Earlier this year, Joel Greaves and Devon Vaillancourt opened a Collingwood sequel to their three-year-old Somewhere Inn Calabogie.
“With the rise in slowcations and staycations we saw an opportunity to expand,” says Greaves, a thirtysomething former telecom marketer who owns and operates both Ontario inns with his wife.
Greaves’s comment echoes the results of Deloitte Canada’s 2024 summer travel survey. It found that 81 per cent of respondents plan to vacation domestically this summer, and that road trips were nearly twice as popular as getaways involving air travel. At the same time, more than three-quarters of respondents intend to spend more on travel this summer than they did in 2023, with 79 per cent favouring locally owned businesses over global chains.
These inclinations appear to be influencing the 16 new and drastically revamped Canadian hotels, inns and lodges explored below, most of which are going out of their way to highlight local connections ranging from vintage food trucks and long-distance hiking trails to nearby wineries and complimentary beach bikes.
Alberta
Moxy Banff: One of the National Park town’s first motels, the Voyageur Inn, was recently reborn as this 109-room outpost of Marriott’s stylish yet budget-conscious Moxy brand. Set on the northeast end of Banff’s namesake main drag, the site’s $30-million redevelopment has yielded retro-themed rooms that can accommodate up to eight guests; a new hot tub, fitness centre and guest laundry; and Bar Moxy, which serves snacks out of a restored 1966 Volkswagen food truck. More info: moxy-hotels.marriott.com
The nature-themed Hotel Canoe & Suites is another major Banff Avenue redevelopment, with 175 rooms and suites.
Hotel Canoe & Suites: Another major Banff Avenue redevelopment, this nature-themed property’s 175 rooms and suites offer various combinations of queen and king beds, kitchenettes, balconies and gas fireplaces. While the on-site Sudden Sally restaurant is open for business and EV charging stations are up and running, the hotel’s sauna, guest laundry, outdoor hot pools and fireplace-equipped lounge are slated to open later this summer. More info: hotelcanoeandsuites.com
Basecamp Suites Banff offers 21 kitchen-equipped suites ranging from one to three bedrooms.Supplied
Basecamp Suites Banff: Offering 21 kitchen-equipped suites ranging from one to three bedrooms, this boutique hotel is steps from buzzing Banff Avenue and also home to a pair of rooftop hot tubs with panoramic views of the surrounding peaks. More info: basecampresorts.com
British Columbia
The resort has an indoor pool and outdoor hot tub, with the public Campbell River Golf Club surrounding the five-storey property.
Naturally Pacific Resort: The first full-service resort in the scenic Vancouver Island city of Campbell River is home to 100 guest rooms and suites, the Carve Kitchen & Meatery helmed by former Fairmont Banff Springs chef de cuisine Ryan Watson, and the Immersion spa. There’s also an indoor pool and outdoor hot tub, with the public Campbell River Golf Club surrounding the five-storey property. More info: naturallypacific.ca
Rosewood Hotel Georgia: Recently reopened following a multimillion-dollar renovation, one of downtown Vancouver’s most luxurious hotels enlisted the Manhattan-based Lillian Wu Studio to redesign all 156 of its rooms and suites, and Vancouver’s Ste. Marie Studio to revamp the 1927 Lobby Lounge and Reflections Terrace. Starting this summer, the latter will be open for year-round drinks and dining with the addition of a retractable roof. More info: rosewoodhotels.com
Manitoba
The Hotel at Falcon Lake celebrates its 60th anniversary this year.Supplied
The Hotel at Falcon Lake: Extensively renovated in 2023 and celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, this 34-room property at the south end of Whiteshell Provincial Park is also home to 17 two-bedroom cottages with kitchenettes; the seven-bedroom E’lnor Lodge; a sauna, steam room, indoor pool and water slide; and two on-site restaurants. More info: thehotelatfalconlake.com
Elkhorn Resort: Steps from the forested shores of Clear Lake in Riding Mountain National Park, this upscale collection of fireplace-equipped guest rooms and stand-alone chalets recently spent $10-million adding a thermotherapy circuit of hot and cold pools, steam rooms, dry saunas and outdoor relaxation areas to its rebranded Klar So Nordic Spa. A new spa bistro, meanwhile, serves lunch and dinner items such as flatbread topped with flame-grilled peaches, goat cheese, arugula, pesto, mozzarella and balsamic glaze. More info: elkhornresort.mb.ca
Newfoundland
A 40-minute drive south of St. John’s, the complex offers private hot tubs, firepits and saunas.
