doss1

thx you I will do some research!

SkyteamEP

I spent a couple of nights at JPL. Status recognition was great, I originally booked a Fairmont Lakeview 1 King and was upgraded to a Lakeshore Lakeview suite. The room was very large, but a bit dark to my liking and old looking (sorry I don't have pictures, my phone was dead when I arrived). I feel like they should renovate them (the bathroom seemed to have been renovated somewhat recently). Every time I walked in the room, I could hear the tv unit cracking. The room had a real fireplace, stocked with wood and matches (I didn't use it). I received two drinks voucher that I could redeem for any drink below C$30. I was offered to trade daily housekeeping for a C$50 food and drink voucher per day on which I skipped housekeeping.
The bathroom had a bathtub but bath salt wasn't provided. That didn't happen at BSH nor FCLL. Also no lip balm.

I think I was lucky with the weather, because it wasn't too rainy nor too cold. Otherwise the walk throughout the resort and to the main lodge for breakfast/dinner might have felt like an expedition.

I'm not sure I would return unless rooms are renovated.

CanadaDH

We recently returned from a trip around the Canadian Rockies, and I have already posted reviews of the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel and the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. We stayed at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge for four days in between our time in Banff and Lake Louise. All three of these properties are branded Fairmont, and all are commonly owned, and all are overseen by the same Regional management (along with the Fairmont Chateau Whistler) as part of the Fairmont Western Canada Mountain Region. But, when I think about all of these properties, I'm reminded of an old children's song from the Sesame Street television show, which goes something like this...

"One of these things is not like the others. One of these things just doesn't belong..."

Well, the thing that is not like the others is the Jasper Park Lodge, and where it doesn't belong is inside the Fairmont brand!

We had an OK stay, and there were many good parts to the stay, but there were also a lot of disappointments. This is not a horrible hotel. But, I can't say with a straight face that it is up to the standards of the Fairmont brand; at least not without some material improvements. Many visitors to the area staying at the Fairmont hotels will stay at more than one, and when you stay at the JPL on the same visit as a stay at the BSH or CLL, then the comparison will be very plain to see, and it won't be a positive one.

Travelling with 4 adults and 2 youths, we booked a pair of Junior Suite Lakefront Estate cabins. That's exactly what we were given.

Before I go into the detailed review, I'll start by summarizing what was good and what was bad. The good things...

• Parking valets were prompt.
• Diamond weekend breakfast was given to all six of us with no issues. Arriving at the restaurant, they looked at a guest register, and said, "I see you're T5, so you can have anything you want, either buffet or a-la-carte".
• Fairly decent welcome amenity in each cabin, including 3 bottles of wine.
• Six drink vouchers were provided, however, they were each limited to a $20 drink.
• The overall grounds and setting are lovely.

The bad things...

• The physical quality of the guest cabin itself. It's really looking bad. It doesn't need a reno. It needs to be torn down and rebuilt.
• Housekeeping was slow, late and unreliable.
• Unreliable turndown service.
• $20 limit on drink vouchers.
• Unable to grant simple guest requests, even when made by a Diamond member at time of booking 10 months in advance.
• Unusable WIFI. It worked well in the main lodge, but not in either of our cabins.
• Very poor breakfast service.
• Dinner in the main lodge was not that great.
• And we had a mouse in the room, which might occasionally be unavoidable with cabins around a lake and doors opening a lot. So, maybe I give them a pass on that. For all I know, I'm the one who let it in!

We arrived at the main lodge. I pulled up front and went to the front desk to check-in and get our keys. They asked if we needed help with our luggage, but it was just as easy to simply drive up to our cabin, wheel our bags into the cabins, and then call the valet to take the vehicle away. There is no guest parking in front of the Estate Cabins, but valet parking is free, and it was prompt, so I have no concerns with that.

