Why We Love The Malcolm Hotel in Canmore, Alberta

[Sponsored stay. Thoughts and opinions are my own]

When I first moved to Alberta 7 years ago, I fell in love with the mountains back in love with art. The “Peak” in my business name is a tribute to that and the Rockies continue to be my favourite place to get inspired.

So much so that we make the 4-hour road trip from Edmonton to Canmore, Jasper or Banff every few months to spend a few days exploring or showing off our new home to friends and family. 

How We First Learned of The Malcolm Hotel

On one of many walks down Policeman’s Creek Boardwalk, we came across Canmore’s newest hotel (the first one built in 20 years!) called The Malcolm. It’s the only luxury hotel in town and a 5-minute walk to downtown from the beautiful Spring Creek neighborhood.

A few months later when my husband, Scott, and I were celebrating our wedding anniversary, we decided to book a stay there and were blown away!

Scott was actually born in Scotland (lol, I know!), so we already loved all the Scottish homages around and the grand entrance.

“Its ambiance and design reflect the royalty that the hotel is named after – Malcolm III, a Scottish King, which is where Canmore’s name is derived from” - The Banff Blog

But what we couldn’t stop talking about was the POOL! The Malcolm Hotel has a heated, rooftop pool and two hot tubs with panoramic views of The Three Sisters mountain range and what looks like a green-screen in every direction. 

Peak Paper Co x The Malcolm Hotel Partnership

My family travels as a pack. Where we go, our dog Bubba and 1.5 year old daughter, Frankie, comes too.

But like any other parents reading this know: you start to value consistency a lot more as you get older. Life with young kids is unpredictable, so I love the idea of already being familiar with where we’re staying and knowing it’s a good fit for us as a family.

As I started doing more partnerships with Rocky Mountain Soap and selling my products at shops in town, Canmore felt more and more like home. And I knew The Malcolm was the ideal home base for all our life and work adventures to come.

Fortunately, the amazing team at The Malcolm Hotel said the feeling was mutual and now sponsors our overnight stays everytime we’re in Canmore! SO proud and SO excited to bring you along!

Hotel Amenities We Love

1) The POOL

Heated, rooftop with panoramic views of the Three Sisters, Mount Lawrence Grassi, and Ha Ling Peak mountains. It also has two hot tubs and a firepit area for those cooler mountain nights.

2) It’s Pet Friendly

What a treat to have a luxury hotel that allows our four-legged friends to join (specific room type). Bubba meets tons of other pups during our stays and there’s a big green space + walking trails right outside the lobby. Your pet fee (one time $50) also includes a dog bed, bowl and locally-made Mut Hut treat.

3) Private Balconies

This isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but we love that some of the rooms on the second floor have balconies overlooking the pool deck. If you have kids, what a dream! You can watch them play, sit on the deck too, or like us, peak at Frankie snoozing in her pack n play with the monitor.

4) Every Room Has a View

The Malcolm Hotel is luxury without a huge footprint. There are 124 rooms total and ALL of them have views of the Canadians Rockies. 

5) Second Floor Lounge (for parents and kids especially!)

If dining in a restaurant with young kids doesn’t sound ideal to you (ha, I get it!), you can get delicious food and drinks from The Stirling Lounge delivered to a booth on the second floor! There’s a whole bunch of board games, a poker table, foosball, scrabble, you name it. We walked down the hall and ordered food two nights in a row with our own bottle of wine. 

6) Location

The Spring Creek neighborhood is probably my favourite area in Canmore. It’s right long Policeman’s Creek Boardwalk (keep scrolling down for stroller-friendly walks) and short 5-10 minute walk into town, but feels so quiet and peaceful watching the ducks in the water and elk roam the property early in the morning. You’re also at a great inbetween point from Banff to Kananaskis.

7) The Pulse Coffee & General Store

You get nespresso coffee included in your room, but little miss Frankie Jean woke up at 5:30am all three mornings this trip so we were ready for coffee round 2 by 8am LOL. The staff in The Pulse (and everywhere in the hotel, really!) are so friendly and always give great recommendations. There’s a general store with local goods to browse, too.

Family Friendly Hikes and Walks in Canmore, Alberta 

Stroller-friendly walks in Canmore:

1. Policeman’s Creek Boardwalk (quick: 10-20 minutes into downtown)

2. Larch Island (1.5 hours roundtrip)

3. Mineside Trail to Three Sisters Pathway (2 hours roundtrip)

4. Engine Bridge

Family-friendly hikes in Canmore - bring a backpack/carrier for little ones:

1. Heart Creek Trail (easy hike: 2 hours roundtrip)

2. Jura Canyon (moderate: 2.5 hours roundtrip)

3. Grassi Lakes (easy to moderate)

4. Troll Falls

My Favourite Shops in Canmore:

1. Stonewaters

2. Alberta’s Own Marketplace

3. Mut Hut Pet Emporium

My Favourite Places to Eat & Drink in Canmore:

1. Stirling Grill & Lounge

2. The Blake

3. Tavern 1883 (pet friendly side patio)

4. The Iron Goat

5. Tank 310

6. Crazyweed

7. Sheepdog Brewing (you can order in or bring any food you want)

8. Rocky Mountain Bagel Co (pet friendly patio)

Tips for Hotel Stays with Kids and Pets

1. Pack a white noise machine to turn on for overnight sleep and all naps (works well for dogs too who are prone to barking at noises - this drowns everything out!)

2. Get the SnoozeShade for blackout naps in the stroller on the go

3. Ask for a large washroom and put the pack n play in there for overnight sleep (it’s dark, well-ventilated and acts as a separate room)

4. Bring a travel highchair, booster seat or perch table chair for feedings in the room

5. Pack a cooler for the road trip with pre-prepared food and snacks. There’s a fridge in the room to store everything once you get there

6. I’m not sure if any of the rooms have a bathtub, but ours just had a shower (something to keep in mind for young babes/longer stays to bring your own)

7. We also pack dish soap for washing bottles/baby meal utensils

8. Stick to your normal bedtime routine at home

Thanks to The Malcolm Hotel for another beautiful and memorable stay. I sincerely hope you check it out and find these tips helpful in planning your next mountain adventure!

xo