A Unique Place To Live For Many Reasons
Lake Louise is the highest community in Canada. The village sits at an elevation of 1540 meters or 5052 feet and the lake where we live is at 1731 meters or 5680 feet. Considering we moved from sea level on Vancouver Island, this had a profound effect on us when we first arrived. A short flight of stairs or slight incline was enough to have us short of breath and our hearts racing. After being here for 3 months we still do not feel completely adjusted to the altitude.
Other aspects of Lake Louise make it a unique place to live. First of all it is a community that exists within a provincial park. Not just anyone can live in Lake Louise, a need to reside has to be proven. Basically you have to work in the park to live here.
There are very few amenities in Lake Louise. There are not stores you can just run out to when you need to pick something up. We do not have Walmart or even a grocery store to go to. Samson mall is a small strip mall in the village. Funny enough as little as Lake Louise has, there is a liquor store. The mall has a small bakery that makes it’s own cookies and pastries. There is Trailhead cafe where you can get tasty wraps and other lunch and breakfast items. The market has most essential items you might need in a pinch like milk, bread, soup, etc; but it is very expensive and does not have a huge variety. Wilson’s Sports has everything needed for outdoor activities year round, whether it is for skiing, snowshoeing or summer hiking.
Other businesses of Lake Louise include Deer Lodge, Lake Louise Inn, The Post Hotel, Alpine Hostel and of course the Lake Louise Ski Hill.
A lot of the staff that work at the Fairmont hotel do not have a car. The village is 4 km’s down a very steep grade. So that means a long walk down and back up or a taxi just to get to the few shops that are in the village. To do any proper grocery shopping it is either a 40 minute trip into Banff or an hour drive to Canmore. For big ticket items the closest place is two hours away in Calgary.
The mall also has the Depot. It is a hub of services, including the Greyhound bus depot, the Brewster bus depot, an internet cafe, the post office and National Car rental agency for Lake Louise. There are a few other shops that cater to tourists with all kinds of the usual nick knacks and postcards. I was working at the Depot when I first arrived, but I found I was was feeling very left out of any of the social aspects of the hotel. I switched to a job at the Fairmont stores within the hotel. I was much happier that I didn’t have to drive to work. Even though it was just a short 4km’s it was a big effort in the winter. I spent more time warming up the van and scraping the windows off than it was worth. I enjoyed working at the hotel and getting to know the people up there. I liked being back in retail again and the view I get from my store isn’t too shabby either!
What is the one thing people would probably go crazy for in Lake Louise, a good old Tim Horton’s! Strangely enough, we do have two gas stations. There is a doctor’s office that offers a variety of medical care. They can even courier prescriptions in from Banff for a small fee.
Overall there is everything in and around Lake Louise to get by. The scenery is absolutely stunning year round. It’s just a matter of how much you enjoy or can tolerate the isolation of Lake Louise and the lack of amenities compared to what other places have.
Due to the isolation, lack of amenities, cold climate and long winters, Lake Louise is a place of transient workers. The most typical situation is someone coming here to stay for either the summer or winter season and then moving on. Some people stay 6 months or maybe a year or two, but the majority leave sooner than later. There is a small established community of people that have lived here for ten, twenty or even over twenty five years. Most of them are business owners or work for Parks Canada.
We are quite a bit older than the average twenty year old worker here. If you are not into the bar scene and partying then it seems to be a bit more difficult to meet people. Some of the older crowd are the more established residents in the community, they can be apprehensive to get to know you. I think most feel what’s the point if you are not going to be around for more than a few months.
Nonetheless we did make some close friends, but then it’s very sad to see them leave. It is worth taking the time to connect with people. The workers here are from all over the world. It’s an excellent opportunity to learn about different cultures or even pick up some vocabulary of a new language. What better way to make some world wide connections for future travel.
Working At Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise
Wilson’s Mountain Sports Employment
Our Apartment In The Chateau Staff Residences
The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise is where we live. Not in the hotel, but only a stone’s throw away from it on the same property. We were amazed at the size and number of staff residences here. There are typically between 600 to 800 staff employed in the winter and can be over a thousand in the summer. That is just at the Chateau. There are a number of other hotels and resorts in the area as well as the ski hill. The buildings that make up the staff accommodation resemble a small sub division.
We live in Victoria Manor. It looks like your basic apartment building. There are bachelor, one, two and three bedroom units. We have two bedrooms, and two bathrooms, and an in suite storage room and our own in suite laundry. There are laundry facilities in the basement of our building for those without their own machines. We haven’t bought one yet, but we have the hook up for a dishwasher as well.