Arriving at the cabins, we could see where they failed on our first guest request, which was to assign us side-by-side cabins, or at least close. Somehow they couldn't plan that successfully. We would have liked adjoining patios. But, here's our cabin.



The second cabin we booked looked identical, just a bit further down the drive.

You can't tell in this photo, but the 14 coats of paint on the windows don't cover up the rotting wood.

Entering the cabins, we found that neither had a humidifier, even though the request was made at time of booking and even shown on my confirmation e-mail from the hotel. When I asked about that, all they could say was, "I guess other guests booked them first, because they're allocated based on time of request". So unless they only have a half-dozen humidifiers in the entire resort, that's clearly complete BS.

Here's the cabin interior. The bed was fine, but all other furniture, especially the sofa, is very, very warn. The dresser drawers don't even open properly. The louvered doors separating the bedroom from the living area stick, and squeak badly when you get the panels to slide.




There is no Chromecast functionality on the television, unlike the Banff and Lake Louise properties.

The Welcome Amenity was actually pretty good, so I compliment them on that. There was a similar, but larger amenity, in our second cabin which had four registered guests in it.



Walking around the living room, there were places where the floor was noticeably hot, suggesting that whatever insulation may be under the cabin, it's very thin and inconsistent. The carpet is very old, and needs more than just a deep cleaning.

The air conditioning was not 'central'. There was a unit mounted in the attic and blowing into the bedroom. However, that doesn't really cool the cabin consistently, as the living area was a bit warmer, and it didn't reach the bathroom at all.

Behind the bedroom was a hallway leading past a small refrigerator, coffee station, large closet and then the bathroom.



The bathroom was a bit dark, but had a functional vanity.




But looking closely, the toilet is 1 inch off the wall on one side, and 3 inches on the other. And the enamel on the bathtub is peeling off.



The shower curtain was dirty, the water pressure was bad and the temperature fluctuated badly throughout a shower.

But, outside, the grounds right in front of the cabin were actually very nice and well-maintained.





Basically, the cabin doesn't need new furniture or new carpet or a new bathroom or new insulation or new windows... It needs a wrecking ball. Time to tear them down and build new ones. I know it's Jasper Park LODGE, and not HOTEL, but just because it's a lodge of cabins is not an excuse for poor maintenance. You're flying the Fairmont flag, so you should present like one, or change the flag. The sister Fairmont properties in Banff and Lake Louise have been extensively renovating for the past few years to not just maintain the properties, but improve them. What the heck is Jasper doing? Nothing, apparently!

As for cabin service, it was shocking how bad it was. On the first full day, we returned to the cabin at 6:30 PM to find the cabin had not been serviced yet. I called to ask if they were aware that housekeeping had missed us, and their reply was they they're backed up, and "it might take a couple more hours, but they would be happy to log a request to cancel our housekeeping service today if that's what we wanted." Like, %&#! I don't want it cancelled. I want it completed.

So, at 6:45, somebody happened by the cabin to complete the cleaning, and he was finished in 15 minutes, so I'm not sure how much he could have cleaned in that amount of time. Then 20 minutes later, somebody else came by for turndown service.

There were also some really weird service deliveries. One day, somebody showed up carrying a fan. I asked what that was for, and he said "somebody ordered a fan". I said, "no, we didn't". The next day, somebody arrived with a box of lightbulbs, saying they got a report of some non-functional lamps. Well, that wasn't us either. Whoever is working dispatch for service requests is in the wrong job.

One of the nice things about the JPL are the grounds. Here are some photos from around the property.






Below is inside the main lodge.



Here is the pool area.



There is plenty of wildlife, especially elk, wandering around. The elk below just came walking right across our front lawn.





And lots of birds, including this mama loon feeding her baby, right at the shoreline in front of our cabin.



