7 New Venues in West Canada for Fall 2023 Meetings and Events

Vancouver’s AZUR Legacy Collection Hotel opened in August. The 104-room art deco-inspired venue is the first and only property in Western Canada to join the prestigious Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) portfolio. Guest rooms and penthouse suites feature floor-to-ceiling windows that let in natural light and offer city skyline and North Shore mountain views, along with sleek, luxe finishes and eye-catching artwork. There are also two dining venues: Dahlia Restaurant in the lobby seats 46 inside and as many as 14 outdoors, while the garden-like Levantine Rooftop Restaurant on the 14th floor offers expansive city views. Still to come: The property plans to open multifunctional space for meetings and private dining.

Canadian hotelier Germain Hotels opened its 19th property in Canada—Alt Hotel Calgary University District—in October. Situated in the heart of Calgary’s University District urban community, the venue offers easy access to nearby facilities like the University of Calgary, Olympic Oval, McMahon Stadium, and more. The property has 155 guest rooms and more than 4,000 square feet of event space spread across four meeting rooms, two boardrooms, and a lounge. There’s also a 24-hour gym, and the venue is Germain Hotels’ first Silver LEED-certified hotel; there’s a strong emphasis on going local, with 100% Canadian-made beds and local art in the lobby.

The Fairmont Empress in Victoria, British Columbia—often referred to as the “Castle on the Coast’—unveiled a renovation of its luxury Fairmont Gold experience in July. The makeover includes a transformation of the Fairmont Gold lounge, a 4,000-square-foot space that pays homage to the building’s original fixtures and storied past. Exposed brick archway doors, a fireplace, and original steel beams dating back to the building’s original 1908 architecture—discovered during the renovation process—now stand front and center, and the room has a variety of alcoves, library nooks, bistro seating, and an outdoor terrace. As part of the recent renovation, 22 new guest rooms have been added to the collection of Fairmont Gold rooms, each designed with rich fabrics, sleek furnishings, and modern marble bathrooms with rainfall showers. The Fairmont Gold experience, appropriate for VIPs, includes concierge services and amenities; access to the Fairmont Gold lounge, which serves daily breakfast, afternoon tea, and evening canapés; and more. The Fairmont Empress is celebrating its 115th anniversary in 2023; overall, it offers more than 18,000 square feet of event space for as many as 1,200 attendees.

Calgary’s Veranda is a collaborative taproom and spirit hall from local craft drink companies Burwood Distillery and Vaycay Brew Co. The space, which opened last spring, has a variety of unique options for events, including distilling or gin classes with Burwood in its on-site educational space, tours and tastings from the brewery or distillery, or a dinner set among Vaycay’s brewery equipment. Guests can book the Gin Room, which seats 48 or holds 60 for receptions; the lounge, which seats 50 or an additional 20 in the hallway; the bar, which seats 60 with a combination of high-tops, low-tops, and bar seats; or the patio, which seats 150. The entire venue is available for buyouts. Event menus include items like rolls with honey beer butter, slow-braised short ribs with whiskey honey au jus, and raspberry dark chocolate stout tort. Veranda is located at The Stables on the Currie Barracks, which was built in 1936.

Coterie is an intimate wine bar that opened in Edmonton earlier this month. The Paris-inspired space offers a large wine menu with varieties from across North America, South America, and Europe, as well as a selection of local and imported beers along with small plates. A focal point of the 350-square-foot dining area and bar is a hand-painted mural by local artist Andréa Schmidt. Coterie can host groups as large as 25 people for reception-style events.

IHG Hotels & Resorts opened two new Holiday Inn properties on Vancouver Island this summer, both appropriate for small business meetings. The newly renovated Holiday Inn Victoria — Elk Lake features 71 fully revamped guest rooms (with plans to add 64 more rooms in the near future) plus an outdoor pool, a fitness center, a business center, and a meeting room offering on-site catering and event planning services. There’s also The Lakes Restaurant and Bar, which serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and happy hour daily. Located in Saanich, the hotel is centrally located between Victoria International Airport and downtown Victoria.

The newly built Holiday Inn Express & Suites Courtenay - Comox also opened this summer. The property has 93 guest rooms with 18 suites, plus a heated indoor pool, a fitness center, a business center, and a 340-square-foot meeting room that holds 24 people. The meeting space offers a flip chart and markers, plus an LCD television and assistance from a professional meeting planner. Located just northeast of downtown Courtenay, the hotel provides easy access to Comox Valley Airport and Canadian Forces Base.