Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth

Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth, historically known as the Queen Elizabeth Hotel or Le Reine Élizabeth, is a major hotel in downtown Montreal, Quebec. Located at 900 René-Lévesque Boulevard West, the property is linked to Montreal Central Station and the city's underground pedestrian network, giving it an unusually integrated position within the commercial and transportation core of the city. With approximately 950 rooms and 21 floors, it has long been described as Quebec's largest hotel and as the second-largest Fairmont hotel in Canada after Fairmont Royal York in Toronto. The hotel opened on April 15, 1958. It was developed and owned by Canadian National Railway, whose rapidly expanding passenger and commercial infrastructure helped shape the location and the property's original role. Hilton Hotels International operated the hotel under contract at opening, although the building was not presented as a Hilton-branded property. Its name was politically and culturally significant. Some Quebec nationalists preferred Château Maisonneuve, commemorating Montreal founder Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve. Canadian National president Donald Gordon instead selected Queen Elizabeth, referring to Elizabeth II, who had unexpectedly become monarch in 1952 while the hotel was still being planned. The original interior sought to express a distinctly Quebec-oriented version of modern grand-hotel design. Canadian National commissioned prominent artists and designers, and the interiors incorporated a so-called New France theme, Quebec handicrafts, and a range of custom artistic elements. Contributors included Albert Edward Cloutier, Jean Dallaire, Marius Plamondon, Claude Vermette, and Julien Hébert. These works included carved wood, wall decoration, stained glass, ceramic tile, bronze elevator doors, and a mural associated with the main dining room, Salle Bonaventure. The hotel became internationally prominent through its guests and events. Heads of state and other notable visitors included Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Charles de Gaulle, Fidel Castro, Princess Grace of Monaco, Indira Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Mikhail Gorbachev, Jimmy Carter, and George W. Bush, among others. The property also hosted the National Hockey League entry draft on ten occasions between 1963 and 1979 and became a temporary centre of operations for the Government of Quebec during the October Crisis in 1970. Its most famous episode occurred from May 26 to June 2, 1969, when John Lennon and Yoko Ono held a Bed-In for Peace in room 1742. During the stay, the song "Give Peace a Chance" was recorded in the room on June 1 by André Perry. The recording transformed the hotel room into an important site in the history of popular music and anti-war activism. Management changed over time. Canadian National's hotel division assumed direct management on January 1, 1984, after the Hilton operating agreement ended. CN Hotels was sold to Canadian Pacific Hotels in 1988. Following the latter company's purchase of Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, the hotel was renamed Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth in 2001. The property underwent a major closure and renovation from June 17, 2016, through July 10, 2017, in a project reported at approximately CA$140 million. The renovation formed part of the property's transition into a contemporary Fairmont hotel while retaining its historic identity. The former Beaver Club restaurant, a long-associated dining venue, closed in 2014.

The Queen Elizabeth Hotel was created during a period when Canadian National Railway was extending its role beyond rail transport into large-scale urban development and hospitality. Designed for downtown Montreal beside Central Station, the property opened on April 15, 1958. Its location connected it directly with one of the city's principal transportation hubs and later with Montreal's underground pedestrian network, making it suitable for railway travelers, business visitors, conventions, and major public events. Canadian National owned the building and appointed Hilton Hotels International to operate it at opening. Despite that management arrangement, the hotel was not marketed as a Hilton-branded property. The choice of name generated controversy before opening. Quebec nationalists argued for Château Maisonneuve, a reference to Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve, the founder of Montreal. Donald Gordon, Canadian National's president, insisted on the name Queen Elizabeth, honoring Elizabeth II, who had become monarch while the project was still in development. The building's design and decoration attempted to combine modern hotel architecture with a specifically Quebec cultural presentation. Canadian National selected architects, artists, and designers for a coordinated interior program described as a New France theme. Albert Edward Cloutier produced carved wooden panels and a mural for the Salle Bonaventure dining room; Jean Dallaire created a wall hanging; Marius Plamondon contributed a stained-glass mural; Claude Vermette designed ceramic tiles; and Julien Hébert created bronze elevator doors. The result gave the hotel an identity that was more than functional accommodation and connected its public spaces to Canadian and Quebec artistic production. During the 1960s and 1970s, the hotel operated as one of Montreal's principal venues for visiting dignitaries, celebrities, political figures, and large institutional events. It hosted the National Hockey League entry draft ten times between 1963 and 1979. In 1970, during the October Crisis, the Government of Quebec moved its centre of operations into the hotel, underscoring the building's centrality and capacity during a period of political emergency. The hotel's global cultural profile was established most decisively in 1969. John Lennon and Yoko Ono stayed in room 1742 for a week-long Bed-In for Peace from May 26 to June 2 after being refused entry into the United States. On June 1, "Give Peace a Chance" was recorded in the room by André Perry. The song became associated with the American anti-war movement, and the room subsequently became the hotel's best-known historical site. After the Hilton contract ended, CN Hotels took direct management of the property on January 1, 1984. CN Hotels was sold to Canadian Pacific Hotels in 1988. In 2001, following the purchase of Fairmont Hotels and Resorts and the subsequent rebranding of the Canadian Pacific hotel portfolio, the property adopted the name Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth. The hotel therefore retained its historic geographic and cultural identity while becoming part of a broader luxury-hotel network. The Beaver Club restaurant, one of the property's recognized dining institutions, closed in 2014. From June 17, 2016, to July 10, 2017, the hotel closed for a major renovation reported at approximately CA$140 million. The project modernized the guest and public experience while preserving the hotel's importance as a landmark property. It remains an active Fairmont hotel in downtown Montreal and continues to draw significance from its accommodation business, event facilities, transportation connections, artistic heritage, and association with the Lennon–Ono Bed-In.

