Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween to all...I hope you have a fabulous day and a fun night! Yesterday at the hotel's monthly Lunch, Learn and Live we carved pumpkins. We do this every year and it is always a good time:)

The Banff Fire Fighters' Association annual Halloween celebration takes place tonight at the Banff Recreation Grounds from 7-9pm. Come dressed in your costume and receive hot chocolate and hot dogs. Fireworks start at 8pm...see you there!

2010 Alberta Hotel and Lodging Association Housekeeping Award

**BREAKING NEWS**

The Banff Aspen Lodge is a 2010 Alberta Hotel and Lodging Association Housekeeping Award Winner. The winners of this prestigious award are chosen by the Alberta Hotel and Lodging Association and Travel Alberta. It recognizes the hotels and individuals whose hard work and commitment contribute to the comfort and satisfaction of each and every guest.

Congratulations to the entire Banff Aspen Lodge team for making this happen. Special thanks to our Housekeeping Manager Angel and her team over the last year for the amazing housekeeping service provided to all Banff Aspen Lodge Guests :)

Way to go guys~

2010 Vancouver Olympics

The metals that will be awarded at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics were revealed last week to a lot of controversy. Personally I really like them, especially when you look at the history behind them:

~The medals are based on artwork of an orca whale by Corrine Hunt, a Canadian designer/artist of Komoyue and Tlingit Heritage. Each of the medals has a unique hand-cropped section of the abstract art, making every medal one of a kind.

~The medals were inspired by the ocean waves, drifting snow and mountainous landscape found throughout Canada

If you normally ski in Whistler, but want to avoid the Olympic rush; book a ski holiday in Banff Lake Louise. Our snow is incredible and the town of Banff is magical! Visit www.banffaspenlodge.com/specials/skipackages.html for more information~

Coldest Thanksgiving Day in History Recorded in Banff –

Although it was cold, Thanksgiving Monday was an amazing day and everyone was out enjoying the long weekend. My mom was visiting from Ontario and she taught me how to cook my first turkey…it was delish! Here is a photo of me on Fenland Loop, a flat loop trail near downtown Banff that leads you through forest at the eastern edge of the Vermilion Lakes marshland.

We decided to go for a walk on Fenland Loop before dinner to ensure we had lots of room to enjoy the amazing dinnerJ. Fenland Loop is also a great place to enjoy a picnic in the summer months~

Remember: just dress for the weather and you can do anything you want while in Banff!

Coming Full Circle...

We received a really cool comment card recently that said the following:

"Here for High School Reunion. My grandparents owned a rooming house on this very spot in the 40's & 50's. I feel like I've come "full circle" staying here this weekend. Thanks!" Angel Genereux.
Angel ~ I'm so glad that you enjoyed your stay and that the weekend was a success!

Should anyone have any historic photos of the spot where the Banff Aspen Lodge is now located at 401 Banff Avenue, please send them through to me at sales@banffaspenlodge.com.

The hotel was originally built in 1973, with lots of changes and renovations occurring over the years...including our name change in 2003 to the Banff Aspen Lodge from the Banff Traveller's Inn.

Karen Percy Named Banff's Torchbearer

As written about in an earlier Blog Post, the Olympic Torch will be coming through Banff on January 20, 2010. It has just been announced that Karen Percy will be the community torchbearer to light the celebration cauldron for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay.

Karen was one of the top women's alpine competitors in the world and was a double medalist at the 1988 Olympic Games in Calgary Alberta. Percy was raised in Banff and has been inducted into the Banff Sports Hall of Fame

The celebration starts at 6pm and about halfway through the program, Karen Percy will light the 1.3 metre high celebration cauldron (similar to what is done in the Opening Ceremony at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games). Also featured is the Canadian Tenors and Bomba, a Canadian, Latin-Jazz group.

Rooms are selling fast...so book your Banff Aspen Lodge getaway now to be apart of this historic event ~

Still Snowing in Banff...

I just stepped outside two minutes ago and this is what I saw by our outdoor hot tubs...more snow!!!The snow is continuing to fall here in Banff and We Love It! Check out all the new snow at Sunshine Village on October 5th:

It looks like it's going to be a great ski season :)

Snowing in the Rockies

We are experiencing our first official snowfall in the town of Banff for the 2009/10 ski season! We are expected to get around five centimetres by tomorrow morning. Waking up to snow on the ground this morning was a wonderful feeling...I'm getting so excited to start skiing again :)

The Banff Aspen Lodge's ski packages available now. We also have a two day Ski and Soak Package that includes one day of skiing at Lake Louise, Sunshine Village or Mount Norquay and a soak in the Banff Upper Hot Springs. Call the hotel now at 1-877-886-8857 or view our website for more information.

Incredible Savings on Fall Travel

The Banff Aspen Lodge has just put an amazing fall special into place, rooms are available starting from $99+taxes/night. This includes a Canadian Rockies Continental Breakfast and parking. Book your last minute fall getaway now ~

The Tragically Hip...in Banff

Just a quick note to let you know that my co-worker Barbara attended The Tragically Hip concert at the Banff Centre in September. She said that the show rocked...it was a sold-out crowd and everyone was standing the entire time singing along with The Hip.

The Banff Centre is known worldwide for bringing amazingly talented artists to the Rocky Mountains to create and perform. Douglas Coupland will be attending the 2009 WordFest at the Banff Centre...I loved his book "All Families are Psychotic".

I will keep you all updated when I hear of any other great artists coming to town ~