Canada's insider blog

Montréal’s Ritz-Carlton will celebrate its 100th birthday by re-opening its doors in mid-May after a $150-million reconstruction. The 1912 Neo-classical building will continue its role as a gracious classical oasis with a chandelier-lit Palm Court and its much-loved indoor garden with pond-side tables for high teas.

Montréal’s iconic Ritz-Carlton is the only remaining pre-1940 luxury hotel along Sherbrooke Street’s elite Golden Mile: during its century in business it has hosted guests from Winston Churchill to Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, who celebrated their first marriage at the hotel. The newly minted, five-star Ritz will offer not only 130 luxury hotel rooms, but also 46 deluxe residences.

As a complement to this cornerstone of decadence, the elegant jewelry firm Tiffany & Co recently opened its fifth Canadian store in the hotel. And in the realm of fine dining, the Ritz will contrast its old world ambience with a dash of chic contemporary elegance in the form of Maison Boulud, the latest project of French-born chef Daniel Boulud, one of America’s leading culinary authorities whose flagship is the Michelin three-star DANIEL in New York City. “My approach definitely bridges both European and North American traditions,” he says. “This is not unlike what so appeals to me about Montréal, a city that embodies this mix of cultures perfectly.”  

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