New hotels in Banff

We track five new hotels in Banff, Alberta, all open: Rimrock Banff, Emblems Collection reopened in July 2026 after a $115 million reimagining on Sulphur Mountain; Hotel Canoe & Suites and The Otter Hotel both opened on the former Inns of Banff site in Uptown Banff in 2024-2025; and Moxy Banff and The Kenrick Hotel both converted existing motor-hotel buildings on Banff Avenue itself. Anyone wanting to walk to the gondola and hiking trailheads should look at Banff Avenue; travelers wanting mountainside seclusion have Rimrock; Uptown splits the difference.

What to do

A weekend in Banff

Ride the Banff Gondola to the summit of Sulphur Mountain for panoramic views over the Bow Valley, or hike up in under two hours if you'd rather skip the lift, then spend the afternoon walking Banff Avenue and Bear Street downtown, past the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, which covers the valley's mountaineering and settler history. Bow Falls, a short walk from the south end of Banff Avenue, is an easy add-on before dinner. In the evening, catch sunset from Surprise Corner, looking across the valley to the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. On the second day, drive or bus out early to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, arrive before 8am in summer for parking, and walk at least part of the Lake Agnes Tea House trail if time allows.

A full week

With more time, add a half-day at Johnston Canyon for its catwalks and waterfalls, a soak at the Banff Upper Hot Springs below Sulphur Mountain, and a full day further into Banff National Park's more than 2,500 square miles of protected wilderness: the Icefields Parkway toward Jasper is worth the drive even as a there-and-back trip. Vermilion Lakes, just west of town, are a quieter spot for sunset and wildlife-watching than the busier viewpoints closer to Banff Avenue, and Two Jack Lake near Lake Minnewanka is worth an afternoon for canoeing away from the crowds. A morning at the Cave and Basin National Historic Site, the thermal spring that led to the creation of Canada's national parks system in 1885, pairs well with a drive along the Bow Valley Parkway, where elk and bighorn sheep are commonly spotted at dawn and dusk. Rimrock Banff's own mountainside setting puts guests closest to the gondola base and the hot springs without needing a car for that stretch.

Where to stay

Sulphur Mountain

Rimrock Banff, Emblems Collection reopened in July 2026 after a $115 million redesign led by Studio Collective for owner Oxford Properties Group, relaunching as the first North American hotel under Accor's Emblems Collection: a soft brand built around independently characterful, destination-specific luxury properties rather than a standardized template. Carved into Sulphur Mountain above Banff National Park, the 320-room property (the largest of the five hotels we track here, several times the scale of The Kenrick's 67-room boutique format) sits closest to the Banff Gondola base and the Upper Hot Springs, away from the town centre's foot traffic.

Banff Avenue

The Kenrick Hotel opened in June 2025 at 419 Banff Avenue, a boutique reinvention of the former High Country Inn with 67 rooms in the heart of town. Moxy Banff opened in April 2024 a short walk away, converting the 1964 Banff Voyager Inn (the town's first commercial motor hotel, built for cars pulling straight up to the room door) into a 109-room Marriott Moxy that kept the original Rundle stone walls and mid-century form; the conversion won the Lifestyle Hotel category at the 2025 Hospitality Design Awards and was named to CNN Travel's Sexiest New Hotels for 2024. Both put guests within walking distance of the Bow River and Banff Avenue's shops and restaurants.

Uptown Banff

Hotel Canoe & Suites and The Otter Hotel both opened on the site of the former Inns of Banff, a couple of minutes' walk north of the main downtown strip, after Banff Caribou Properties split one redevelopment into two differently branded hotels rather than a single larger property: a project that used one of the last significant allocations of Banff's commercial development cap, following the full demolition of the 54-room Swiss Village motel that had stood alongside the original Inns of Banff building. Hotel Canoe & Suites, fully unveiled in July 2025 with 187 rooms across hotel rooms, suites and multi-bedroom condos, is built around a rooftop hot-pool and sauna deck facing Cascade Mountain and pitched at an adventure-driven crowd. The Otter Hotel, its quieter 174-room sibling, opened in November 2024 with the in-house restaurant Good Folk, contemporary alpine interiors and a slower, more residential feel, both share the rooftop hot-pool deck and a complimentary Roam Banff transit pass.

