There may be less hotels in Canada than, say, the United States or Mexico. But for a country with just a fraction of North America's population, it more than holds its own when it comes to an ever-evolving hotel scene. Far from being restricted just to rugged, utilitarian shelters against the elements — this is a place with a growing collection of super stylish, design-forward hotels. Find some of them below, and peruse our entire selection of MICHELIN Hotels in Canada, here.
Hotel William Gray
MontrealThere’s no place in North America with more historic character than Old Montreal — which means that a design hotel like the William Gray, made from a pair of 18th-century heritage buildings and a contemporary addition, gets maximum impact from its stylistic contrast. Once you’re inside the modern section, with its soaring glass atrium, it’s clear that you’re in for a 21st-century luxury-boutique experience.
Book Hotel William Gray with The MICHELIN Guide →
The Douglas
VancouverJust to the east of Vancouver’s hip Yaletown district is Parq Vancouver, a mixed-use entertainment and hospitality development right alongside BC Place, the city’s major-league soccer and football stadium. Set in an eye-catching modern glass tower, the Douglas is a luxury hotel with boutique-hotel aspirations, its interiors a mélange of classic modernism and quasi-industrial loft aesthetics.
Gladstone House
TorontoIt’s a case of good things coming to those who wait. This gorgeous red brick Victorian hotel had its heyday during the era of the trans-Canada railway, and while it fell into disuse for a while, the rebirth of Queen Street West means this site is suddenly in great demand. Fortunately it fell into the hands of owners with a firm grasp on what this neighborhood’s about — the renovated Gladstone is an artists’ hotel par excellence.
Fogo Island Inn
NewfoundlandPerhaps the only thing stopping the Fogo Island Inn from becoming the most famous high-design luxury hotel in the world is its far-flung location, on a tiny island off the coast of Newfoundland, closer to Greenland than to Montreal or New York. Of course, its remoteness is key to its appeal, along with its architecture, an ultra-modern reinterpretation of traditional, utilitarian Maritimes architecture.
Ace Hotel Toronto
TorontoAce’s first hotel in Canada is set in Toronto’s Garment District, close to the downtown core and innumerable local attractions. It’s a new build, but one with plenty of vintage inspiration, designed by Shim-Sutcliffe Architects and Atelier Ace. The curvaceous brick, concrete, and wooden forms feel retro-futuristic, and the lobby’s floor, if you look carefully, seems to hover in the air, suspended from the ceiling’s concrete arches by judiciously placed metal rods.
Drake Devonshire
WellingtonTwo hours east of the Drake Toronto, in the Prince Edward County town of Wellington on the shores of Lake Ontario, Drake Devonshire is full of personality: a 19th-century foundry transformed into a 21st-century farmhouse hotel, full of contemporary artworks and inspired modern design. The twelve rooms and suites range from the cozy Stargazer, with an oversized skylight as its only window, to the lavish A-frame Owners’ Suite.
Hôtel-Musée Premières-Nations
WendakeThere’s nothing else quite like the Hôtel-Musée Premières-Nations. Here the lodging is attached to a museum dedicated to Canada’s First Nations history and culture, which comes complete with an authentic Iroquois longhouse. It’s set on the Wendake reservation, close to Québec City but far enough to feel like a proper escape — a sensation that’s only heightened by the comfort of the resort-style rooms.
Book Hôtel-Musée Premières-Nations with The MICHELIN Guide →
Le Germain Charlevoix Hotel & Spa
Baie-St-PaulThough Le Germain Charlevoix Hotel & Spa is set on a working farm and runs its own farmers’ market during the summer months, the hotel itself is as modern as they come, proof that today’s travelers don’t see any contradiction between comfort and contemporary design. Much more than an updated farmhouse, it’s essentially a small village, its 145 rooms spread between five farm-inspired modern buildings.
Book Le Germain Charlevoix Hotel & Spa with The MICHELIN Guide →
seven&nine
StratfordSet a scant minute’s walk from the Avon Theatre, one of the anchors of the annual Shakespeare festival, Stratford, Ontario’s seven&nine was built as a private house, and an extraordinary one at that. Architects Shim/Sutcliffe were inspired by the kind of raw-concrete modernism that recalls figures like Tadao Ando and Alvar Aalto, and the house is decorated with modernist classic furnishings and contemporary artworks to match.
Hero image: Bowie House, Auberge Resorts Collection