Our unit was in a pretty dismal condition when we arrived. The constant change of tenants moving in and out takes it’s toll on a place. The walls were full of dirt, holes, scrapes and dings. The bedroom door had a hole punched through it. This comes as no surprise. During Jack’s work orientation for the hotel they were talking about how the staff need to have more respect for their accommodation. The speaker asked anyone who had a door with a hole punched through to raise their hand. Jack was just one among many with their hands in the air!
The carpet was supposed to have been cleaned prior to our arrival. We are still vacuuming dirt out of it. We’re trying to work on borrowing the carpet cleaner to do it again ourselves. Jack spent a great deal of time patching and sanding the walls. We painted them a light brown colour with a bit darker brown trims and doors. It just never ceases to amaze us how much improvement paint can make. Getting rid of the dark red walls in the living room made a dramatic difference. It was too small of a space and not enough light to have such dark colours. Now that we have our belongings in place and have started to put up some pictures and things it is starting to look like home. The views out of our front room window are pretty nice. We especially love it when there are bright blue skies and the snow is glistening.
There are a lot of shared accommodations through out the other buildings. Some have dorm style bedrooms (two beds to a room I believe) with a common kitchen and bathroom, others have private bedrooms and shared common areas. All the units with the exception of our building are equipped with basic furnishings. They have kitchen tables, couches, chairs, beds and dressers, a fridge and stove. Jack accepting the job here was conditional upon having our own private accommodation. We’re a little beyond dorm style living at this stage of our lives.
Activities And Events For Staff At The Chateau
There is a colleague services building near the residences. It houses a gym, internet cafe, and a take out restaurant that has good pizza, quesadillas, etc. There is a staff bar as well. This building also houses the staff uniform dry cleaning, the laundry mat and housing administration office.
The Chateau has different activities to help keep the employees entertained. Every Tuesday is movie night. The newest release DVD is shown on a projector with a large surround sound system. There is no charge and you even get free popcorn. There are trips into Banff, Canmore and Calgary for those that do not have a vehicle.
In the summer there are outdoor activities held such as barbeque’s. There were a few bbq’s during this summer where they had live entertainment or a local DJ. There are other activities such as hiking trips, white water rafting and Edmonton Mall getaways. All the events are courtesy of the lifestyles program for the staff. Through it you can sign up for yoga classes and other activities.
There is also a staff bar attached to colleague services. The bar has many different events from themed parties, prize raffles, hockey nights and holiday dances. They are currently working on permits from Park Canada to put an outside patio for the bar and to use for summer events.
A special staff event was held for Earth Day. There was a bonfire lit near the colleague services building. All the fixings to make smores were provided. It was interesting to see how some of the staff from other countries reacted to making smores. They had never heard of them. They turned out to be a hit with everyone. For those you might not know what a smore is, first you roast a marshmallow until it is golden brown and really soft and gooey inside. Then you place the marshmallow and pieces of chocolate in between two graham crackers (flat square cookies) push it all together to allow the marshmallow to melt the chocolate. It’s delicious!
While we were all stuffing our faces with smores we got to watch a movie. They pulled up one of the big Fairmont delivery trucks and projected the movie on to the side of it. The movie they showed was one from the series Living Planet. It was a fun, but very cold evening. I think the temperature was around -15c. to -20C. that night.
The Bean
The Bean is the staff cafeteria that is located within the hotel. All employees of the Chateau get one free duty meal in the Bean. You can buy other meals such as dinner and breakfast for a few dollars. They try to change up the food daily. There is usually some kind of soup, sometimes fish, burgers, pizza, pasta, different meats, veggies, potatoes and different types of casseroles. There is a least one vegetarian option each day as well. In addition to the hot meals there is a salad bar with a lot of different fixings.
Some days the food is better than others. If you talk to the staff you hear at least one story from everyone about having some kind of after effect from eating at the Bean. It could use some improvement for sure. For one thing it is always so hot in there, you practically sweat while you eat your meal.
My favorite days in the Bean are when they had theme meals, such as Chinese, Greek or Indian food. Whenever there was some kind of special event or opening of a new Fairmont they would do something in the Bean to commemorate it. Such as the opening of the new Boston Wharf Fairmont. They did a large cake and had Boston Clam chowder and Boston cream pie, yummy!
Fairmont Chateau Staff Holiday Party
The holiday party for the Chateau staff is held in the huge new Temple ballroom of the hotel. Some people got dressed to the nines. There was a large dinner buffet and a dessert table that went on for miles. Prizes were raffled off through out the night and everyone let loose on the dance floor. It was a fun evening.
