I know what you're thinking..."The Rimrock looks really nice---why are there so many bad reviews?" I, too, wondered that.....and I'm STILL wondering that! We stayed at the Rimrock in late May. This place is A-mazing. Not a single thing during the week wasn't provided with the utmost of kindness and willingness to help. Every person in this place from the bellboys, to the cleaning staff and the concierge were there to make sure our stay was great.
Here's the deal: if you're spending the dough to go on this vacation, don't tighten your wallet on your hotel. Don't get anything less than the premium rooms. If you do, yes you might be disappointed. The rooms below premium have not been updated since the 90's and ARE outdated. Don't get me wrong, they're still nice...just not as nice as you might expect with the appearance of the rest of the hotel. The higher 2 category of rooms are updated and LOVELY and seriously worth every penny. These rooms are HUGE compared to the Banff Springs and, I think, better decorated for a much better price! The single other thing that could use a facelift? The pool...but it serves its purpose and we enjoyed the spa every night to wind down.
TIP: We stayed from Wednesday to Wednesday---from Wednesday through Saturday we basically ran the place and got alot of discount opportunities for being there during the middle of the week!!
Things to know: This hotel IS outside of town. It would take a LONG time to walk to town. However, there is a free bus into town, or lots of parking in town if you want to drive yourselves.
Parking at the hotel IS NOT free. This is one thing we did not like. If you're paying this much for a room, parking should be included. But it is garage parking and we never had trouble finding a spot.
Make sure to grab a sandwich and eat on the balcony on the lobby level. Great way to relax!
Bottom line: We LOVED the Rimrock. We would never stay anywhere else in Banff (or even Lake Louise!) Definitely a high class place, with a MUCH better price than its comparable neighbors, the Banff Springs.

We stayed here for one night at the end of an excellent holiday at the Three Bars Ranch in Cranbrook, before flying back to the UK. We paid £280 (offer price) for a Grand View room. Make no mistake, you are paying for the grand view and nothing else. We had spent the first night of our holiday in a loft suite at Brewster's mountain lodge in Banff. The room at Brewster's was fabulous, very spacious - on two tiers with a big outside balcony overlooking the mountains, had a big whirlpool bath and was in the middle of Banff itself which meant we could explore. Ok, the hotel isn't on the same level, luxury-wise but it was still very pretty, the staff were very friendly and at £118, it was much cheaper, much more convenient for Banff and we had a lovely continental breakfast included. At Rimrock three beers cost us $26, breakfast was extra and the room was nothing special. The view was very grand though! (And very expensive!). We intend to return to Banff as soon as possible and will stay at Brewster's again. Rimrock? Well, we can see the mountains for free from outside so we'll give it a miss.

Having stayed at the Rimrock previously, my fiancee and I decided to book in at the hotel again during our recent visit to Banff, in spite of some of the less than flattering reviews which have appeared on this site.

To our delight the Rimrock was just as good as when we stayed before. All staff were courteous, efficient and welcoming. Both ours and my parents rooms were spacious, light, well furnished and equipped, spotlessly clean and commandeered magnificent views which were breathtaking.

Although we didn't eat in the hotel due to us having prior engagements in Banff, we had drinks in the Divas Bar and were served by friendly staff and enjoyed the ambience of this great venue.

We also took advantage of the free shuttle bus for a return journey into Banff town centre, which meant that everyone could enjoy a drink out without having to worry about driving back to the hotel.

Our overall experience of the Rimrock was fantastic and I would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone wanting luxury accommodation in Banff without having to pay Fairmont prices. We will definitely be returning!

Great hotel - we had a beautiful view - only wish they had robes. On other concern was we saw the maid leave our room upon returning - 15 mintues later we heard a light knock....seconds later an asian man entered to say he was there to inspect the room....not sure if that was standard, but we ensured to add the "do not disturb" sign the following day.