Accommodations

Participant Accommodation

Participants of BIRS programs are currently housed at the PDC (Professional Development Centre) at the Banff Centre. 5-day workshop participants are expected to arrive on Sunday afternoon or evening (check-in is after 4 p.m.) and to depart Friday midday (check-out is at 11am). Accommodation and meals are provided for the organizers and participants for this period.

Check-in desk at the Banff Centre is located in the Professional Development Centre (PDC). The desk is open 24 hours* so participants can check in anytime. Here you will be given the key to your room located in the same building as well as some other useful useful for BIRS participants. During your stay at BIRS, you can be contacted by telephone through the Banff Centre's switchboard, which is open 24 hours, at +1-403-762-6100.

Participants of BIRS programs are housed in Professional Development Centre. Each room has one queen size bed, a telephone, a desk and a TV and a private bathroom. Open wireless Internet access ("wifi"), no password required, is available in all areas of BIRS. The bedrooms are each equipped with a clock-radio, a coffee-maker, and an iron and ironing board. Bathrooms are equipped with hair-dryers and supplied with towels, soap shampoo and lotion. Coin-operated laundry facilities are available in the Lloyd Hall lower level.

PDC has 2 floors and is equipped with an elevator.

*However, public transportation from Calgary Airport is somewhat limited, so please refer to shuttle timings prior to booking your flight. Shuttle companies are listed under "Getting to BIRS".

Accompanying Guest

You are welcome to bring an adult guest while being aware that the bedrooms at PDC contain one queen size bed (bed size cannot be guaranteed) . You may request an upgrade with the Banff Centre directly to get 2 bed bedroom or a suite by contacting them at [email protected] (A guest is considered "adult" if he or she can take care of him-or herself from 9am to 6pm while you are participating in workshop activities).

If your guest wishes to join you for meals at the Banff Centre, she/he will do this at her/his own expense.

If you are arriving before your workshop begins or staying after it ends, you will have to arrange and pay for your own accommodation for all nights outside of the workshop dates. Please contact Banff Centre directly at Toll Free: 1 (800) 884-7574 (Canada & U.S.A) or via email [email protected]

Alternative Family Housing at Banff

In the case where - due to limited availability - Banff Centre is unable to accommodate the family of a participant, he/she will need to arrange and pay for his/her own accommodation for the duration of your stay in Banff. There is a large selection of accommodation elsewhere at the Banff Centre or in the town of Banff ranging from cozy bed and breakfasts to four-star resorts. BIRS cannot provide financial reimbursement for such arrangements. Information on alternative accommodations can be found online. The following are some tourism websites:

You can also access several useful maps on Town of Banff website

The Banff Centre

BIRS is located on the campus of The Banff Centre. All the accomodations are currently in PDC (Professional Development Centre), whilst the seminar rooms are located in TransCanada Pavillion. If you need to contact the Front Desk of the Banff centre, or to speak to a participant at BIRS, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, telephone +1-403-762-6100.For more information on the Banff Centre and all it has to offer, please visit their FAQ Page