Four-star One MICHELIN Key Lake Louise, Banff
Post Hotel & Spa
A red-roofed ski lodge from 1942 on the Pipestone River in the village of Lake Louise, with a wine cellar of more than 25,000 bottles below the dining room.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.
- MICHELIN
- One Key
- Opened
- 1942, as the Lake Louise Ski Lodge
- From the airport
- About two hours from Calgary
The hotel
From ski lodge to Swiss house.
The Banff guide Jim Boyce built the Lake Louise Ski Lodge in 1942. It closed during the war and opened again in 1948, by then owned by Sir Norman Watson, who had bought it in 1947. In 1957 it took the name Post Hotel, after the Post Hotels of the Swiss Alps.
In 1978 the Swiss brothers André and George Schwarz bought it, and a rebuild in 1986 and 1987 brought more rooms, an indoor salt water pool and Watson House on the river. The hotel joined Relais & Châteaux in 1990. Since 2021 it has belonged to Canadian Rocky Mountain Resorts, which has said it will keep the hotel's traditions.
- The wine cellar More than 25,000 bottles and 3,800 selections, holder of the Wine Spectator Grand Award for over twenty years running.
- Temple Mountain Spa Opened in 2005, with eight treatment rooms, steam rooms and plunge pools beside the indoor pool and whirlpool.
- By the river Five cabins on the Pipestone River, from a studio with a wood fire to Watson House, which sleeps a family or a group in four bedrooms.
Rooms & suites
Pine, stone fireplaces and the river.
Rooms have solid pine furniture, and many add a stone fireplace, a whirlpool bath and a balcony. The larger suites have lofts.
- Rooms Post Room 1 King About 36 square metres, the largest of the standard rooms.
- Cabin Pipestone Cabin About 120 square metres on the river, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a sunroom and a fireplace in the living room.
- House Watson House About 280 square metres, four bedrooms and five bathrooms, a kitchen and a wood-burning fireplace, on the riverbank.
Dining
Dinner over the cellar.
Venues as listed by the hotel. Shown for information.
- The Dining Room Fine dining Chef de Cuisine Rupert Garcia
- Fondue Stübli Swiss fondue Winter only
- The Outpost Pub No reservations
- Sir Norman Lounge Light menu Piano at weekends
Recognition
Awards and memberships.
- One MICHELIN Key Current selection
- Relais & Châteaux Member since 1990
- Wine Spectator Grand Award Every year since 2002
Good to know
Before you go.
- Arrival Check-in from 3 pm, check-out by 11 am.
- Dogs Up to two dogs of 50 lb or less per room, never left alone and kept out of the restaurants. The MICHELIN Guide says otherwise, so we confirm with the hotel.
- Families The hotel has family suites, and cabins with two or four bedrooms.
Getting there
Flying to Banff.
Calgary International is about 185 kilometres east, roughly two hours on the Trans-Canada Highway, and it handles both scheduled flights and private jets. The hotel is in the village of Lake Louise, inside Banff National Park.
- Vancouver 1 h 15
- Los Angeles 2 h 50
- Toronto 3 h 50
- New York 4 h 35
- London 9 h 35 long-range jet
Questions
What guests ask first.
- Does the Post Hotel have a MICHELIN Key?
- Yes, one Key in the current MICHELIN Guide selection.
- Can I bring my dog to the Post Hotel?
- The hotel runs dog-friendly stays for up to two dogs of 50 lb or less per room. Dogs stay out of the restaurants and lounges.
- How far is the Post Hotel from Calgary airport?
- About 185 kilometres, or roughly two hours by car on the Trans-Canada Highway.
- Can SkyCourtage arrange the flight to Banff?
- Yes. We arrange Business and First Class seats on scheduled airlines and private jet charter to Banff, with one final price, our margin included. The hotel is booked with the hotel or through our booking partner.
Also in Banff
Other hotels worth the trip.
- Fairmont Banff Springs The "Castle in the Rockies", with a large spa and a golf course ringed by peaks.
- Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise The landmark of Lake Louise, 54 kilometres up the valley from Banff.
- The Lodge at Bow Lake Listed by MICHELIN under Lake Louise, by Bow Lake on the road north to Jasper.
Staying at Post Hotel & Spa?
Book the room, then the flight.
Rates and availability come from the hotel itself. For the journey to Banff, a Business or First Class seat or an aircraft of your own: tell us the date and we come back with one final price, our margin included.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.