About Us


Brewster Mountain Lodge is owned and operated by Alison Brewster, Bryan Niehaus, and their daughters Morgan and Joleen. The family, made up of fifth and sixth generation Banff National Park residents, is still in awe of the incredible terrain that they get to live and work within. For over a century, the Brewster family has built their lives and livelihood around sharing the enchantment of Banff National Park with others, and Brewster Mountain Lodge is founded upon that spirit.


The property is warm and inviting in part because of it’s gorgeous, handcrafted pine wood furnishings and Rocky Mountain-inspired aesthetic, but also thanks to the incredible staff. The hotel has a small team of just under 30 people who work together to make the guests feel at home and energized about their stay in Banff National Park. The staff members, like the guests, have travelled from around the world to witness Banff for themselves. As many travellers have found in the past, Banff isn’t an easy place to leave behind. Brewster’s passionate team are dynamic and knowledgeable about the area as many of them spend their days off hiking, skiing, camping, and exploring the mountains. 

Sixth Generation 


If you’ve visited the hotel recently, you’ve likely encountered Morgan or Joleen Niehaus, the youngest generation to join the family business. The sisters were born and raised in Banff by parents Alison Brewster and Bryan Niehaus. They each carry the family name, Brewster, as their middle names. Morgan and Joleen grew up alongside the family business, understanding the importance of hard work from a very young age and being included in conversations and business decisions for as long as they can remember.


They grew up understanding the immense privilege of calling the mountains home while also seeing the importance of upholding their family legacy. Morgan and Joleen both currently work in the family business. The sisters are energized to implement the knowledge they’ve accumulated throughout their lives as well as their learnings from beyond Banff.


Fifth Generation 


To know the Brewster family is to know hard work, dedication and at times sacrifice. Bryan Niehaus and Alison Brewster, met in the summer of 1986 at one of Bud’s hike camps and the two hit it off. Not before long Alison saw how impressive Bryans mechanical skills were, all self-taught from growing up on a farm in central Alberta, and realized he wasn’t afraid of hard work. Bud took a liking to Bryan as well from his tenacious spirit and ability to accomplish anything he set his mind to. Bryan became a member of the family and, of course, the family business when the two got married in the spring of 1991. 

 

Alison and Bryan helped Bud’s dream of building a back country lodge come to life and dedicated 25 years from negotiating with Parks Canada, building every cabin and operating the lodge seasonally, to selling the lodge to the Alpine Club of Canada in 2019. Alison and Bryan were stewards of the land and have left an amazing legacy for others to enjoy. 


Brewster Mountain Lodge was another one of Bud’s dreams, built in 1990, Alison took over operations in 2008 at the height of the economic downturn. She worked tirelessly and never gave up honoring a commitment to her family. Alison with her husband Bryan now own and operate Brewster Mountain Lodge with their two daughters Morgan and Joleen. 

Fourth Generation

 

To truly understand the story behind Brewster Mountain Lodge, it’s important to understand the story of Alison’s parents: Bud and Annette. Like most Brewsters, Bud was born and raised in Banff National Park and the family business was as much part of him as the family name. 

 

​​In 1957, Annette got a summer job at Lake O’Hara Lodge in Yoho National Park. She travelled by bus along what is now Highway 1A. In her first letter home, she described the thrill of approaching the mountains for the first time. 

"On the way, I was kind of afraid of the mountains, but when we got to the foothills, I just couldn't wait to get into them. They kept getting bigger and bigger as we got closer. Then when I saw that first mountain, I just felt like I belonged," she wrote, unaware of what the future held for her.

In one of her letters, she wrote briefly about a young man with a lot of responsibilities, Bud Brewster, whose family operated lodges at Lake O’Hara, Lake Wapta, Yoho Valley and Twin Falls through Brewster and Ford Mountain Lodges. At that point, however, Bud was the second boss and "about twenty-five, nice, with lots and lots of worries so that his hair is turning grey already," wrote Annette.


Bud Brewster was a Brewster in every way, including his rebellious and stubborn streaks, and while he naturally followed his family into the tourism business, he did it in his own way. He was forward-thinking and astute and knew what tourists wanted, and even in the 1950s, he knew they sought authentic mountain experiences. 

 

He was an accomplished individual with considerable business insight, savvy and drive. Bud was loved and respected (he still is). He was also tenacious and capable and showed great vision, just like his great-grandfather, John; his grandfather, Bill and his father, Claude.


“Our involvement began slowly,” Annette once said. “I was living in Calgary and working in the credit department at Eaton’s. I loved my job; I was independent and making my own way. Bud would call occasionally, and soon I was persuaded to come back to Banff. Though Bud was older, we seemed to share so much in common. I admired his ambition, and I think he liked my common sense.

Bud and Annette married on September 19, 1959.



Retirement wasn’t part of Annette and Bud’s vocabulary, and they remained advisors, mentors and advocates for the family business even after they stepped away from it. They continued to live in Banff in the house that Annette designed, and Bud built on Buffalo Street, and they spent their summers at their cabin at the Kananaskis Guest Ranch. Most of all, they loved spending time with their grandchildren Lacey, Bailee, Morgan, Jolene and River.


In 2010, the Alberta Business Family Institute at the University of Alberta honoured the Brewster family, recognizing their entrepreneurial spirit and the work that had gone into creating and operating these businesses. 


Bud died on Feb. 10, 2012, at the age of 83. Annette now lives in the MorningStar House at Origin in the Spring Creek neighbourhood of Canmore, and she enjoys crafts, singing and adventurous outings. She lives close to her family, and her face lights up when they come for a visit.


Further Back 


Of course, the Brewster family history in Banff dates much further back. In fact, the journey began as early as the 1940s.

 If you’d like to take a further look back, click below.


OUR HERITAGE
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