Chateau
Laurier is a noted hotel in downtown Ottawa,
Canada. Originally built by the Grand
Trunk Railway as a place for its passengers
to stay, it was located across the street
from Ottawa's downtown Union Station (now
the Government Conference Centre). It
was opened in 1915 and named after Wilfrid
Laurier, former Prime Minister of Canada.
When the Grand Trunk became part of the
Canadian National Railway in 1924, the
Château Laurier became one of CN's
most important hotels. The hotel is located
near the intersection of Rideau Street
and Sussex Drive, and is just metres away
from some of the capital's most important
landmarks including Parliament Hill, the
Rideau Canal, the National Gallery of
Canada, the Byward Market, the American
Embassy, and the Rideau Centre.
The hotel was conceived by Grand Trunk
chairman Charles Melville Hays and designed
by Bradford Lee Gilbert. It opened on
June 12, 1912. Hays was meant to open
the hotel, but unfortunately decided to
travel aboard the RMS Titanic and died
when it sank on April 14. The hotel was
eventually opened by Laurier himself.
Despite the closing of the nearby train
station the hotel thrived, becoming the
main accommodation for visiting dignitaries
and celebrities. The hotel was operated
by CN until 1988 when it was purchased,
along with the other CN hotels, by the
Canadian Pacific Railway. In 1999 it was
renamed the Fairmont Château Laurier
after CP bought the large American Fairmont
chain and changed their name to Fairmont
Hotels and Resorts.
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