Deer Lodge

This hotel is located next to the Fairmont, a few minutes walk from Lake Louise. We paid $250/night on Thanksgiving weekend, which was steal for the location!

The floors were a bit squeaky, and the lock needed to ne replaced. It took at least a minute of fiddling each time we went back to our room (as if we were trying to break in), which was frustrating.

The cleanliness was adequate, but you could see thick layers of dust behind the cabinets and on the edges of the wall. The balance was so old that the lights were out in the bathroom the whole night because of my use of the hairdryer supplied in the room.

Buffet breakfast was also decent for the price, we liked that the breakfast menu changes daily. Service wise, half of the staff seemed to be diligently working- clearing tables and filling up the buffettable, but the other half would chat loudly continuously by the entrance without making eye contact or greeting the guests.

You are definitely paying for the location when staying at the property. I loved being able to get up before sunrise and walk to Lake Louise each morning.
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Issues: my room was “double booked” and I was not notified of this until I was standing at the check in desk. I was given a smaller room with less beds and this was very inconvenient for our group of (4). I was not offered a discount or any thing else for the huge inconvenience. Only an insincere apology. It was 11pm at night and I was exhausted after driving all day, so I had to take what I could get. The hot tub was closed for maintenance and we were never put on notice. The ice machine never worked the whole time we were here. No elevators (however, I am understanding to the fact that it is an old lodge. So this wasn’t a huge issue). I was disappointed that there was no fridge in the room for our lunch items we were storing in a cooler.
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The breakfast was good, but the flow is not set up very well and the food ran out quickly with long waits for refills.
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Overall: I would stay here again just for the location, but I would come with very low expectations.

Location is everything! Minutes walk from Lake Louise makes this an awesome location. Especially considering it's next to impossible to park at Lake Louise unless you get there like super early (I saw it look full at 6am!).
Staff was super nice and accommodating. Room was very clean, which is really what matters the most. It was quaint and charming. Some complain it's small but you have to set expectations considering location and price. We could sit on the balcony and see the mountain view. My family loved our stay. Breakfast buffet was standard items but seem good quality. Thick bacon slices, actual individual fried eggs, etc. Most importantly breakfast was convenient.
For those intending to visit Moraine Lake, absolutely book the Parks Canada ones in advance as soon as you get the room. They sell out fast and it's a sight you don't want to miss. Other private bus options exist but at significantly more so if you are last minute, that may be your only hope. Don't do the public bus Roam option, that absolutely requires you take the first 8x bus from Banff. While I read elsewhere they may let you on if you are staying at Deer Lodge, it's not guaranteed.

Thanks so much Deer Lodge & Staff!