We had breakfast at the hotel on two mornings (just on Saturday and Sunday, because it was free), but the service sucked. Maybe the server was just new, but she was anything but friendly or competent. But, the second day, our luck changed, and we got one of the good servers, so I guess it's just a crapshoot what you're going to get. There are a lot of signs at the property suggesting they are experiencing big staffing challenges. But, then I reflect on my stays at Lake Louise and Banff, and the service levels were about the best I've ever seen. One thing I note, is the hotel has changed their General Manager as recently as June, so maybe they recognize issues and are making changes at the top? I don't know the cause of their problems or what they're doing about them, but it's clear they have service issues.

So there you have it. The overall theme of the stay is inconsistency. It wasn't consistently good, bad or mediocre. Some things were really good, but a lot of things were really poor. But, no matter how you slice it, this is the much poorer cousin to the great Fairmonts to the south, and any guest that stays at both is going to notice the difference. The Jasper Park Lodge just doesn't measure up. They don't live up to their brand, and they're certainly not worth the prices they charge. Admittedly, they do charge less than the Fairmonts in Banff and Lake Louise, but it's not cheap by any stretch. It's time for them to get their $#%& together.

Will I return? No. Not until I hear they've fixed their problems.

SkyteamEP

I stayed there in 2021 and was offered some dining credit if I declined housekeeping. Maybe you should have asked for some when they suggested you cancelled housekeeping

allbrosca

Gulp. Staying there in 2 days. Hopefully I have a better experience. Staying in a lakefront suite with fireplace. Looking forward to the wildlife!

SanDiego1K

[MENTION=327261]CanadaDH[/MENTION], thank you for that thorough and clear report about issues at the property. How very disappointing.

songsc

Thanks for another detailed review, as well as the other two.

I am not sure when this started, but I have definitely noticed that some Fairmont properties are no longer up to par with other Fairmont properties in the same region. For the properties I visit often for years, it’s clear to tell what’s going on. Some are short on staff, some bring in tons of inexperienced staff who may or may not have the right attitude, and the worst ones, usually have something to do with the GM.Hiring and retaining experienced staff in service industry has been difficult post Covid, from bartender, housekeepers, to plumbers and electricians, especially in small tourists downs such as Whistler, Banff, and Jasper. Reading your reports, I am actually more surprised at the good services you received at BSH and CLL, than your subpar experience at JPL.

It’s unfortunate that at certain properties we can’t have the same expectation as we used to.

CanadaDH

While the service aspect was a big part of my disappointment, I think I was most let down by the physical state of the guest cabins. That's not so much a function of their ability to attract service staff. That's a choice by management to not maintain/update/renovate. The CLL and BSH have dumped millions of dollars into the hotels. The JPL could do the same, if they choose to. Here's hoping that their new GM will choose to upgrade. But, if they do, it's not going to be a quick fix. But all three properties are commonly owned by OMERS, so it's a bit surprising to me that if the owners were happy to upgrade two of the properties, then why not the other? It's like they're the forgotten child!

The service failures may well be about their ability to attract staff. Maybe Banff and Lake Louise are more desirable places to work than Jasper, and therefore can more easily find seasonal staff? They're certainly less remote, with LL being 2 hours from Calgary, Banff is 90 minutes, but Jasper is 4 hours from Edmonton. I also think the CLL and BSH have more non-summer season business, so perhaps that makes it easier to attract more permanent staff who can stay long-term, when they can offer more year-round jobs. At the Chateau Lake Louise, I've seen the same housekeeper servicing my room on many visits for over a decade. They have some lifers serving in some of their restaurants. And some people on the bell staff there have been around for over a decade. I've been dealing with the same Manager of In-House Reservations for my bookings for over a decade. No doubt they have a lot of short-term staff, but maybe they also have enough good lifers in key positions in every department, to maintain a great culture of service.