Cliffs Edge Retreat: A 40-minute drive south of St. John’s, this aptly named complex offers self-catered digs ranging from a pair of “cliff houses” with private hot tubs, firepits and saunas to secluded one- and two-bedroom cottages and lodge rooms. There’s also a communal firepit, laundry facilities and a business centre, with the 270-kilometre East Coast Trail luring hikers inland from the property. More info: cliffsedgeretreat.ca
Northwest Territories
Blachford Lake Lodge: After its January acquisition by Iqaluit-based tour operator Arctic Kingdom, this luxe fly-in wilderness lodge about 80 kilometres east of Yellowknife has kicked off summer-long renovations that will add a new ensuite guest room in the main building and new private bathrooms for all five of the property’s cabins. The lodge is scheduled to reopen on Aug. 13. More info: blachfordlakelodge.com
Nova Scotia
Moxy Halifax Downtown: Overlooking the downtown waterfront, this 160-room hotel has guests check in at the bar and receive their room keys alongside complimentary house cocktails. Eighteen of its suites include open-concept kitchens, with Bar Moxy featuring rotating craft beer taps and bottles from several Nova Scotia vintners. More info: moxy-hotels.marriott.com
Ontario
Somewhere Inn Collingwood is set in a brick century home three blocks east of Hurontario Street.Natalia Osmolovskaya/Supplied
Somewhere Inn Collingwood: Set in a brick century home three blocks east of restaurant-, pub- and boutique-lined Hurontario Street, the 10-room sequel to Somewhere Inn Calabogie features a stylish multipurpose lobby housing a café and wine bar. Outside, a communal fire pit, thermotherapy circuit, lounge seating and hammocks are arrayed across lush gardens. More info: somewhereinn.ca
The June Motel Beaver Valley: A 30-minute drive west of Collingwood, the latest addition to the mini-chain made famous by the Motel Makeover Netflix series offers eight country-chic rooms on the banks of Beaver River. More suited to couples than families, amenities include a campfire-equipped patio, yoga and meditation studio and sauna. More info: thejunemotel.com
View from the rooftop patio at the Sands Sauble Beach. The grand opening is scheduled for July 19.Shelley Partington/Supplied
The Sands Hotel Sauble Beach: With its grand opening slated for July 19, this four-storey property is further diversifying lodging in a Lake Huron beach town that was once dominated by private cottages. Ranging from studios to two-bedroom suites, the Sands’ 21 rooms include private terraces overlooking the beach, while in-house amenities include the Sandbar Rooftop Lounge, Tables Restaurant and complimentary use of fat-tire bicycles. More info: thesands.ca
Revery Toronto Downtown: This Hilton-branded hotel emphasizes its Entertainment District setting with velvet curtains and a decorative box office outside the lobby. Inside, the 224 rooms feature curved full-length mirrors and other adornments embracing a dressing-room theme. The in-house restaurant and bar, Deauville Club and Muse, similarly evoke the silver screen. More info: hilton.com
Prince Edward Island
Blackbush Beach Resort: Overlooking Tracadie Bay on PEI’s north shore, the modernist Hotel Acadia at the heart of this new family resort is accepting reservations for its 30 guest rooms starting in July, while the property’s stand-alone cottages and villa-style condo units are available as of June. Blackbush has already opened its Fin Folk casual seafood restaurant, with a second eatery slated to open in a “Fish Factory” building that will also house a seafood market, oyster bar, washrooms and outdoor beach showers. Other resort amenities include a bonfire amphitheatre, outdoor pool and yoga studio. More info: blackbush.ca
Quebec
Hôtel Honeyrose Montréal, located in in the Quartier des Spectacles, showcases the city's vibrant culture and sybaritic side.Supplied
Hôtel Honeyrose Montréal: Less than a year after its mid-2023 opening, this 1920s-themed Marriott property in the Quartier des Spectacles became the sole Canadian inclusion in Travel + Leisure magazine’s “100 Best New Hotels of 2024.” Montreal’s vibrant culture and sybaritic side are showcased here: The 143 rooms are decorated with paintings by local artist Roxy Peroxyde, a flower shop sells preserved “eternal roses” in a nod to the property’s moniker, a fitness centre offers a dry sauna and indoor pool, the rooftop Muze Lounge & Terrasse serves California-inspired cuisine, and the Commodore does the same for French bistro fare. More info: honeyrosemontreal.com
