Choice Hotels Canada Announces 2021 National APEX winners
Historic Fort Garry Hotel, Spa and Conference Centre awarded
Best New Entry Conversion: Ascend Hotel Collection
Winnipeg, MB (November 16, 2021) Choice Hotels Canada has announced the national winners of the prestigious 2021 APEX Awards (Awards for Property Excellence). The beautiful and historic Fort Garry Hotel, Spa and Conference Centre in Winnipeg was awarded Best New Entry Conversion: Ascend Hotel Collection. Choice Hotels Canada’s Ascend Hotel Collection is a network of upscale resorts, historic properties and boutique hotels that offer guests a uniquely local experience.
Altogether 12 national APEX Awards, which recognize stellar performance, ongoing commitment to guest service and community leadership, were distributed to top performing properties and individuals across the country. Last year, the hotel won a Platinum Guest Satisfaction Award from Choice Hotels Canada for their operational excellence and dedication to superior service.
“Since it converted to Ascend in 2020, this hotel has held a record of superior service,” said Brian Leon, president, Choice Hotels Canada. “Our Ascend Collection properties set a very high bar in hospitality and this landmark property is a jewel in our crown.”
For over 100 years, the Fort Garry Hotel, Spa and Conference Centre has been the showpiece of Western Canada’s most historic street, Broadway Avenue, and Manitoba’s marquee destination for weddings and special events. It is one of the last surviving Grand Hotels from an era when buildings represented the pinnacle of architectural achievement. Completed in 1913 by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, the Fort Garry Hotel, Spa and Conference Centre is a premier example of Châteauesque design, a distinctly Canadian style of architecture combining the monumentality of the Renaissance with the ornamentation of the Gothic Revival.
The Fort Garry Hotel, Spa and Conference Centre offers 238 guest rooms, including 19 suites. The property began an extensive renovation in 2014 with over $5.4 million spent on capital improvements in all guestrooms, including new 48″ flat-screen televisions, wireless high-speed internet, furniture updates and accessories, as well as flooring replacements, modernized decor, re-painting, HVAC repairs, and soon to open, new fitness centre. Most recently, The Fort Garry Hotel, Spa and Conference Centre opened Oval Room Brasserie (formerly The Palm Lounge,) a Canadian cuisine brasserie dining room restored to its original 1913 look with daily live piano playing welcoming guests. The hotel retains its elegant display of lavish materials, mouldings, and top-of-line finishes in all the guestrooms.
“We are delighted to win Best New Entry Conversion for the Ascend properties,” said Ida Albo, owner and managing partner at the Fort Garry Hotel, Spa and Conference. “Guests are thrilled with the updates and continuing renovations to the property will help ensure a stellar guest experience into the future.”
Situated in the heart of Winnipeg’s downtown core this beloved architectural gem is steps away from tourism hotspots including the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and The Forks For more information about this award-winning hotel or a reservation, visit www.choicehotels.com.
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About Choice Hotels Canada®:
Choice Hotels Canada is one of the largest and most successful lodging franchisors in the country with more than 330 properties currently open. The Choice™ family of hotel brands provide business and leisure travellers with a range of high-quality lodging options, including limited to full-service hotels in the upscale, mid-scale, extended stay and economy segments. Brands in Canada include Ascend Hotel Collection®, Comfort™, Sleep Inn®, Quality®, Clarion®, MainStay Suites®, Econo Lodge® and Rodeway Inn®. All hotels are independently owned and operated. Choice Hotels Canada is a master franchisee of Choice Hotels International, Inc., with more than 7,100 hotels, representing nearly 600,000 rooms, in over 40 countries and territories. The award-winning Choice Privileges® loyalty program offers members benefits from everyday rewards to exceptional experiences. For more information, visit www.choicehotels.com.
For more information, please contact:
Carolyn Kilbourne
Carlaw Communications
416-399-4767