Which hotel for your trip

Couples and design-focused travelers

Rimrock Banff, Emblems Collection's mountainside setting and Studio Collective redesign suit a milestone trip, while The Kenrick Hotel's boutique scale on Banff Avenue works for a couple who'd rather walk to dinner than drive.

Groups and adventure travelers

Hotel Canoe & Suites' rooftop hot-pool deck and adventure-oriented program, plus its 187 rooms across hotel rooms, suites and multi-bedroom condos, suit a group traveling together for hiking or skiing.

Travelers on a tighter budget who still want personality

Moxy Banff's 109 rooms, including bunk and lock-off configurations, and its retro ski-town interiors by Workshop/APD keep rates below Rimrock's or Canoe & Suites' while still delivering a design-forward stay on Banff Avenue itself.

Travelers who want a quieter base within walking distance of town

The Otter Hotel's calmer positioning next to its livelier sibling, Hotel Canoe & Suites, plus mountain views and the Good Folk restaurant, suit guests who want Uptown Banff's short walk to downtown without downtown's noise.

Weddings and larger groups

Rimrock Banff, Emblems Collection's 320 rooms and mountainside setting make it the natural choice among these five for a wedding or large family reunion that needs to book out a meaningful block of rooms in one property.

Frequently asked questions

What is the newest hotel to open in Banff?

Rimrock Banff, Emblems Collection, which reopened in July 2026 after a $115 million redesign: the first North American hotel under Accor's Emblems Collection.

How many new hotels does this guide track in Banff?

Five: Rimrock Banff, Emblems Collection; The Kenrick Hotel; Moxy Banff; Hotel Canoe & Suites; and The Otter Hotel, all currently open.

Which Banff hotels are on Banff Avenue itself?

The Kenrick Hotel, at 419 Banff Avenue, and Moxy Banff, both in the heart of town within walking distance of the Bow River and downtown restaurants.

Which Banff hotel has a rooftop hot pool?

Hotel Canoe & Suites and The Otter Hotel share a rooftop hot-pool and sauna deck facing Cascade Mountain, on the site of the former Inns of Banff in Uptown Banff.

Is Rimrock Banff within walking distance of downtown?

Not really: it's carved into Sulphur Mountain above the town, closer to the Banff Gondola base and the Upper Hot Springs than to Banff Avenue's shops and restaurants.

Which of these Banff hotels is the largest?

Rimrock Banff, Emblems Collection, at 320 rooms: several times the size of The Kenrick Hotel's 67-room boutique scale, the smallest of the five.

Were any of these Banff hotels new construction?

No, all five are conversions or redevelopments of existing sites: a former motor hotel, a former motel property split into two hotels, and a decades-old lodge given a full redesign.

Why did Banff Caribou Properties build two separate hotels on the former Inns of Banff site?

Splitting the redevelopment into Hotel Canoe & Suites and The Otter Hotel let the company run one shared site and shared back-of-house infrastructure while still merchandising two distinct guest experiences (an adventure-oriented property and a calmer, quieter counterpart) under two separate brands.

Is there a limit on how many new hotels can be built in Banff?

Yes: the town operates under a commercial development cap, and the Hotel Canoe & Suites/Otter Hotel redevelopment used one of the last significant allocations of it, a factor that also helps explain why all five hotels on this list are conversions rather than ground-up new builds.

Which Banff hotel is closest to the Bow River?

Moxy Banff and The Kenrick Hotel, both on Banff Avenue, are the closest of the five to the Bow River on foot: Rimrock Banff, Hotel Canoe & Suites and The Otter Hotel are all set back from the riverbank on higher ground.