Looking for a new venue for your post-pandemic events? Here are Canada's most anticipated event venues, hotels and restaurants slated to open in 2021. These new and renovated spots throughout the country can accommodate groups for private and corporate events, conferences, meetings, weddings, business dinners, team-building activities, cocktail parties and more.
A note regarding COVID-19: At BizBash, we're still committed to bringing you ideas and inspiration for when (yes, when!) events are back up and running. Some of the venues listed here may be delayed as the situation evolves, or may temporarily operate at a lower capacity.
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Hilton Vancouver Downtown
Formerly the Westin Grand Hotel, the Yaletown venue is rebranding to become downtown Vancouver’s first Hilton Hotels & Resort property, opening early this year. With 206 guest suites, the hotel offers six meeting rooms, including a conference-ready, 1,600-square-foot space for a total of more than 5,100 square feet of event facilities. The hotel’s Hendricks Resto-Lounge provides a classic cocktail lounge ambiance for meetings throughout the day.
Hendrick’s Resto-Lounge inside Hilton Vancouver DowntownRendering: Courtesy of Hendrick's Resto-Lounge
Malahat Skywalk
Vancouver Island’s newest attraction, which is set to open this spring, is ideal for team-building and excursion activities, with a 1,968-foot course that leads to a lookout revealing British Columbia’s natural beauty more than 800 feet above sea level. An on-site cafe offers meals made from local farms and artisan shop ingredients, while a nearby pond provides a picnic spot.
CRAFT Beer Market English Bay
The CRAFT brand’s second Vancouver location provides a waterfront view from the city’s historic English Bay building. The 11,000-square-foot space spans two floors and offers a covered patio that's open year-round. With CRAFT’s signature selection of over 100 beers and ciders, the newly renovated venue reflects the West End neighborhood with custom woodwork, locally sourced artwork and beach-themed decor.
Lavenderland
The Greater Vancouver area’s first public lavender farm opens this summer in Richmond. The 8-acre location can be booked for various private events, including birthday and graduation parties, weddings, and bridal or baby showers. Professional photography services are available through the farm, which offers a large picnic area, DIY classes for handcrafting lavender products and a gift shop.
Museum of North Vancouver
At the 16,000-square-foot Museum of North Vancouver, visitors will be able to visit a series of digital and in-person experiences capturing the lives of North Vancouverites throughout history. Artifacts from the Archives of North Vancouver will be incorporated into permanent and feature galleries year-round. Venue space rental requests will be made available online once the museum opens later this year.
ALBERTA
District at Beltline
Located in the heart of downtown Calgary, this multi-purpose development offers restaurant, office and retail space across more than 360,000 square feet in three main buildings. The community building-oriented project will enable planners to find spaces for curating events, such as concerts, lectures, pop-ups and art exhibitions. Starting this summer, the courtyard’s Market Shed will be bookable for private patio-style gatherings.
District at Beltline’s Market Shed venue spaceRendering: Beltline’s Market Shed
Major Tom
As part of ongoing redevelopments to Stephen Avenue Place, fine dining establishment Major Tom will offer a panoramic view of Calgary from the building’s 40th floor. Although Concorde Entertainment Group—the team behind 15 other venues across Calgary—hasn’t released the full menu, a sample gourmet dry-aged beef dinner can be ordered for delivery. Event booking information requests can be submitted online.
Transit Smokehouse and BBQ
Originally opened in 1908, the historic North Edmonton hotel has been undergoing renovations since 2019. Once opened this year, venue operators are planning to bring live music to the stage every weekend in an effort to revitalize the neighborhood’s entertainment scene. The new restaurant’s menu, featuring traditional pub, BBQ and smokehouse favorites, will also be available for catering off-site events.
ONTARIO
W Toronto
Marriott’s first Toronto-based W property is slated to open in June. The location includes a redesigned building facade complete with a new exterior elevator, as well as a street-level coffee bar, a Yorkville-inspired tapas tasting room, and a Mediterranean-style rooftop restaurant, bar and patio. Event and meeting amenities include five rooms with over 3,928 square feet of space that can accommodate as many as 200 people.
Little Canada
Opening at Yonge-Dundas square in the heart of downtown Toronto, this new attraction will enable visitors to celebrate Canadian history and landmarks through two floors of miniaturized displays depicting Niagara Falls, Toronto, the Golden Horseshoe, Ottawa and Québec. The location will be bookable for corporate events, weddings and other private celebrations.
Ace Toronto
The first Canadian expansion of Ace is opening in Toronto’s Fashion District. Developed in partnership with local architectural form Shim-Sutcliffe, the new 13-story location was designed to reflect the city’s broad multiculturalism. The property will offer 130 suites plus a bar, restaurant and meeting space; additional amenity details will be announced later this year.
Nobu Hotel
The global brand known for combining Japanese minimalism with luxury hospitality will open its first Canadian location in Toronto’s Entertainment District. The redeveloped two-tower facility incorporates the brick façade and art deco elements of the historic Pilkington Glass Factory originally constructed on the site. More details on the Nobu Restaurant and Nobu Hotel, located at the top of the West Tower, are expected soon.
Thermëa Spa Village
Groupe Nordik, which previously developed Nordic spa experiences in Quebec and Manitoba, aims to open its first Ontario location in Whitby this spring. The wellness village will offer massage, hot and cold therapies through various physiotherapy treatment rooms, saunas, steam baths, cold baths and outdoor pools. The destination, which can accommodate as many as 1,000 guests, will also include three farm-to-table focused eateries.
QUEBEC
Humaniti Hotel Montreal, Autograph Collection
Quebec’s first hotel under Marriott’s luxury Autograph Collection brand opens steps away from the Montreal Convention Centre in April. Meeting facilities on the premises include 3,985 square feet of space across three main rooms and five breakout areas. Dining experiences in the H3 restaurant, lounge and terrace combine animal, vegetable and mineral ingredients with an emphasis on Quebecoise wines and culinary styles.
Humanti Hotel MontrealCredit: Courtesy of Humanti Hotel Montreal
Hampton Inn by Hilton Montreal Downtown & Homewood Suites by Hilton Montreal
Two new Hilton properties are set to open in downtown Montreal this summer. Hampton Inn by Hilton Montreal Downtown, coming this June, includes 156 guest suites, four meeting rooms and 3,200 square feet of total event space. Homewood Suites by Hilton Montreal Downtown opens in July at the same location with 97 guest rooms, four meeting rooms and 3,300 square feet for events.
Auberge McGowan
The newly renovated inn and restaurant reopens in Georgeville this summer. Views of surrounding historic buildings and lakeside access create an idyllic atmosphere for weddings, retreats and getaways. The venue offers seven guest rooms, two terraces overlooking the water, 12-foot ceilings to maximize natural light and a dining room for up to 70 guests, with menus spotlighting sustainably-produced local ingredients.
Okeya Kyujiro
Chef Takuya Matsuda’s is opening Montreal’s first Omakase, or "chef’s choice,” sushi restaurant. The reservation-only concept, ideal for business meetings and private dinners, involves sourcing fresh fish and other ingredients from around the globe, which Matsuda and his team use for seasonal menus prepared as an interactive experience in front of guests.
ATLANTIC
Muir, Autograph Collection
Another Autograph Collection hotel is set to arrive by downtown Halifax’s waterfront later this summer. Muir promises to combine traditional East Coast craftsmanship, decor and art to highlight the heritage and natural beauty of Nova Scotia. Its marine-inspired restaurant, Drift, will focus on elevating local seasonal cuisine, and two meeting rooms across 1,191 square feet will be available for booking.
