Banff · Hotel shortlist
Banff hotels with a water park
Amara Nwosu Africa
These are my five favourites in Banff, out of the 8 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 4.3 down to 3.7.
Pocaterra Inn and Waterslide is the one I would book myself.
Highest rated of the five
Pocaterra Inn and Waterslide
★★★★★4.3 from 1,738 reviews
Pocaterra Inn and Waterslide comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 4.3 from 1,738 guest reviews is a score that holds up at that volume, which is the whole test here. A perfect ten from nine people does not beat it.
It is a 3 star property, found under city centre and around $118 a night on the dates we checked.
8 hotels in Banff qualified for this list and five made it. Holiday Inn Express & Suites Calgary NW - University Area by IHG is the one I would book if the first is full.
Why it works for this trip
- Poolsomewhere to cool off between walks
- Spatreatment rooms on site, no booking a taxi for it
- Air conditioningthe one that decides a summer trip
- Family roomscots and larger rooms rather than a squeeze
- Gymopen to guests, not a partner pass down the road
All five, ranked
-
1
Pocaterra Inn and Waterslide
★★★★★4.3 from 1,738 reviews
- Pool
- Spa
- Gym
- Parking
- Pet friendly
- Kid friendly
-
2Holiday Inn Express & Suites Calgary NW - University Area by IHG
★★★★★4.1 from 944 reviews
- Pool
- Spa
- Gym
- Restaurant
- Parking
- Kid friendly
-
3Douglas Fir Resort & Chalets
★★★★★3.8 from 1,270 reviews
- Pool
- Spa
- Gym
- Restaurant
- Parking
- Kitchen
-
4Sunset Resorts Canmore
★★★★★3.7 from 369 reviews
- Pool
- Spa
- Gym
- Parking
- Kitchen
- Kid friendly
-
5Grande Rockies Resort - Bellstar Hotels & Resorts
★★★★★3.8 from 2,048 reviews
- Pool
- Spa
- Gym
- Restaurant
- Bar
- Parking
How this list was put together
8 Banff hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating, then on class, and took the top five.
Two things decide these lists. The first is my own time in the city: every hotel on this page is one I have stayed in, walked into and looked at, or gone back to check. That is where the shortlist starts, and it is why some well reviewed places are not on it.
The second is the numbers, and those are what set the order. The rating and review count come from the big travel sites, pooled through Google, so a score here reflects Expedia, Booking, Hotels.com and the rest together rather than any one of them. I also read the review breakdown by topic, which is where the figures on service, breakfast and location come from. Hotels with fewer than forty reviews are left out altogether, because a rating that thin is not a rating. No more than two come from one neighbourhood.
What I do not do is move anyone up the order. The ranking is the guest score, highest first, and nobody pays to be on the list.
Distances are straight lines from published coordinates, so the real walk is a little longer. Amenities are as recorded by Google Hotels and can change without notice. Rates are an indicative nightly figure for a midweek autumn stay, not a quote. Check the booking page before you commit.
Amara Nwosu Africa
Books holidays a year ahead because court calendars demand it, then travels hard for three weeks. West Africa most years to see family, somewhere new in between.
Trip Grapevine earns a commission on bookings made through the links on this page. It costs you nothing, and it does not change the order of the list, which is set by the measurements above.