The Paintbox Lodge

Paintbox Lodge is conveniently located in Canmore, in a quiet area yet so near restaurants and areas of interests. Love the vibe of the lodge and the view! The room and common areas are clean. We met the owner and she was very engaging and helpful. We had a great time!

Paintbox is a beautiful romantic lodge in the heart of Canmore. Everything about our visit was wonderful! We highly recommend booking the Artist Loft, which is cozy, romantic with a very comfortable king size bed! The lodge is very close walking distance to several wonderful restaurants and pubs. Paintbox is wonderful!

We enjoyed spending time in Canmore and have stayed at the Paintbox in the past. The location is great, and the contactless access worked well. The facility is in need of some attention. It's clear that the owners are "absent". Details such as lamps in disrepair, curtains not hanging properly give the impression of an abandoned building . It was reasonably clean. We were sorry not to be able to have breakfast there, as we had in the past. The warm greeting of a real live person, a breakfast, even a latte would have been very much appreciated. So in all, I am sorry that the services have diminished while the price has not.

I have stayed numerous times at the Paintbox Lodge over the past 5 years and I am still satisfied because of the great location, rooms are cozy, lobby is charming, paintings are beautiful, and has a welcoming space for my morning coffee. The Paintbox Lodge is located downtown and near many cafes, pubs, shops and restaurants. Free parking. I park my car and travel by foot when I stay. Lovely nature river boardwalk trail nearby for walking or trail running. Close to recreation centre with pool and indoor climbing wall. I will stay again!

Time to update your site. This place has new management and has gutted the entire experience. Just a way-overpriced hostel now. No one on site at any time and occasionally available by phone. And No Breakfast, as they are still promoting!

There are two words that describe our recent stay at Canmore’s Paintbox Lodge, “so disappointed.” We have been staying at Paintbox for years and have come to anticipate the cozy rooms, amazing breakfasts and the many nice touches that make the lodge so special. As soon as we arrived, we knew something was different. We now know that the lodge has changed ownership and is being operated by Elk and Owl Mountain Retreats, a property management company. When we called Elk and Owl to inquire about breakfast being discontinued and why we had not been notified, we were told: “It was AHS (Alberta Health Services), it’s circumstances beyond our control, that no one wanted to come in at 6:00 am to make breakfast.” During our three-night stay, we didn’t see any staff. The Mielle coffee station was out of order, tea tins were empty, the microwave was dirty, our room fridge had 2 inches of frost/ice built up in the freezer, the blow dryer didn’t work (we borrowed one from another room) and there were no flat sheets on the beds, only duvets. It’s sad to see a beautiful lodge like the Paintbox being poorly managed and let go. According to Elk and Owl’s website, “their mission is to provide owners with the highest return on their investment while offering guests a premium mountain retreat in the Bow Valley.” Our experience was certainly not premium. We won't be staying at the Paintbox again, nor any of the other 27 properties managed by Elk and Owl Mountain Retreats.