YWCA Banff Hotel

We wanted self-catering, & this had the cleanest kitchen we have ever stayed at! Friendly Staff will lend you a bear spray. Free car parking. Perfect location for downtown & for public transport to The Gondola & Lake Louise etc (car parks there fill up fast). Room not large but nice.

Banff is expensive in the summer. After searching many places, prices were $400 to $500 or more per night. I found YWCA and Reading many reviews I was a bit worried. Some rooms you have to share a hallway bathroom with others ( which was not for me) but they did have rooms with private bathrooms in your room. Some pictures I seen showed very plain, nothing fancy, minimal accommodations. We knew what we signed up for but were still a bit worried. Check in seemed normal, friendly service, quick and easy. Parking can be limited at certain times of the day and we had to park around back. . We were in a one bedroom on the 3rd floor facing the back of the property. Room was basic with a double bed, a nightstand with lamp, a desk/table with 2 chairs and a fan. Bathroom was very small. With toilet sink and small shower. Everything was clean. The room had newer flooring. There is no a/c, but many hotels don’t. But while we were there it cooled off at night and we had the windows open and did use the fan one night. Hôtel is close to town, you can walk over the bridge and you’re in downtown Banff. You can walk along the river to Bow Falls. I was happy with the stay. It saved us money. It was clean and close to town. Wifi worked well. We were barely there, only to sleep and shower. Other reviews said something about strange people roaming around, but we barely seen anyone at all. Front desk had extra bear spray for us to use. I would recommend this hotel to anyone trying to save some money, that just wants a clean no frills place to stay close to everything.