Hi there. Well as I have always had some great tips from all you guys who post reviews I thought I would try to give something back!
Firstly about Brewsters Mountain Lodge, Banff. We had a great stay there, location is the best as it is in the heart of all the restaurants. Staff were great, friendly and helpful. In particular I would like to single out the slim lady with glasses who runs the breakfast. Apologies I didn't get your name!. She was really good, ran the breakfast like clockwork, nothing ever ran out. And she was always friendly and decent. Made a difference. The breakfast was ideal, eggs, hot patties, hot savouries, plenty of cereal, fresh coffee, porridge, toast, juice. Breakfast was open early from 6:30 too. Sets you up for the day and means you don't have to traipse round outside before you get ready for the slopes.
We used Black Tie rentals for skies and they were good as well, just round the corner from the hotel. Went to the shop instead of them coming to the hotel.
Bus stops for the 3 ski areas are at the back of the Mount Royal Hotel, about a 5 min walk in ski boosts. So no problem.
Thing to note that we only found out later in the week was that there is no need to panic to get on the buses as they radio to each other and if one is full they have a another standing by to come within minutes. This is going both ways. Really takes the stress out once you know this!
Tipping.....tour operator says tip 25%, but you talk to their local Canadians and they say 15% is fine and only if the service is good.. If you go to bars and sit at the bar, often the Canadians don't tip at all. At the end of the day it's mostly kids serving you and they blatantly size you up to see if you were going to tip big or if at all, and will vary how "pleasant" they are with you. No big deal thats life. I did hear that one server made $100k dollars in a year in tips. I don't know if this is true though. Canadian people are lovely though. Relaxed.
Of the 3 Ski Areas the closest is Mount Norquay. Very limited skiing and we only went there once. Old lifts. The other two areas are ok but not really not up to the 3 valleys in France. Having said that the mountain range is the most spectacular I have ever seen when skiing. Breathtaking.
Eating is so varied and we would recommend the Korean Hankki fast food restaurant and the Ramen Arashi. Of course the supermarkets do fantastic hot soup if you are on a budget and want a quick meal.
It's very cold so we bought some hand warmers that you activate and put in your gloves. Don't buy them at the ski shops much cheaper in the general shops, ask in the clothes and gift shops.
If you are going to Lake Louise for a day trip, make sure you book online to reserve your place as if you do you the driver let's reservations get on first. Buses are packed. Make sure you save your reservation off line and don't rely on wifi etc.
In Summary, Brewsters Mountain Lodge was a great place to stay, lovely experience, has ski lockers, good breakfast. Banff is a totally different experience to skiing in Europe, very friendly, relaxed . Maybe not the best skiing and surprised that they have ski pass checkers rather than self scan turnstiles.