BANFF – Banff’s newest hotels are opening soon.
Following a major redevelopment over the past three or four years, Hotel Canoe & Suites, which was formerly known as the Inns of Banff, has partially opened and is now booking for Dec. 20 and onward.
A revamped Moxy Banff, the former Voyageur Inn that was built as Banff’s first commercial drive-up motel in 1964, is slated to open in January 2024 following a $30 million redevelopment.
Town of Banff planners say a permit has been issued for the partial occupancy of the Canoe.
“They received partial occupancy on what was previously called the Inns of Banff,” said Dave Michaels, the Town’s planning services manager during a Nov. 8 Municipal Planning Commission meeting.
“They are definitely working forward to get open as soon as possible.”
The site at 600 Banff Avenue, formerly known as the Inns of Banff and Swiss Village is the single largest site within the commercial accommodation (CA) land use.
Owned by Banff Lodging Company, the property was approved for a two-phase development in 2019.
The first phase was a major facelift of Inns of Banff, complete with interior renovation, an update to the exterior appearance of the hotel, demolition of a portion of the existing building and realignment of the main entrance, approved in March 2019.
After getting the go-ahead in August 2019, phase two of the redevelopment involved demolition of the 54-room Swiss Village to make way for a new 173-room hotel.
Redevelopment of the Voyager Inn was approved in November 2017. Now known as Moxy Banff, it is a Canalta Hotel.
As part of the significant renovation, 10 new commercial accommodation units were approved. The makeover also included interior renovations, reconfiguration of guest rooms and improvements to the dining lounge, removal of the liquor store, and creation of a loft area.
Commercial development has been capped in Banff since 1998. The federal government limited commercial floor area to what existed at that time, plus an additional 350,000 square feet for future development in response to concerns of rampant development in Canada’s flagship national park.
Development rights have been handed out by way of a lottery. The last lottery was held in 2013 and all floor area has been distributed. The train station lands, which is currently in the area redevelopment plan phase, has a commercial development allotment.
