hotels on tour with no air-conditioning

I was surprised to read in the guest documents that none of the hotels have air other than the Westin in Calgary. This is our first trip with Tauck and I just assumed these places had air. Is it just that it's that cool every night and the air isn't needed? My husband is a big guy and really minds the heat so I'm a bit worried. Anyone ever been to Banff etc. in late june?

Comments

  • I did the Canadian Rockies/Glacier National Park tour and don't remember being too warm a problem. I did the tour in August several years ago and do remember when I went down to see the sunrise at the lake it being a very cool morning.
  • I've been in the area on a couple of different Tauck trips in late June/early July and mid to late July and I can honestly say that I was unaware that some hotels didn't have air-conditioning. I do recall that I certainly didn't feel the need for it inside. Outside in the middle of a sunny day ... a magical fan might have been nice on occasion, but not air-conditioning! Typically, the mornings are chilly. You start out the touring day with a few extra layers and shed them as the day goes on. Depending where you come from, I really doubt the mid-day heat in the Canadian Rockies could ever be regarded as tropical!

    Regardless, this is a wonderful part of the world. You will have a stunning trip. Enjoy!

    Cheers,

    Jan
  • Not on a Tauck trip, but did the Canadian Rockies several years ago, no AC not an issue except in very rare times--now you got me thinking about one of the hotels on my upcoming Tauck trip to the Canadian Maritimes, especially the Keltic Lodge on Cape Breton Island--some are air conditioned, most are not, but I suspect the cooling winds of the North Atlantic Ocean provide natural AC
  • I have done both the Canadian Rockies tour and the one to Keltic Lodge. I never considered the fact that the rooms did not have air conditioning because the rooms seemed fine. Unless the area is having an unusual heat wave, the rooms are comfortable. Also at both places, I remember it becoming cool at night and layers were definitely needed.
  • Thanks Kathy18, I LOVE this forum, you learn so much, and with Jan, you get some Aussie humor thrown in, I gotta get there if for no other reason than to hang out in Melbourne with her and her blokes , we had a bunch of them on our European River Cruise and they stayed up late every night dancing
    enjoying an adult beverage or 7
  • edited May 2013
    Well, I do have to remind myself, quite often, on this forum that Aussie idiom is not readily understood by people unfamiliar with the Westminster system and/or fluent in English English. And then there's that irony by-pass syndrome that is endemic in many sections of the North America population. Mostly, we are bilingual humour-wise. Some varieties of humour are not so popular here. We get it, but may not choose to pay for a repeat. Then there are the unfortunate circumstances where it's clear that someone, by all the laws of natural selection, should be bilingual ... but inexplicably doesn't get it. That can be very unsettling for us. Shiver. Too weird and creepy.

    And just in case you ever need to know, blokes = men. It's a term used in England, too. It caries no inflection of good or evil or even social status. A bloke just is. There is no equivalent for women. I do not care what a US chain of eateries labels a female toilet. Do Not Ever Call a Lady That in Australia. Not in the 21st C. Not today. We will be after you with something sharp if you do. It is an insult of the worst order. It is the equivalent of calling a working girl an unclean one. I hesitate to use the two word US idiom equivalent. You can just imagine how hilarious visiting Aussies find that food chain! I suspect most of us would wait till we got home rather than enter a room with that label!

    As for catching up for a libation when you get here, Scoopdave, you're on! Sadly, there weren't any of the blokes you describe on my cruise from Amsterdam to Bucharest. If only! Australians & New Zealanders are mostly very inclusive. I could have done with a bit of that at dinner on my trip, but that's another story. As for a cheerful libation, or two ... set them up, Joe ... er, that would be mate.

    Cheers,

    Jan
  • I stand corrected--blokes are guys, mates will work, too--

    How 'bout SHEILAs?

    Some day would like to hear the river cruise stories

  • scoopdave wrote:
    I stand corrected--blokes are guys, mates will work, too--

    How 'bout SHEILAs?

    Some day would like to hear the river cruise stories

    I have a sneaky suspicion that "Sheilas" is the name given by that restaurant chain Jan was talking about to the Ladies Loo.

    Just to totally hijack this thread one of my favourite restaurants in my home town names their loos..... Mangoes and Nomangoes.

    On our river cruise I spent many a long hour over a drink or three explaining the many subtle differences between American English and Australian English. To this day I'm not sure that I clearly explained the difference between eraser and rubber. That cruise was one of the best experiences of my considerable long life.

    Rod
  • Mangos? Please explain?

    Sorry, that was a politically incorrect, in joke ......;))))

    Let's not even start in on the sticky tape! Goodness me!

    Dear me, this could go on forever. Just don't mention the S word!

    Cheers,

    Jan
  • Thanks to all for your reassurance about the no-airconditioning in the hotels in the Canadian rockies. I could use your help again about what to pack. We'll be there from June 27th to july 6th. Would I need more long pants then shorts? How about jackets other than a rain coat? I'd appreciate any packing tips from those who have been to Banff, Calgary etc.
    thanks!
    Lynn
  • Poms?

    Birds?

    Ok, ok, I will just use a much better phrase: LADIES---
  • Also comments for the first week of June!

    From anyone who has been on this tour, we'd really appreciates hearing about your likes and dislikes . . . what "The Canadian" was like . . . choices of restaurants . . . anything anyone can think of! Did anyone play golf at the Fairmont Banff or Jasper courses?

    Thanks!

    Jerry
  • I did the CR/Glacier National Park tour a few years back. I love all of it. Most memorable was on our morning free at Lake Louise I took shuttle to get the gondola or ski lift to the top to see the view.
  • edited May 2013
    scoopdave wrote:
    Poms?

    Birds?

