My Hotel Geek

I have a great job! I represent a fabulous 5 star-hotel in the Charlevoix area and I come here for meetings and site visits with clients as often as possible. We drove today from Montreal and it took us the usual 4 hours to get here. The drive is quite scenic from Quebec City to La Malbaie and not long at all if you have driven before from Vancouver to The Wickaninnish Inn near Tofino on Vancouver Island!

Charlevoix has welcomed travellers since the 18th century. The first Manoir opened in 1899 and was made of wood. Unfortunately the 250-room hotel burned down in 1928 and was reconstructed as a Normandy-style castle in 1929.

In 1998, over 140 million dollars were injected by the 3 owners for a grand restoration. A 10,000 sq ft ballroom and new pools were added, guestrooms were totally redesigned, etc. The hotel was closed for 9 months and every single corner of the property was modified or improved. Everybody talked about it in the media as it was, and still is, the most ambitious restoration project in the province. The re-opening of the Majestic Manoir Richelieu in June 1999 was a huge success and I was part of it! The project was completed by Construction Manager Pomerleau and Interior Design Firm Alexandra Champalimaud & Associates.

In 2005 the golf product was also improved and redesigned: 9 holes were added making it a world-class 27 hole golf course, a new Club House and a tee off departure experience from the main hotel (golf-in, golf-out concept).

In winter, there are so many things to do onsite and in the area such as skating, dogsledding, relaxing at the spa and enjoying the outdoor heated pools. Le Manoir Richelieu is proud to be the largest and the most luxurious snowmobiling relais in the world with indoor heated parking for snowmobiles! There are also two fabulous alpine skiing centres not too far from the hotel: Mont Grand Fonds and Le Massif… Ready to crash?