4-star hotels set for Calgary and Canmore designed to satisfy demand for luxury

A pair of four-star luxury hotels in the works in Calgary and Canmore are being touted as signs of a resurgence in Alberta's tourism industry.

PBA Land and Development announced earlier this week that it's partnering with Marriott to build a 27-floor hotel at 525 5th Avenue S.W. called the Dorian.

The $100-million project will be two hotels in one. The upper floors will be branded as Marriott Autograph Collection hotel, and the lower floors will be operated separately as a Courtyard by Marriott.The top floor will feature arestaurant-loungewith a south facing outdoor patio.

The two-in-one approach is a smart way of catering to both price-conscious business travellers as well as tourists looking for something more upscale, says Tourism Calgary CEO Cindy Ady.

"It has a nice, interesting mix of leisure and business properties," she said.

Ady said the developers' pledge to integrate local suppliers from food and beverage to soap and linens into its business model is also an innovative approach.

"It's going to be a beautiful property, and what really makes me happy is this idea of really using the local artists in our community. Because the cultural piece of a destination is so important to how people enjoy your destination," she said.

"They're not talking about it just as a place you go to sleep, but it actually integrates into the Calgary community at a very high-end level. And there's a clientele that really searches and wants that experience."

The Dorian's scheduled opening in the fall of 2020 will come right on the heels of two other hotel completions in the core:the 155-room Alt Hotel in East Village set for this year, and the 360-room Residence Inn by Marriott at 10th Avenue and Fifth Street S.W. opening in 2019.

But the team behind the Dorian is confident there will be enough demand.

The developers point tothe 2018 Canadian Hotels Outlook report by CBRE that predicted Alberta's rebounding economy and stabilizing oil prices will boost "corporate room demand" and offset the impact of so much new supply being added to the market at once.

The Malcolm set to open

The developer of the Malcolm, the first traditional hotel to go up in Canmore in two decades, says the $40-million complex will help meet growing demand in the mountain town.

"Canmore is a highly sought-after tourist destination with minimal accommodation options for the increasing number of visitors," owner Frank Kernick said in a release.

"The Malcolm Hotel meets the demand and provides a luxury option for Canmore while the event centre will attract more visitors."

The hotel on Spring Creek Drive, which is set for a soft-opening this summer, features 124 rooms and suites, a restaurant and lounge, 8,800 square feet of event space, an outdoor heated pool and 24-hour room service.

"TheMalcolmHotel will add a new luxury option for travelers whose interest in Canmore is making it one of the most popular places to visit in the Rockies," said a release fromClique Hotels and Resorts, which runs it.

The hotel's name is a reference to Malcolm III, King of the Scots from 1058 to 1093.

"His nickname, Malcolm Canmore, comes from the Celtic Cean Mor, meaning "great-head,"the release said.

"It was Donald Alexander Smith one of the principal architects of the Canadian Pacific Railway who drew on his Scottish heritage and bestowed the name Canmore on our mountain town."