Chateau Lake Louise
The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise is a Fairmont Hotel on the eastern shore of Lake Louise, near Banff, Alberta. The original Chateau was gradually built up at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century by the Canadian Pacific Railway and was thus "kin" to the Château Frontenac at the other end of the country. The hotel's wooden Rattenbury Wing burned down on July 3, 1924, but was replaced by the current Barrot Wing one year later. The Painter Wing, built in 1913 is the oldest portion of the hotel still standing. The Mount Temple Wing, opened in 2004 is the newest wing of the hotel and features modern meeting facilities including the Mount Temple Ballroom.
The hotel was first conceived by the railway, at the end of the 19th century, as a vacation destination to lure moneyed travellers into taking trains and heading West. By the time airplanes and automobiles had displaced the trains it had gained sufficient renown to have a life of its own. The Canadian Pacific Railway has long ago sold it to other interests.
From the start the goal was to exploit the stunning natural beauty of the emerald-green lake and of Victoria glacier which rose above it. There were also many hiking and canoeing itineraries for nature lovers. Eventually, all the natural areas around the hotel were incorporated into the Banff National Park. This park has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Originally built to function only in summer, the hotel was winterized in 1982 and now offers all of the regular ski resort fare during the winter months. In addition to the usual skiing, ice skating and snowboarding, there are sleigh rides, ice sculpture contests and snowshoe excursions.
The resort is owned and operated by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts of Toronto.
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