My two favourite hotels in Alberta are the Prince of Wales Hotel (Waterton Lakes) and the Banff Springs Hotel (Banff National Park) — both built in the early 20th Century by railways to lure tourists to the rugged but beautiful Canadian wilderness.
Back in the day, people would arrive at either one of these hotels and stay for extended periods of time. Not too long, however, because both hotels shut down every year for the winter.
Also known as the Castle on the Prairies, the Banff Springs was originally made of wood and faced in the wrong direction (away from the mountain view).
Like most old and mysterious looking hotels, the Banff Springs has its fair share of ghost stories. We encountered nothing out of the ordinary beyond a creepy old bathroom and plenty of spooky atmospheric staging.
