Whistler’s Inn sits right in the heart of the town of Jasper. The hotel is 3 floors tall; the main floor has the lobby, the Whistle Stop Pub which is a restaurant and bar, Cassios Italian Restaurant, Smitty’s Restaurant and several gift shops. The stairs and elevator will take you to the second and third floors where the rooms are located.

When Whistler’s Inn provided accommodations for GayCalgary during Jasper Pride 2015, the room we stayed in had two double beds, and a spectacular view out the window. There are also two hot tubs and a steam room on the roof top - with an even better view - that you can enjoy as late as 11pm.

Other available rooms are 1 King bed, 1 Queen, or 2 Queens. They also have full suites available for people who want a fire place in the room, or additional space for larger groups that feels more like a home. Rates are pretty reasonable during Jasper Pride since it’s during off-season (January 4th to April 30th), with rooms starting at $139 a night. Peak pricing is in the summer from June 1st to September 30th starting at $249 a night.

In the basement of the Inn, accessible from the lobby, is the Den Museum. Guests of the hotel can ask for complimentary tokens to access it, and non-guests can pay a small fee for the same. The museum boasts that it features stuffed versions of over 100 different animals that you would find living in Jasper National Park. It is not a very large museum but you do get a nice close-up look at many animals that are usually too dangerous to see up close, or would be too afraid to let you get near.

Whether you drive or take the Greyhound to Jasper, the Inn’s central location allows you to easily walk wherever you need to go in the downtown core. For dining, you can select from one of the three restaurants in the same building, or easily find other places nearby. Tour operators are only a couple blocks away from the hotel too, so you can easily head back to your room after enjoying activities like snowshoeing, dogsledding, or our personal favourite, the Maligne Canyon Icewalk.

The hotel is very LGBT friendly, even having a tab on their website dedicated to LGBT guests. They have sponsored Jasper Pride since the very start and they host LGBT events throughout the year outside of pride. Whistler’s Inn is also part of LGBT travel organizations like Blue Flame and IGLTA. Every year they host at least one event night for gay pride in Whistle Stop Pub.  This year is the LumBEARjack Party on Friday, March 18th.