Hotels in banff can be rather expensive. We were glad to be able to secure a booking with the Dorothy Motel. Firstly, check in is done at their sister hotel which is the Banff Caribou Lodge. They will hand you the keys and bus passes. And you actually do get to use any of the lodge’s facilities (we didn’t as we preferred to be outdoors and there were not much time). There’s parking available at the motel which makes it convenient. There are only 2 floors and we chose the one on the ground as we did not want to carry our bags up the stairs. The beds were comfortable. There was a fridge, microwave and TV in the unit. There was also housekeeping. Ice machine was also available. I guess the only slight issue would be location. This is located a sight distance away from the banff town though it is still walkable (15-20 minutes walk). They provide roam bus tickets and the stops are only a couple of minutes walk. The location didn’t bother us that much.

I was happy with the room. It was clean. The washroom and shower were very nice. It has a fridge, microwave, and kettle. Although you do need to bring your own tea/coffee which is fine. Altogether, I was very happy with the room. The place is on the edge of town but for me it was an easy walk to town, but I do like to walk.

The room doesn't have carpet so the floor is a little cold. I would recommend to bring slippers or slipper-socks for the room. The fan for the heat pump is pretty noisy. If you use the thermostat the heat pump will kick in during the night, if the room goes below the set temperature. I ended up switching the heating off because it kept waking me. Meaning the room was chilly first thing in the morning.

We stayed on the second floor this time and will request those rooms again in the future. They have vaulted ceilings, larger shower/ bathrooms and again spacious layouts like all the rooms. New this visit is the mini carafe coffee setup. You get fresh locally roasted coffee & Fresh cream at the main resort just across the street where you check-in now, (The Canoe) and your also able to use the hot tubs at both the Canoe and the newest resort across the parking lot, the Otter. With it's cool rooftop hot pools and sauna with a view on the second floor, overlooking Cascade Mountain. great way to cap your day!

Not much to complain about, honestly everything is fantastic. The flooring is a busy print of the forest floor, and it's hard to see the dirt but it's there so bring some indoor shoes or slippers to keep your feet clean otherwise little to complain about.

High end motel - better than some chain hotels I've stayed, very clean, updated, stocked up with all necessities - including tea and coffee in reusable pouches, very environmentally friendly. Kettle in the room along with a quite primitive device to pour coffee (but it worked). Body lotion too - a must in a very dry Alberta atmosphere. Free parking and use of facilities at Canoe across the road (which we did not use for lack of time). Fan is blowing all the time, but the temperature is regulated, and it is not loud, does not interfere with sleep. Comfortable beds, soft bedding. Sufficient plugs. Recycling everywhere. Interesting choice of floor tile, like a forest floor. I would not put it at home, but looks appropriate in a national park. Staff was awesome - anything you need and then some. Free transit passes for the whole stay along with routes schedule are included. Motel has a room to store luggage at its sister property - Canoe - over the road- when you have to checkout but leave later on.

Lighting in the room is controlled by a fancy master switch with dimming capabilities but the source of light in the entrance, where a mini fridge and coffee/tea making facilities is not separate, meaning you have to turn the light everywhere when you only need light over the food area and your partner is sleeping. You can keep the washroom door open, but it slides, so, need to jam something under it - like a wad of toilet paper:) It would be nice to have breakfast included for the price, but then, it is Banff, so the prices are over the roof everywhere - and this was a decent cost-benefit ratio, updated and good-looking. Also, you have to haul your suitcase to the second floor through the outside stairs, so be prepared, there is no elevator.

It was nice to have the access to hotel canoe as the hot tub and sauna was very nice. As well as the coffee shop, I’d like to have tried the restaurant as well. Maybe next time!

Having to download an app for checkin was not ideal and I can see how other guests might not like this. Upon arrival we really liked the room but later realized it was quite dirty. There was hair and dust all over the bathroom floor, and upon getting into bed we saw how filthy our socks got and it showed on the white sheets. There was also a clump of hair in the sheets once I folded them back.

The room was clean with adequate space for our luggage. There were mugs, electric kettle, microwave and a small refrigerator, It had lots of light. When we requested for tea, coffee, towels, and shower caps, someone brought them to us. The location was good as it was next to a convenience store and A&W. There was plenty of parking spaces. They provided a dog bed, dog dish and poop bags for our dog. It was very quiet.

The room was missing tea, coffee and a shower cap. Coffee and tea was delivered, but there was no coffee filter. We had a pet, so it would have been more convenient if our room was on the main floor. The room was meant for 4 people, but only 2 glasses were available.

The Dorothy is a gem- it's a bit far from the town centre (one kilometre to White Bark Cafe, for example) but it's a pleasant enough walk and there are other amenities much closer. The hotel is beautiful, with a lovely little courtyard and rooms that are spacious with two queen-sized beds. A tiny fridge, microwave, kettle, and coffeemaker (with coffee!) are all very welcome. Wifi is free and very good. I enjoyed my stay immensely.

The only real complaint I have, and it's not trivial, is that in my room (110) the water pressure in the shower was among the worst I've ever endured. I spent four nights at the hotel and I didn't have a real satisfactory shower the entire time, standing under this trickle of water. Oh, and the bathroom sink drained REALLY slowly- I don't recall this being an issue my last stay here (two years ago), so it might be only an issue in my room, but it was pretty annoying.

We did not have food at this facility

The key card system was a real issue, they repeatedly disconnected. The only remedy was to go back to the reception at the Caribou hotel, which after a long day out is really a pain. We were given a number of different reasons for this occurrence, mobile phones, zips on clothing, coins in pockets, how exasperating is that!! best go out naked. I put the key card down the side of my sock so as to keep it away from all the above, made absolutely no difference. I suggest you either get protective sleeves or have proper keys for the doors. Ap

The room was comfortable and clean. We could use the warm pools at the neighbouring hotel. The people working the front desk at the hotel were very helpful.

The app for check-in didn't work. It doesn't make sense to have the guests spend time on downloading an app, setting up an account, and trying to check in via an app that doesn't work. The front desk they refer to is at a hotel just a couple of minutes walk away. Until the app works stably, it's better to just go to the hotel for check-in.

We had the double queen room, which was ample for my family. The beds were very comfortable and had good support. The room was very clean. We chose this place because of its location. We didn't want to be in the middle of the busy downtown Banff area. The motel gave free bus passes during our 3-day stay. The bus stop is less than 5 minutes from the motel and runs every 15-20 mins. We just took the bus into downtown. It is very convenient, and there is no hassle or stress from driving and trying to find parking. It gets very crowded downtown, and parking is an issue. We also used the same bus to go to Sulphur Mountain to ride the Gandola.

The motel's exterior is a little dated and could use a little updating. I didn't realize that you had to check in through another hotel (Banf Caribou Lodge and Spa). This was a minor inconvenience. It was only a few minutes away, and you could use the facilities in that hotel.