One thing that might work in favour of the CLL, is staff accommodations. It is very difficult to find places to live in Banff and Jasper right now. The locals will tell you that it's easy to get a job, but difficult to find a place to live. But, at Lake Louise, the hotel has on-site accommodations available for any staff that want them, which may be very attractive. They have everything from shared rooms for young workers, to multi-bedroom apartments for staff with families.

songsc

Many hotels are short on electricians, plumbers, electricians, mechanics as well, or having difficulties finding contractors in a timely manner. On top of that the supply chain issues make maintenance and upkeep more difficult too. These are likely part of the reasons behind the poor physical conditions of JPL and many other hotels in general. However, just as you pointed out the contrast with BSH and CLL, I don't believe these are the only reasons, as a good GM is supposed to work out all these difficulties to bring the property up to the brand standard, and there are indeed many good GMs out there who put in the effort to maintain the brand standard.

These are all good possibilities IMO. From my observation, places like Whistler, Banff, Lake Louise, Mont Tremblant are more well known than places like Jasper, Montebello, Charlevoix. This likely has an effect on the difficulties of attracting workers, as well as tourists. Perhaps Fairmont somehow decided that allocating all the resources to BSH and CLL will make a bigger impact to their bottom line than renovating JPL.

And yes, with the emergence of AirBnB, finding permanent housing is becoming more and more difficult in popular tourists destinations. It's the same in Whistler and Tofino.

CanadaDH

For sure finding contractors to do renovations has been impacted by the COVID pandemic, and getting qualified people is tough. But, I think the JPL problems have been building for a while. These cabins haven't been updated in a very long time, and I think are the result of longer term neglect, so I tend to blame management decisions more than contractor availability. Yet Banff Springs completed a full renovation of their main building over 2021 and 2022, during the midst of the big skilled labour shortage. CLL is in the middle of building what will surely be a fantastic spa and thermal wellness centre expansion to the hotel, and have committed to renovating every remaining main building room and suite between Sept 2023 and May 2024.

But does Fairmont make those decisions to allocate renovation resources? I would have thought things like renovations and additions are up to the hotel owners, not the brand company that just happens to manage them? Every one of the Fairmont hotels are independently owned, and Fairmont doesn't own anything (apart from a single hotel in Bermuda). Banff, Jasper, Lake Louise and Whistler are all owned by Oxford Properties, which is the real estate division of the Ontario provincial and municipal workers pension plan. I suppose they can allocate resources between their own assets, but the other Fairmont hotels all have different owners. Maybe once the current CLL expansion/reno is fully complete, OMERS will then direct their capital to Jasper, since the other three hotels will basically have all been done?

The problem in Banff isn't AirBnB. Short term rentals of houses are already not allowed inside Banff and Jasper national parks. The biggest problem seems to be that tourism has grown, along with a demand for workers. At the same time, growth is constrained because they're in a national park. The Banff Townsite, where development is allowed, has basically been developed, and is constrained from further growth. The only AirBnB you will find in Banff, will be from an owner renting a room within the house they live in, and they are only permitted to rent that room while they are physically present. And of course, housing within the park is not permitted to be occupied by anyone without being actively employed in the park. All houses in the park sit on land leased from the federal government.

Although AirBnB may be contributing to the Banff problem, in that it is consuming housing in towns nearby by the park, which might otherwise be a commutable distance for workers in Banff. For example, most hospitality workers are probably now priced out of living in nearby Canmore, as it's very popular as the closest town to Banff where somebody can actually purchase land.

phxh

Had a short stay at this Fairmont, overall experience is good. King bed room has renovated bathroom, which is pretty nice; but breakfast service was very slow.

On a side note, noticed the charge triggered autograph collection chase offer on my card...so I guess this was once an autograph collection at some time? or just MCC messed up

azepine00

Fire is getting closer - the entire town of Jasper has been evacuated.
Per CBC: ... Structures in the community are aflame, including the Maligne Lodge and at least the grounds of the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge...

CanadaDH

An update just now from the hotel...

The situation is not over, but it would appear the JPL fared better than much of the townsite on the other side of the river, where more than a third of homes and businesses are now gone.