    Ok, ok, I will just use a much better phrase: LADIES---
    You're learning fast, Scoopdave! ;)

    Poms ... something Aussies & Kiwis call Brits. Like any nickname, it's all about the wrist action. All in the tone and context. I've never used the word in a derogatory manner & never thought that was a possibility. I wasn't aware until recently that some English people took it that way. I actually think that from their point of view they would take umbrage when they were losing at cricket. To Us.

    Cricket .... a whole other ball game.

    Birds ... girls, women. In my understanding it's a perfectly neutral term ... oh, but it's soooo dated. Very 60s ... 1960s ;) So if someone called a bunch of women birds today, chances are they are all having fun or the bloke is giving away his age!

    Cheers,

    Jan
  • edited May 2013
    tozzi624 wrote:
    Thanks to all for your reassurance about the no-airconditioning in the hotels in the Canadian rockies. I could use your help again about what to pack. We'll be there from June 27th to july 6th. Would I need more long pants then shorts? How about jackets other than a rain coat? I'd appreciate any packing tips from those who have been to Banff, Calgary etc.
    thanks!
    Lynn
    Hi Lynn,

    Think layers. Mountains can be changeable. I've been in June & July. The mornings are often crisp but as the sun rises, so do you shed your layers. I don't recall too many shorts wearers, but lots of capri pants and lots of cotton trousers. There are always a couple of hardy souls, usually men, who insist on wear shorts everywhere! A light jacket that will break the wind is a good idea. Needn't be a heavy one ... again something you can wear a light woollen under if you need to. I have a short ... nylon, I suppose ... jacket that doubles as a rain coat. I wear it to cut the wind, & if I need to I can layer up underneath. It folds away into nothing and lives in my travel clothes wardrobe at home;). I can suffer from earache in cold winds ... mountains again??? ... so I usually have a light woollen cap in my case. I also leave home to travel to the northern hemisphere in our winter and getting to the airport in the wee hours of a winter's morning means that I have a pair of thin leather gloves in my case. I have used the hat & gloves in Canada in summer, particularly on the glacier.

    I think I've taken every other Canadian trip but the one that takes The Canadian! Sorry I can't speak to the train segment, personally. It's on my list. I just love Canada! And Canadians laugh the same language as us! Even in the east. Well, there are some exceptions ... yikes.....

    Cheers,

    Jan
  • rabo wrote:
    Also comments for the first week of June!

    From anyone who has been on this tour, we'd really appreciates hearing about your likes and dislikes . . . what "The Canadian" was like . . . choices of restaurants . . . anything anyone can think of! Did anyone play golf at the Fairmont Banff or Jasper courses?

    Thanks!

    Jerry
    Hi Jerry,

    People certainly did play golf at Banff & Jasper. There are activities desks at both hotels. On my trips, I do recall the TD asking if there were any golfers so he could check ahead for availability. You could also do that yourself, well ahead, if you are really keen. Fairmont have a great web site and I just bet you could establish the facts via the site and/or email directly with the hotels. Letting them know you are with a Tauck tour might be useful, too. Restaurants ... most meals are covered but when they're not there are lots of choices at both properties. I propped myself somewhere with a view. Lots of choices. Heaven!

    Cheers,

    Jan
  • Jan,

    Thanks! I've tried to get a round of golf in when we travel. In Spain, Tauck' TD (Joe P.) found a great course for me in Marbella . . . One of the most picturesque I've played. I didn't get the chance on the French river cruise . . . just so much to do and see.

    Jerry
  • Thanks, Jan! Thanks for your help! It will come in handy when I'm ready to pack!
  • No worries! Happy to help where I can.

    Cheers,

    Jan
  • I am on the same trip as tozzi624 and would love any tips on what to pack - warm jackets etc. ??
    Planning on golf in Jasper and renting clubs. Anyone rent clubs ?? Is it better to play there in afternoon or doesn't it matter. thxs -
  • edited May 2013
    hi arl_nocaps,

    Here's something I posted earlier in this thread. It might have been swamped by a diverting discussion on idiom!
    Hi Lynn,

    Think layers. Mountains can be changeable. I've been in June & July. The mornings are often crisp but as the sun rises, so do you shed your layers. I don't recall too many shorts wearers, but lots of capri pants and lots of cotton trousers. There are always a couple of hardy souls, usually men, who insist on wear shorts everywhere! A light jacket that will break the wind is a good idea. Needn't be a heavy one ... again something you can wear a light woollen under if you need to. I have a short ... nylon, I suppose ... jacket that doubles as a rain coat. I wear it to cut the wind, & if I need to I can layer up underneath. It folds away into nothing and lives in my travel clothes wardrobe at home;). I can suffer from earache in cold winds ... mountains again??? ... so I usually have a light woollen cap in my case. I also leave home to travel to the northern hemisphere in our winter and getting to the airport in the wee hours of a winter's morning means that I have a pair of thin leather gloves in my case. I have used the hat & gloves in Canada in summer, particularly on the glacier.

    Cheers,

    Jan
  • This will be my third trip to the Canadian Rockies. I really like air conditioning also, but it is not necessary in the Canadian Rockies. It it generally cool and dry; great sleeping weather. Don't worry. Also, weather conditions can vary during the day. It may be cool once the sun sets and early AM, but warmer in the late afternoon. Plan to dress in layers. I am looking forward to meeting you soon.
  • hi arl_no caps and Martha! It sounds like we're all on the Canadian Rockies tour starting on Friday the 28th in Calgary. Did I get that right? We're actually going in a day earlier just to get acclimated to the area. Looking forward to the trip and meeting you. Martha, thanks for your reassurance about the cool days in the rockies and not needing air-conditioning in the hotels. Still trying decide on what to pack since we need sweaters even though it's summer. You really need a little of everything and yet beware of suitcase weight. Help!
    See you next week!
    Lynn
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