A luxury hotel and spa in Lake Louise village, originally built in 1942 as the Lake Louise Ski Lodge. Jim Boyce built it as a “skier’s base camp” for ski mountaineers who found Chateau Lake Louise too expensive and formal; it staged guests arriving by train before they trekked to Skoki Lodge or Temple Lodge. The irony: Boyce built it because the Chateau was “too fancy”; today, under the Schwarz legacy, the Post rivals the Chateau for prestige. Admitted to Relais & Châteaux (1990); Wine Spectator Grand Award since 2002 (25,500+ bottles, 3,800 selections).

Architecture. Jim Boyce built the original lodge in 1942 with a crew of ten, hewing massive spruce logs from Revelstoke and the Bow River headwaters; a vernacular Rockies structure that felt grown from the landscape. Under the Schwarz brothers (1986–87), the property was redeveloped without demolishing Jim Boyce’s core: the new wings enveloped it, with a red tin roof, timber-framed balconies, handcrafted library with river-stone fireplace, saltwater pool, and 93 guest rooms; the new log work harmonizing with the darkened original timber.

Ownership. Boyce (1942–1947) built and operated the lodge until the WWII closure strained his finances. Sir Norman Watson (1947–1978), British alpinist and aircraft manufacturer, purchased it to complete his chain (Skoki, Temple, Post); renamed it the Post Hotel (1957) after Austrian and Swiss Gasthof zur Post; added the Pipestone Motel (1965) for the car-tourism boom. Alpha Legace managed front-end operations and sold transport tickets for the Temple Lodge trailhead shuttle. André and George Schwarz (1978–2021) pivoted the hotel from a “skier’s bunkhouse” to a luxury Relais & Châteaux destination; George curated the cellar; Executive Chef Hans Sauter pioneered “Swiss-Canadian” cuisine. The Fondue Stübli remains a pilgrimage for traditionalists. Canadian Rocky Mountain Resorts (O’Connor family) acquired the hotel in 2021, retaining the Schwarz philosophy; Emerald Lake Lodge and Buffalo Mountain Lodge are now sister properties.