A sculptural hammered copper fireplace anchors Rimrock Banff’s redesigned lobby, where double-height windows frame the Canadian Rockies and a terrace opens towards the mountain air. Built into the cliffside on Sulphur Mountain, above the Bow Valley, the resort has long had a setting worth travelling for. Its latest transformation gives guests more ways to enjoy it, from window-facing beds to outdoor thermal pools.
Rimrock Banff has joined Accor’s Emblems Collection as the brand’s first North American property. The resort said its C$115 million property-wide transformation was complete at the formal unveiling on 6 October, introducing 320 redesigned rooms, four dining venues and a substantial new wellness offering.
Guests first returned on 3 July, while wellness construction continued. Bow Valley Insider reported disappointment among some early guests about unavailable facilities, alongside praise for the bedrooms and contemporary interiors. The Bathhouse opened in September, ahead of this month’s full unveiling.
Cliffside architecture and quieter corners
Rimrock’s terraced architecture cascades down the mountainside towards the Bow Valley. California-based Studio Collective led the redesign, using natural stone, carved wood and richly textured furnishings, with expansive windows keeping the surrounding peaks prominent throughout the public spaces.
The lobby has the scale of a grand mountain residence, with woven stone flooring beneath its soaring windows. Beyond it, larger gathering areas give way to smaller, more intimate spaces. The Listening Room is one of these quieter retreats, centred on vinyl records, rare spirits and fine wines, while the copper fireplace provides a communal focal point in the main lobby.
General manager David Garcelon explained the design approach: “This transformation was guided by a simple philosophy: create a resort that feels inseparable from the landscape itself.”
A collection curated by nAscent Art New York comprises 48 contemporary works in the public spaces, including pieces by Canadian artists that draw on Banff’s mountains, rivers and native landscape.
The resort dates the site’s first hotel to 1895, when it had just six rooms. After a fire, its replacement stood beside a government bathhouse with plunge pools and a larger soaking pool. The current resort opened in 1993; thermal bathing now has a central place in its latest incarnation.
Choosing a room or suite
Rimrock’s 320 guestrooms include 57 suites, with beds, seating and tables arranged around the outlook. Moss and pistachio greens sit alongside warm wood, subtle gold accents, natural stone and upholstered furnishings. Window-facing loungers and small nooks provide somewhere to settle with the view beyond the glass.
Accor’s booking listing distinguishes forest, mountain and panoramic views across the categories. Classic rooms look towards the forest, Luxury Peak View rooms have mountain views, and Rimrock Vista View rooms offer panoramic outlooks. That distinction deserves attention when booking: the scenery is central to the redesign, but the outlook varies by room. Classic and Luxury Peak View rooms are listed at 350 square feet.
The Infinity Two-Bedroom Suite is the standout choice for private outdoor space. Its interior measures 1,150 square feet, while the wraparound terrace extends to more than 1,260 square feet, with a barrel sauna, fire table and panoramic national-park views. One king bed and two queens accommodate up to six guests. Breakfast can be served at Parker’s Table or privately in the suite, which also comes with a stocked dry bar.
Wellness Studio suites sit directly opposite the Bathhouse and Movement spaces. They include Therabody technology, yoga equipment and a Canadian wellness minibar stocked with adaptogenic teas, functional snacks and hydration products. A mountain-view terrace, curated pillow selection and Loftie sleep technology add to the room’s wellness focus. Guests also receive a dedicated Wellness Concierge, complimentary access to the full Expeditions gear-lending programme and daily fitness-apparel laundering.
All suite guests receive a locally curated culinary welcome, daily breakfast at Parker’s Table and a bespoke literary anthology bringing together poetry, historical accounts and voices connected to the region.
Thermal bathing with mountain views
The 9,600-square-foot Bathhouse is one of the most substantial additions to the resort. Interconnected indoor and outdoor spaces bring together a vitality pool, hot pool, mountain-facing infinity pool, vista and salt saunas, an aromatic steam room and glacial cold plunges.
