activities we had planned and they were so helpful. The hotel is newer, and has garage parking, and they even offered free bus tickets that was such a great option to explore Banff and Sulfur Mountain, and the Banff Gondola. The warm pools were spectacular and a lovely way to relax in the evening. Our room was spacious with a view of the mountains and a lovely terrace. We loved that they provided local coffee and tea to start our morning in the room. We were celebrating a birthday while we were there, and they surprised us with a special chocolate cake treat in our room one night as well. We ate many times for breakfast and dinner at their restaurant - Good Folk as it was one of the best experiences we had in all of Banff. I highly recommend this hotel for the location, value, and rooms.

2026-06-29 via Nuitee
W
Wee Seng extended_group sg
9
2026-06-29 via Nuitee
D
Diane solo_traveller ca
10
2026-06-28 via Nuitee
L
Leonardo couple ca
10
We had a wonderful stay!
Pros:

It was very clean and modern. The outdoor
hot tub was amazing after a day of hiking. The location was at the far end of town but easily accessible.

2026-06-27 via Nuitee
V
Veronica family_with_children us
10
2026-06-24 via Nuitee
M
MINHUI extended_group tw
9
2026-06-23 via Nuitee
M
Mathilde couple fr
7
Pros:

L’hôtel est charmant, le personnel très sympathique! Il est à 20 minutes à pied du centre et l’hôtel propose des navettes gratuites! L’espace bien être vue sur les montagnes et dépaysant.

Cons:

Nos lits étaient petits et la climatisation faisait beaucoup de bruit et impossible de l’éteindre pour arrêter ce bruit. L’hôtel est bien, mais assez cher pour le confort de la nuit.

2026-06-22 via Nuitee
B
Brenda extended_group us
10
Wonderful place to stay in Banff.
Pros:

The location was great. The hot pools were wonderful. The building itself was gorgeous.

Cons:

The restaurant was too fancy for a quick bite of food. Not enough selection.

2026-06-21 via Nuitee
J
Jasmine couple gb
9
2026-06-20 via Nuitee
U
Ulrich couple de
10
2026-06-20 via Nuitee
E
Edna couple ca
10
What a Wonderful Short stay!
Pros:

It’s a beautiful place with amazing staff

2026-06-20 via Nuitee
G
Grace couple ca
10
Excellent Stay!
Pros:

Had a wonderful stay! Everything was excellent—from the clean rooms to the friendly staff and great service. My favorite part was the pool area, which was beautiful, relaxing, and very well maintained. Overall, I loved everything about this hotel and would definitely stay here again. 😊

2026-06-17 via Nuitee
L
Leigh couple gb
9
2026-06-15 via Nuitee
H
Harry couple gb
9
A great stay in Banff
Pros:

The property was modern, well maintained and the staff were friendly and attentive. They dealt with the issue we had well and moved us to an appropriate room the following night. The food at Good Folk was exceptional, and we would thoroughly recommend anyone staying here to dine at the hotel - it is not your typical hotel restaurant.

Cons:

There was a large party situated near us during our stay. This was especially frustrating as we were told upgrading at check-in was a good idea as the room they could upgrade us to was in a quiet corner of the property. Their behaviour was out of order, keeping us awake until 0300 in the morning by using the fire escape as a smoking area right outside our room. In future, it may be appropriate for the property to consider more carefully where guests staying in large parties there to party are placed, compared to a quiet couple on holiday. This would negate our poor experience on our first night. This was resolved well though, hence our still high opinion of our stay.

2026-06-12 via Nuitee