dress code for dinners at Fairmont hotels

hawaii808

I read in this forum that a sports jacket for men is recommended -- I presume this means having to pack dress shoes for the men as well?

For women, what is recommended? Dress and shoes as well?

I'm trying to pack as lightly as possible and want to avoid having to pack anything that will be used only once or twice during the trip.

jdurkin

From a female point of view ... I always enjoy changing from practical day/travelling clothes into something a little nicer for dinner and the Fairmont hotels certainly provide an appropriate ambiance. I always like to change for dinner. I mightn't look like a Milan catwalk model, but it's nice to make an effort. Something smart and comfortable ... and clean! Certainly beats all the layers (that might not match) that you wear during the day. For shoes, a pair of mid-heel sandals don't take up much space in a case and are certainly more comfortable than lace-up walking shoes, at least in my personal, feet-inspired opinion! I only travel with trousers, so I keep a pair aside for dinners. That way I know I always have something respectable left in the case! No need to consider cocktail wear for dinners. Keep your best outfit for the opening and closing dinners!

Shoes generally ... I always try to vary my footwear as much as possible. Wearing the same shoes constantly just does not work for my feet. So trainers/lace ups for on tour and another pair for other times.

Cheers,

Jan

Patience

I went on the Canadian Rockies and Glacier Park trip last August. Glacier Park is extremely casual. No need to change from what you wore all day. The Fairmont Hotels are somewhat dressy. However I wore casual pants (not jeans) and a nice looking top that went with the pants to dinner. I did change from tennis shoes to dressy flat shoes and felt well dressed for all of the dinners. The temperatures were in the 90's last August, and the hotels were not air conditioned, so I didn't want to layer much. Keeping cool was more of a problem!

s.tyler

This is a very casual tour. The opening dinner is at a casual venue as are the Natl Park lodges. The Fairmont at Lake Louise could be dressier - but luggage delivery is very slow and since we ate on the earlier side we wore our travel togs. The hostess told us they see everything. The Jasper Fairmont is more casual and jeans/chinos are fine in any venue. Really the only meal you might want to dress up a bit for is the closing dinner.

jdurkin

The "hostess" was most likely a Canadian, or even possibly an Australian. When she told you …"they see everything" at the dining venues at the Fairmont, Lake Louise, I bet my bottom dollar she didn't mean that in a good way. Glad to see the fine art of irony is alive and well in Canada.

The slowest luggage delivery in the Rockies Fairmonts is, without doubt, at the Banff Springs. It certainly doesn't make it easy if you keep farmers' hours.

s.tyler

I have no idea of the waitstaff/hostess's nationality but I can assure they were quite sincere. Even our final night dinner at the Banff Fairmont was casual in dress. My husband wore khaki slacks and a golf shirt, I wore capris, knit shirt and flats. By far the slowest luggage delivery for us was Lake Louise - our tour director said this was the usual situation there due to the configuration of the hotel and the glut of tour groups arriving at the same time.

jdurkin

Well, good for you, s. I am sure the staff member was indeed sincere. They are professionals, after all, working for one of the great hotel management companies of the world. I'm quite sure they really have seen everything. The good, the bad and the ugly. All part of their job. And I can't help but admire the skill and patience they show to all comers.

And I'm glad to hear from you that Tauck and the Banff property have found an alternative practise to the fill in hour and a half spent in a mosquito infested park in the late afternoon simply to camouflage the luggage delivery issues at Banff for at least that amount of time.

Cheers,

Jan