• 2017

  Hotel reopens after renovation

  [1]Queen Elizabeth Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The renovated property reopened on July 10 after more than a year of closure.

• 2016

  Major renovation begins

  [1]Queen Elizabeth Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The hotel closed on June 17 for a major renovation reported at approximately CA$140 million.

• 2014

  Beaver Club restaurant closes

  [1]Queen Elizabeth Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The Beaver Club restaurant, historically associated with the hotel, ended operations.

• 2001

  Hotel adopts the Fairmont name

  [1]Queen Elizabeth Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  Following the Fairmont-related corporate transaction and rebranding, the hotel became Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth.

• 1988

  CN Hotels sold to Canadian Pacific Hotels

  [1]Queen Elizabeth Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The property entered the Canadian Pacific Hotels portfolio when CN Hotels was sold to that company.

• 1984

  CN Hotels assumes direct management

  [1]Queen Elizabeth Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  Canadian National's hotel division took over direct management after the Hilton operating contract ended.

• 1970

  Quebec government operations move to the hotel

  [1]Queen Elizabeth Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The Government of Quebec used the hotel as its centre of operations during the October Crisis.

• 1969

  Lennon and Ono hold the Montreal Bed-In

  [1]Queen Elizabeth Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  John Lennon and Yoko Ono stayed in room 1742 for their Bed-In for Peace. "Give Peace a Chance" was recorded there on June 1.

• 1963

  First NHL entry draft hosted

  [1]Queen Elizabeth Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The hotel began a series of NHL entry draft events that would bring the draft to the property ten times between 1963 and 1979.

• 1958

  Hotel opens in downtown Montreal

  [1]Queen Elizabeth Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The Queen Elizabeth Hotel opened on April 15 as a Canadian National Railway-owned property operated by Hilton Hotels International.

A landmark full-service urban hotel combining Fairmont luxury hospitality, major-event capacity, rail and underground-city connectivity, and a strong cultural and historical identity.

• Accommodation · 1958

  Guest rooms and suites

  The hotel's core offering is full-service accommodation in a large downtown property of approximately 950 rooms across 21 floors. Its location beside Central Station and Montreal's underground city supports both business and leisure stays, while its Fairmont identity places the rooms and suites within an internationally recognized luxury-hotel operating model.

• Food and beverage · 1958

  Restaurants and bars

  Dining and beverage operations form an important part of the hotel's full-service proposition. The property was historically associated with the Beaver Club restaurant, which closed in 2014, and with the Salle Bonaventure dining room and event spaces. Current venue details are not specified in the supplied reference material.

• Events and hospitality · 1958

  Meetings, conferences, and events

  The hotel provides large-scale hospitality infrastructure for meetings, conferences, banquets, weddings, and public events. Its capacity and central transportation connections helped it host politically significant gatherings, visiting dignitaries, and the NHL entry draft on multiple occasions.

• Cultural and historical offering · 1969

  Room 1742 heritage experience

  Room 1742 is the property's best-known heritage feature. John Lennon and Yoko Ono used it for their 1969 Bed-In for Peace, and "Give Peace a Chance" was recorded there. The room gives the hotel a distinctive connection to twentieth-century music, peace activism, and Montreal's cultural history.

• 2010

  Arrests of hotel doormen

  Six doormen at the hotel were arrested on charges of racketeering and extortion. The supplied reference identifies the arrests but does not provide the case's final legal outcome.

  Source

Read more

• 2016

  Major property renovationOther

  Background

  The historic hotel required a substantial modernization while continuing to operate as a major downtown Montreal property.

  Action taken

  The hotel closed from June 17, 2016, to July 10, 2017, for a renovation reported at approximately CA$140 million.

  Aftermath

  The hotel reopened after the renovation and continued operating as Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth.

  Reported renovation cost. CA$140 million (2016–2017 renovation)

  Source

• 2001

  Conversion to Fairmont brandingStrategy

  Background

  Canadian Pacific Hotels was rebranded as Fairmont Hotels and Resorts following its purchase of the smaller Fairmont chain.

  Action taken

  The hotel was renamed Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth.

  Aftermath

  The property retained its historic Queen Elizabeth identity while operating under the Fairmont luxury-hotel brand.

  Source

• 1988

  CN Hotels enters Canadian Pacific Hotels portfolioM&A

  Background

  Canadian National divested its hotel division as part of a change in hotel ownership and portfolio management.

  Action taken

  CN Hotels was sold to Canadian Pacific Hotels.

  Aftermath

  The property later became part of the Fairmont-branded portfolio after the relevant corporate rebranding and acquisition activity.

  Source

• 1984

  CN Hotels takes direct management controlStrategy

  Background

  The hotel's original operating arrangement with Hilton Hotels International ended after more than two decades.

  Action taken

  CN Hotels assumed direct management of the property on January 1, 1984.

  Aftermath

  The hotel remained within Canadian National's hotel system until CN Hotels was sold to Canadian Pacific Hotels in 1988.

  Source

• 2016

  Hotel closes for major renovation[1]Queen Elizabeth Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The Queen Elizabeth Hotel closed on June 17, 2016, for a major renovation reported at approximately CA$140 million. It reopened on July 10, 2017.

• 2014

  Beaver Club restaurant closes[1]Queen Elizabeth Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The hotel's long-associated Beaver Club restaurant ceased operations.

1. 1Queen Elizabeth Hotelen.wikipedia.org