MOM says
Finally found this!! Good to read what you are up to. Your place is looking nice. Looks comfortable. Thanks for the Birthday Card. Hope to talk soon. Love
Matt says
Very Interesting! Thank you very much for all the information and the images that you posted. I am truly impressed by what the hotel and employment service has to offer for employees. This gives those (like myself) who are going to live at Lake Louise an idea of what they can expect from living at a somewhat remote location in the Rockies.
I am working in Banff Nat. Park as guide/ interpreter and my residence is in the vicinity of the Chateau. Luckily, I have my own apartment and don’t have to share it with anyone. There is nothing better than coming home from a long day “home” and relax in peace and quiet.
I look forward to meeting other staff (and visitors) from all over the world and perhaps gaining new friendships throughout the season. Most of all, I can’t wait to head out and explore the beautiful scenery.
Stacey says
Interesting to read. I recently visited Lake Louise as a tourist as was very surprised to learn that you have to be a worker to live in the area. The guy we talked to said he had been living there for 10 years! It seems like they take care of their staff. Good to see.
Audrey says
Yes you do have to be employed to live in Lake Louise or anywhere in Banff National Park. Or be a spouse or child of someone employed in the area. The employers vary, some treat their staff better than others. You might be surprised to know there are several people who have lived in Lake Louise for 15 to 25 years, and a few people even longer!
Leane says
So nice to read this! Brought back some good memories of my time there in 2004.
Eric Frenette says
You really did a great job in describing the life of employees and what offerings there are.. I was there for 2 years back in 1989 to 91 and have great memories and made life time friends there.
Eric.
Audrey says
I think most people who work in Lake Louise for any period of time come away with some deep bonded friendships, it just seems to be that kind of place. We will take away fond memories from out time here as well 🙂
Elle says
Hi, great description. I’m interested in applying for a job there at the Fairmont, Lake Louise and am just gathering some information. It would be great if you’re able to answer some/all of my questions…
– did you and your partner have just one job role or were you ‘jack of all trades’. e.g. a bit of housekeeping, a bit of reception, a bit of kitchen work, etc.?
– how long did it take from the moment you applied to the moment you accepted the job? Days? Weeks?
– did you apply through their website or did you send the Fairmont, Lake Louise a ‘Prospective Application’ letter?
– would you say the staff were mostly young, between 18-early 20s?
– what was a typical day like? i.e. shift duration, days off, etc.
– did the hotel help you open up a bank account and apply for your Social Insurance Number or did you do this on your own?
– was the work only seasonal or could you choose to continue working for them as long as your visa was valid for? i.e 2 years for Australians
Thank you.
Audrey says
Hi, I’ll try to answer a few of your questions but if you are coming on a visa it will be totally different. My husband and I are Canadian citizens so nothing needed to be done in the way of getting a social insurance number or bank account open. We just applied like we would for any other job in Canada. I don’t think they would help with anything like that unless you were being fully sponsored by the company and brought to Canada for a specific position.
We just had one job, which is usually the case and I believe you can only have one job if you are on a visa. How long it takes between the application and getting a job would depend on the position and what checks they need to do for background, references, etc. We went through the website for work and applied online. It only took a few weeks, but I’m sure it would take longer if you are coming from outside Canada.
A great majority of the staff are in their early 20’s, but there are many other staff in their 30’s and 40’s and even a few older. A typical day would vary greatly depending on your position, there are probably hundreds of different types of positions and shifts. It could be anything from a regular schedule with the same days off each week or a random schedule or night shifts.
There are long term jobs that you could work in for a full two years as well as seasonal, it depends on the position. Many people come from Australia to work at the hotel for the duration of their visa.
Amanda says
I am currently looking to move from the Vancouver coast to the Banff, Golden Lake Louise area. I have been there many times and it has always been my favourite area to visit in the winter. I am a skier and would be interested in moving to this area. Also, I am employed with Fairmont and would like to stay within the company.
But I do have a few questions about the residence.
Do you have to apply for residence as the same time as applying for the position or department of choice?
How do you choose your residence if the position becomes available to you?
Also, I am very glad I found this article I found it was very interesting and helpful.
Thank you.
Audrey says
You don’t have to live in staff housing if you apply for a position at the Lake Louise or Banff Fairmont, but it can be difficult to find accommodation on your own. It can also be expensive. There will be very limited places to stay in Lake Louise other than staff accommodation, Banff has more to offer but it can still be hard to find a place. I would not recommend living in Golden and driving to work to the nearest Fairmont (which would be Lake Louise) it is an hour drive in each direction and the winter road conditions can be bad.
If you are wanting to live in staff accommodation you would discuss that with the person offering you the position and they will let you know what options you have. You don’t really get to pick what type of place you get to live in, and depending on the situation or position you are hired for you may have to share accommodation with other people. All these details will need to be worked out when you are in the process of accepting a position.
