Delta Bessborough

The Delta Bessborough hotel is a four-star (Canadian Star Quality Assurance),^[2] ten-story hotel 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," 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. It is also a view terminus on Spadina Crescent from points south of the hotel.

History

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 it would build a similar hotel in Saskatoon. The hotel was designed by Archibald and Schofield of Montreal, and it was intentionally designed to resemble a Bavarian castle.^[3] In February, 1930, the excavation of the site began using 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,^[4] 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 25 years.^[5]

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

In 1972, Donald, Dick, and Marc Baltzan purchased the Bessborough. Then, Canadian Pacific Hotels purchased Canadian National Hotels in 1982. The Bessborough was placed under CP Hotels' subsidiary Delta Hotels in 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, a $9,000,000 restoration of the Bessborough Hotel was completed to return many of its historical features. The hotel underwent a major renovation in 2003.^[6]

It remains under the Delta Hotels banner and is now operated by Marriott International.

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 hosts large functions and are commonly used for weddings, business barbecues, retirement parties, concerts, and for the Sasktel Saskatchewan Jazz Fest.

References

External links

• Official website

Canada's grand railway hotels
City hotels	Delta Bessborough Hotel Charlottetown The Empress Fort Garry Hotel Château Frontenac Château Laurier Lord Nelson Hotel Hotel Macdonald Hotel Newfoundland Hotel Nova Scotian Palliser Hotel Queen Elizabeth Hotel Royal York Hotel Saskatchewan Hotel Vancouver Place Viger Windsor Hotel
Resort hotels	The Algonquin Banff Springs Hotel Digby Pines Resort Highland Inn Jasper Park Lodge Château Lake Louise Château Montebello Prince of Wales Hotel