Rob Murray: I’m speaking with David Roberts, General Manager for the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel.

The Rundle Bar has reopened at the Fairmont Banff Springs after a months-long renovation project. Why did you feel the Rundle Bar needed an upgrade?

David Roberts: The bar was renovated first in 2006. The Runald Bar was, in fact, the front desk prior to all these renovations. So here we are in 2020, and we’ve created a beautiful new masterpiece.

RM: Tell us about some of the new features of the Rundle Bar?

DR: We worked with architect and design company out of Calgary called Frank Architecture.  We’ve created two bars. On the ground level, a bar that goes from floor to ceiling, so it goes up two levels. We also created a kitchen where the bar used to be. Then upstairs we created another long bar that goes along the balcony, and from those windows, you look out onto Cascade. The William Wallace Room that used to be off the side of the bar is now a secret room called the Sidecar.

RM: Yeah, I like that. It’s accessed by a secret bookshelf door. Did COVID-19 delay your planned reopening?

DR: Yes, because a lot of the furniture and the carpets were all being made overseas.

RM: Well I’m glad to see it’s open now. Did you do a renovation of the menu as well?

DR: We’ve completely changed the menu. It has Asian influences. It’s all about small portions. So far, the feedback has been outstanding. We also put out our new cocktail menu with all the signature cocktails in place as well.

RM: Definitely worth checking out the next time you head up to the Fairmont Banff Springs.

The Banff Springs is one of the major employers here in the Bow Valley that I’m assuming has been very hard hit by COVID-19. How did your hotel initially respond to the pandemic?

DR: April 10th we closed as a direct result of the pandemic. Then we spent the next six weeks talking to customers, realigning all the travel plans, realigning all the group meetings, rebooking them into future months and into future years. That was a really busy time, but it also was important during that six weeks to understand how to build all our safety protocols. Then we aligned the date for reopening with Parks Canada, June 1st, as they opened the Park.

RM: I imagine there were pretty tough decisions when it came to staffing. Have you been able to bring back most of your staff?

DR: Yes, not all sadly, but we have bought back 60 or 70% of our colleagues in the past couple of weeks as we got busier and busier. June 1st, when we opened the doors, we weren’t that busy, but now have about 70% of our guest rooms open.

RM: Obviously the international visitation and the lack thereof is going to affect you. Are you seeing still a lot of people coming to the hotel regionally?

DR: Very well supported by Albertans and we’re started to see a lot of Canadians coming.

RM: What’s open there and what’s still closed?

DR: We opened our biggest food and beverage venues so we could social distance, and we kept our smaller ones closed. The huge patio at the Rundle Bar and the Waldhaus are open. The golf course is open and in really good shape. The spa is open, pools are open, and a lot of our retailers have reopened. So we have about two or three of our restaurants that we won’t open because they’re very small.

RM: What kinds of COVID-19 precautions and regulations are in place right now at the hotel?

DR: We’re checking everyone’s temperature on arrival. We are also mandating that guests wear masks while in transition around the hotel We have a very simple message which says, “I wear a mask to protect you. You wear a mask to protect me,” and I think customers really appreciate that. In terms of other protocols, we’re very diligent about cleaning guestrooms, obviously. Guests write to us to tell us they feel safe and they certainly appreciate all the discipline around safety.

Filed under: Banff, covid-19, Fairmont Banff Springs