Sondra Jones says
Thank you very much for the information! Hoping to be out there early September!:)
Can staff access the spa?
What about skiing?
Do you know about housekeeping? Ie do full time get benefits ?
Thanks again! 🙂
Are you still living & working there?
Audrey says
You can book appointments to have a massage, facial, haircut etc, of course guests take priority so only when it is slower. Lake Louise doesn’t have a spa like the Banff Springs. There is a separate pool and hot tub in another section of the hotel. I believe staff can purchase passes to go to the pool, we never used it. Sorry, I’m not sure how the benefits work for housekeeping, we are no longer working there.
Cheers
ed says
Great read… it’s still called the Bean. I was there in 1996… my roommate is the reason why many people are told not to do pullups on the fire pipes hanging from the ceiling. Yup he busted it, and it was funny to watch him try to push a broken pipe back into the other end.
I liked Lake Louise, some jobs are miserable, while others are fun. Living onsite was okay, and it helps if you get a car or some sort of transportation, otherwise, it is a DRAG being there.
And its true you do have a lot of transient staff go through. But such is the life.
Can’t always be pretty scenery all the time
Audrey says
Yes, it is still called the Bean. Having a vehicle definitely makes living onsite at the lake more tolerable. I personally could not live there without a car. There’s still a lot of transient staff, but quite a few longer term employees as well.
Angela says
Hi there! Loving your blog, thanks for sharing your experience. My friend and I got accepted to work at the Lake Louise Ski Resort and our other friend got accepted to Fairmont’s Chateau Lake Louise, I was wondering if the housing for all employees in LL is the same housing? Or if we will be in different housing complexes than those who work for the hotel?
Audrey says
Hi there,
Most places of employment in Lake Louise have their own staff housing. The ski hill has it’s own and so does the Fairmont hotel. The majority of the Fairmont housing is on the same property where the hotel is located near the lake. I’m not sure where the ski hill housing is, it might be at the ski hill area, otherwise it would be in the village of Lake Louise.
Jen says
Hi Audrey, got a few questions for you.
Do you pay for staff housing and extra things like haircuts at the hotel?
Are there regular buses from the hotel to ski hill, if so is this free?
Does the hotel pay for your ski pass?
Can staff change positions after working there some time?
Do you need a canadian bank account to be paid?
Have you been able to have any vacation time?
Thanks, are you still working there?
Audrey says
Yes, you pay for staff housing and for anything at the hotel such as haircuts etc. The hotel doesn’t pay for ski passes, it has no affiliation with the ski hill. There is a shuttle that takes guests for the hotel to the ski hill, I think staff can use it. I can’t remember, we never took it because we don’t ski. You might be able to change positions after a while, it depends on your hiring terms. If you are non-Canadian resident hired on a visa then usually not. I think you have to have a Canadian bank account, but not positive. I am not sure how the vacation time works for the different positions. As far as I know most staff get some vacation time. For my husband’s full time maintenance position it was the typical 2 weeks after working for the first year. I didn’t work directly for the hotel, so my position was different. We don’t still work there, but were there for over 4 years.
Jen says
Thanks for the quick reply, it’s very helpful of you.
Can you remember roughly how much you paid for your accommodation?
“The hotel does pay for ski passes, it has no affiliation with the ski hill.” sorry what do you mean by no affiliation with the ski hill? Do you know if this is just for Lake Louise? or is it possible to get discounts off the other close ski hills? Sorry if you can’t remember this, but would be great to know.
When your husband started staff orientation, was that the start of moving into accommodation. Fairmont have told me the next orientation is the 6th/oct, i’m currently staying at a hostel, just wondering if I will be staying here much longer or if the staff orientation is also move in date?
The recruitment officer was abit vague about these questions
Sorry if these questions are difficult, this blog and your answers are really appreciated. Thanks, Jen
Audrey says
Accommodation varies greatly, it can be as little as $300 a month if you are placed in shared accommodation or from $500 up to $1000 a month for a private place. It all depends what you are placed in, you don’t really get much of a choice unless you are being hired for a management or highly skilled position.
Sorry, my bad with a typo. The hotel “does not” pay for ski passes. The only place you will get a deal on ski passes is if you work for a ski hill and from what I remember you still don’t get it for free, but only at a discount.
We already lived there for just under a week prior to orientation, but we were in a private apartment. It may be different for other accommodation. From what I remember people are usually there a few days prior to their orientation. I doubt they would move you in earlier than that. If you have already been accepted for a position you should be able to have any questions answered by the housing department or Human Resources. My husband was given a welcome letter/email after accepting the job with telephone info and contacts for these departments. I remember asking them a few questions prior to our move there.
Cheers