Heated pathways connect the outdoor amenities for year-round use. Natural stone, warm wood and textured surfaces carry the material palette into the bathing spaces, while lighting and music change throughout the day. The programme moves from quieter morning sessions to post-adventure bathing and evening rituals intended to encourage stillness before bed.
The resort includes Bathhouse access with the stay, exclusively for registered hotel guests. No reservations are required, and guests choose their own route through heat, water, cold immersion and quieter spaces. It opens daily from 6am to 10pm, allowing for an early visit or a return after time on the trails.
A suspended meditation room and the Aurora sensory room offer places to pause between bathing sessions. The emphasis on repeat visits makes the Bathhouse particularly relevant for travellers planning several nights, with time to use it at different points in the day.
The adjoining wellness offering includes a 3,800-square-foot Movement Center with Technogym and Peloton equipment, climbing and bouldering walls, guided classes and recovery-focused activities. The fitness area is open around the clock, and in-room massage is also available.
Out into the national park
Rimrock’s Expeditions Centre is the starting point for exploring beyond the hotel. Its team of Pathfinders, led by a Master Pathfinder, arranges personalised recommendations, itineraries and privately guided outings according to guests’ interests.
The programme spans more than 50 seasonal activities, including hiking expeditions, forest bathing, alpine yoga, canyon ice walks and Indigenous cultural encounters. The range gives both active travellers and those seeking gentler days a way to explore Banff National Park, with local guides, cultural storytellers and subject specialists involved in developing the experiences.
The Ice Odyssey offers an encounter with the Athabasca Glacier. Other outings focus on lesser-known viewpoints and trails, bringing a more locally guided approach to a destination whose major sights attract plenty of attention. Discussing plans with the team before arrival is useful when a particular seasonal activity is central to the trip.
Guests can also request personalised Northern Lights wake-up calls when conditions align, an appealing option for those willing to interrupt a night’s sleep for a chance to see the display.
Four ways to dine
Parker’s Table is the resort’s signature restaurant, named after Elizabeth Parker, a founding member of the Alpine Club of Canada. Its seasonal cooking draws on relationships with Canadian farmers, fishers and foragers. Tableside bread service features artisanal butters and Canadian salts, while pastries and preserves arrive on a roaming cart.
Rimrock Social occupies the reimagined lobby, with a central bar and surrounding lounge areas for both sociable evenings and quieter conversation. Its offering changes through the day, from morning coffee and bites to craft cocktails and globally inspired dishes, with mountain views throughout.
The Listening Room combines rare spirits, fine wines and indulgent bites with vinyl records in a more discreet setting. Rimrock Market is the informal alternative: a mountain coffee bar and biergarten serving Alberta’s Chronicle Coffee alongside curated provisions. It is dog-friendly and open to the local community as well as hotel guests, with dedicated canine amenities including Yeti water bowls.
Alpine honey appears across the resort through a partnership with Alberta’s family-owned Highland Farm Honey. Guests encounter it in the Alpine Honey Spritz arrival ritual, wellness tonics and culinary offerings. The resort’s Travel Cake, developed with Korean pastry chef Yun Eunyoung, founder of Seoul’s Garuharu, combines pine needle cake with alpine honey ganache, taking its inspiration from Banff’s forests.
The resort’s In-Robe Dining service offers multi-course dinners and speciality breakfast menus in guestrooms, particularly appealing for guests making the most of a suite and its outlook.
Getting there and booking
Rimrock sits near the Banff Gondola and Upper Hot Springs, approximately 3.5 kilometres from downtown Banff. The hotel estimates the drive from Calgary International Airport at 1.5–2 hours, with traffic and weather affecting the journey; the airport is roughly 148 kilometres away.
Guests receive complimentary transport within the Banff townsite through the resort’s partnership with ROAM transit. E-bike rental is another option for journeys into town. A walking route beside the road leads towards Middle Springs and onwards to downtown, approximately 3.5 kilometres each way.
Self-parking and valet parking are available, with a heated parkade providing direct hotel access. Check-in is at 4pm and checkout at 11am. Guests can book a stay at Rimrock Banff, with changes and cancellations governed by the conditions of the selected rate.
