APRIL–JUNE 2019 TAST E& TRAVEL INTERNATIONAL 33
LODGINGS
C A N A D A
FAIRMONT QUEEN ELIZABETH
T
HE FIRST TIME I STAYED AT THIS
famous hotel was in the 80s, just after
it had been renovated with a nautical
theme, reminiscent of the grand
steamship era. I thought this was somewhat out of
place in a cosmopolitan city without a ship-
building background. But many will remember
that the former 9th-floor Eaton’s Restaurant, now
a national historic site, had the most spectacular
Art Deco dining room, patterned after the dininghall of the transatlantic liner Île de France.
Originally owned by Canadian National Railways, this
massive modernist building was completed in 1958,
becoming the second largest hotel in Canada after the Royal
York in Toronto. With 1039 rooms and 21 floors, it was built
on top of the Gare Central and connected to Montreal’s
underground city. It gained fame as one of the world’s great
mid-century hotels. It was one of the first hotels in North
America with escalators, centralized air conditioning and
direct-dial telephones in each room. The restaurants and
cafes were inspired by the culinary traditions of France and
Quebec and promoted local cuisine.
The Queen went through many phases over the decades
and closed her doors in 2016 for a year-long renovation and
refurbishment, reopening on July 16, 2017 with a spectacular,
$140 million transformation of all floors and public areas.
A reduction to 950 renovated rooms allowed for more
spacious suites and a magnificent Fairmont Gold floor, a
state-of-the-art business and conference level, and
reinvented food and beverage spaces, including the chic
Nacarat Bar, the vaulted Roselys Restaurant, and the multi-
stationed Marché Artisans.WHERE ON EARTHMontreal