The present hotel property is made up of several buildings, of which the main hotel consists of a 1914 eleven-storey center tower designed by Walter S. Painter, and a 1927 North Wing and a 1928 South Wing designed by John Orrock which were built on either side of the Center Tower.

[3] The original structure was a five-storey wooden building, able to accommodate 280 guests, was designed by Bruce Price.

[3] After the original 1888 wooden structure burnt down in 1926, John W. Orrock, the Chief Engineer for Canadian Pacific Railway, was charged with designing its replacement.

[4] As with the tower added in 1911, the replacement structure is made up of a steel frame, clad in Rundle limestone.

[5] As a result, the main block features massive wall surfaces, and steep copper roofs, dormers, and gables.

Châteauesque features found on the building include its steep pitched roofs, pointed dormers, and corner turrets.

Unlike the other wings of the hotel, the centre tower featured almost no French medieval architectural elements.

[10] Materials found in the interior include fossil-filled carved Tyndall limestone from Garson, Manitoba, and Bedford lime flagstones on the floors of Mount Stephen Hall, an event room within the hotel.

[12] Given its location, the hotel property also features outdoor event spaces, including a terrace garden.

[11] Restaurants located within the hotel include 1888 Chop House, the Waldhaus, and the Rundle Bar, "Castello".

[3][12] The original building was shaped as an H and included an octagonal centre hall, with an additional wing extending from its towards the Bow River.

[7] The 1888 structure cost $250,000 and a mistake made by the builder changed the intended orientation of the building, turning its back on the mountain vista.

[13] By 1906, plans were advanced for a complete overhaul of the Banff Springs Hotel building, proposing a replacement of much of the original structure.

Walter Painter, chief architect for Canadian Pacific Railway, designed an eleven-story central tower in concrete and stone, flanked by two wings.

[15] In 2006, seven Fairmont hotels, including Banff Springs, sold to Oxford Properties, a company owned by the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System.