Where to stay in Canada? The options are as varied as the folks looking to stay in our grand hotels and cozy inns. A quaint bed and breakfast on the east coast? A swanky new hotel in a cosmopolitan city? Or maybe something a little more original? (Yurt? Lighthouse? Tipi?) Here’s our overview:
The renowned Fairmont Hotels & Resorts are synonymous with Canadian hospitality. Formerly owned by Canadian Pacific, the chain is famous for its hotels housed in castle-like properties along the Canadian rail route that have fantastic histories and heritage significance. Among the most popular: Québec City, QC’s Le Chateau Frontenac and Alberta’s Banff Springs. Although new ownership means it is no longer a Canadian company, the brand remains the most recognized of Canada’s iconic hotels.
Among the new hotel chains to emerge here are the boutiques: Thompson Hotels—which introduces its first Canadian hotel this spring in Toronto, ON—and the new Hotel Le Germain Calgary in Calgary, AB—the first property in the westward venture of Quebec-based Groupe Germain. Boutique hotels are popular all across the country: ARC The.Hotel in Ottawa, ON; Hotel Le Saint-James in Montréal, QC; The Hazelton Hotel in Toronto, ON, and British Columbia’s über-popular, cliffside Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino are among them.
Other popular chains include Starwood, Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt.
Those looking for something a little different will also be hard-pressed to choose. The ‘ice hotel’ (Hôtel de Glace) in Quebec celebrated its 10th birthday this year, and is built each winter just in time for Carnaval de Québec; it offers a special, if nippy, sleeping option. The tony Opus Hotels (Montréal, QC, and Vancouver, BC) let visitors choose their rooms according to the personalities of five fictional characters, with customized itineraries to match for exploring the city. And at Québec City, QC’s Hôtel le Château Bonne Entente, a recent $2.5 million reno means eight room types to match your mood. (An online quiz helps you decide.)
Total fantasy immersion? Sure. Try the Fantasylanh Hotel in the West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, AB, with rooms that range from “Igloo” to “African Safari.”
A little less wild? Canada’s wide selection of medical and spiritual retreats deliver salve for the mind, body and soul. Among the newest offerings (April 2010): just outside Kelowna, BC, is Sparkling Hill Resort, where hundreds of embedded Swarovski crystals, innovative therapies and a -110º C (-166º F) cold-sauna await.
Guests of the four-legged kind are also welcome at many of Canada’s hotels and resorts. For a special treat, visit Hecla Oasis Resort on Hecla Island, MB, where the VIP (Very Important Pet) service motto “We treat the pet as if any other guest in the hotel” encourages the human-dog bond. Programs include a boot camp, health consultations for humans and nearby groomers for pets.
The future of Canadian lodging also holds promise. Watch for the new eco-hotel being designed by Canadian Cirque du Soleil co-founder Daniel Gauthier. The $35 million, 150-room signature eco-hotel Pôle de la ferme is slated to open in Baie-Saint-Paul, QC, with unparalleled access to the Le Massif ski area in summer 2011.
