Delta Bessborough

The Delta Bessborough
The Delta Bessborough
General information
Location	601 Spadina Crescent East, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7K 3G8
Coordinates	52°07′35″N 106°39′33″W
Opening	December 10, 1935
Owner	bcIMC (British Columbia Investment Management Corporation)
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Archibald and Schofield
Developer	Canadian National Railway
Other information
Number of rooms	225
Number of restaurants	2
Website
www.deltahotels.com/Hotels/Delta-Bessborough-Hotel

The Delta Bessborough hotel is a four star (Canadian Star Quality Assurance), ten-story hotel located in downtown Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The hotel is a historical landmark in Saskatoon and is known for its castle-like appearance. The hotel was built by the Canadian National Railway from 1928 to 1932 and is designed in the same Château-style as many of Canada's other railway hotels. Although it is still referred to as "The Bessborough Hotel" today, many people have adopted an abbreviated form, known as "The Bess" (pronounced 'Bez'). The landmark provides a picturesque eastern terminating vista for Saskatoon's 21st Street East and is also a view terminus on Spadina Crescent from points south of the hotel.

History

See also: Saskatoon Royal Connections

Construction of the Bessborough, 1931

After the Canadian Pacific Railway built a railway hotel in Regina in 1926, the Saskatoon business community lobbied Canadian National Railway to build one in Saskatoon. On December 31, 1928 Sir Henry Thorton, President of the Canadian National Railway, announced that they would build a similar hotel in Saskatoon. The hotel was designed by Archibald and Schofield of Montreal, and intentionally designed to resemble a Bavarian castle. In February, 1930, the excavation of the site began utilizing a steam thawer and gasoline excavator. Materials used in construction were of Canadian origin including Tyndall stone from Manitoba, brick from the Claybank Brick Plant in Claybank, Saskatchewan, and tiles from Estevan, Saskatchewan. In exchange for building a "chateau" style hotel with a minimum of 200 rooms, the city exempted the railway from property tax on the hotel for twenty-five years.

On May 30, 1931, Walter Pratt, General Manager of Hotels, Sleeping and Dining Cars of the Canadian National Railway announced that Sir Vere Ponsonby, 9th Earl of Bessborough and 14th Governor General of Canada had given consent for the hotel to be formally named “The Bessborough”. The Earl and Countess visited the hotel under construction in 1932. Construction was completed in 1932 but due to the difficult financial times of the Great Depression, the hotel failed to open until Horace N. Stovin became the first official registered guest on December 10, 1935.

In 1972, Donald, Dick, and Marc Baltzan purchased the Bessborough. Canadian Pacific Hotels purchased Canadian National Hotels in 1982. The Bessborough was placed under CP Hotels' subsidiary Delta Hotels during the 1990s. In 1999, CP Hotels and Delta Hotels were placed under Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. It was acquired by the Legacy Hotels Real Estate Investment Trust in 1998 and in 1999, that a $9,000,000 restoration of the Bessborough Hotel would be completed, returning many of its historical features. The hotel underwent a major renovation in 2003.

Facilities

Rear view showing private gardens

The Delta Bessborough Hotel has 225 guest rooms, numerous meeting facilities and function rooms, two restaurants, a lounge, a pool, a fitness facility and 5 acres (20,000 m²) of private waterfront gardens backing onto the river in downtown Saskatoon. The gardens are used to host large functions - they are commonly used for weddings, business barbecues, retirement parties, concerts, and as a venue for the Sasktel Saskatchewan Jazz Fest.

External links

• Official website