The 15 Best City Hotels and Resorts in Canada, According to Travel + Leisure Readers

From boutique city escapes to rugged mountainous vacations, Travel + Leisure readers were up to the task when it came to picking Canada’s best hotels. With favorites peppered all across this widespread country, readers sought out luxury, trusted brands, and bespoke service this year. And these top resorts and city hotels delivered all the bells and whistles.

How Voting Works

Every year for our World’s Best Awards survey, T+L asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe — to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Over 186,000 T+L readers completed the 2024 survey. A total of more than 700,000 votes were cast across over 8,700 properties (hotels, cities, cruise lines, etc.).

Hotels were classified as either resort hotel, city hotel, inn, or safari lodge based on their location and amenities, and they were specifically rated on the criteria below:

• Rooms/facilities
• Location
• Service
• Food
• Value

For each characteristic, respondents could choose a rating of excellent, above average, average, below average, or poor. The final scores are averages of these responses.

What Readers Loved About Resorts in Canada

This year, readers divided their loyalties between east and west, choosing resort favorites in the provinces of Quebec, British Columbia, Alberta, and Nova Scotia. The No. 1 pick, Manoir Hovey, in Quebec’s Eastern Townships, claims the prize for the fourth year in a row.

Fairmont Chateau Whistler (No. 2), a favorite among skiers, is back again this year, swapping ranks with the Four Seasons Resort and Residences Whistler (No. 3). Also making a repeat appearance: Fairmont Banff Springs in Alberta. Cabot Cape Breton, however, an idyllic waterfront resort favored by golfers, replaced Wickaninnish Inn at No. 5. “Beautiful landscape, lovely staff,” one reader wrote of Cabot Cape Breton. Another raved, “I loved everything about it.”

Learn more about why Manoir Hovey landed the No. 1 spot — and the other rankings this year.

Canada Resorts Winner 

Manoir Hovey: North Hatley, Quebec  

This 39-room Relais & Châteaux property lies just beyond the U.S.-Canadian border in Quebec’s Eastern Townships. With a variety of room categories — some offer balconies and overlook the lake — the resort is also known for its immersive spa, where guests can run through a circuit that includes an infinity pool, a hot tub, a cold plunge, a steam room, a relaxation room, a cold shower, and a dry sauna, all overlooking Lake Massawippi. Located just minutes from the petite downtown of North Hatley, travelers liked that they had the ability to engage with local culture. One visitor adored the “decadent, world-class food” as well as the “extraordinary attention to detail.” Another summed up the spot in two words: “amazing oasis.”

Canada Resorts Full List 

1. Manoir Hovey: North Hatley, Quebec

Reader Score: 97.00

2. Fairmont Chateau Whistler: Whistler, British Columbia

WBA Hall of Fame honoree. Reader Score: 92.95

3. Four Seasons Resort and Residences Whistler: Whistler, British Columbia

Reader Score: 92.00

4. Fairmont Banff Springs: Banff, Alberta

Reader Score: 91.85

5. Cabot Cape Breton: Inverness, Nova Scotia

Reader Score: 91.50

What Readers Loved About City Hotels in Canada 

Canadian cities? Readers have loved a few. This year, T+L readers selected top choices in Toronto, Victoria, Vancouver, Montreal, and Quebec City, edging out plenty of last year’s contenders and welcoming in a whole new crop of favorites. Some picks, like the historic Auberge Saint-Antoine — a Relais & Chateaux property — continue to be a perennial reader favorite. However, this year, the Quebec City hotel dropped from No. 3 to No. 7. Vancouver’s Fairmont Pacific Rim slipped one spot from No. 8 to No. 9, while the Rosewood Hotel Georgia, in Vancouver, moved up, from No. 5 to No. 3. 

Readers were fond of Victoria’s Fairmont Empress (an “exceptional experience,” wrote one visitor to the property), and they heaped praise on The Ritz-Carlton, Montreal (No. 5), which did not make last year’s list. “By far the best in Montreal,” wrote one reader of this new addition. 

But the No. 1 spot went to The St. Regis Toronto, another property that readers did not select in 2023. Read on for more on why they chose it in 2024. 

Canada City Hotels Winner 

The St. Regis Toronto: Toronto, Ontario

In late 2018, The St. Regis marked its entrance to the Canadian market with the opening of the 258-room St. Regis Toronto (the building had previously been the Trump International Hotel and Tower). Located in the downtown district, this centrally located property offers guests two dining venues, butler service, a spa, and an indoor pool, as well as nightly Champagne sabering. Glamorous and ritzy, with a touch of early 20th-century charm, The St. Regis is rich in detail, with a stunning lobby that was part of a massive overhaul initiated when the hotel changed hands. The ideal location here appealed to readers. “The best address, as you can access everything,” wrote one. Others felt the hotel lived up to the brand’s high standards. “Beyond the expectations,” wrote another surveyor. “Great staff.”

Canada City Hotels Full List 

1. The St. Regis Toronto: Toronto, Ontario

Reader Score: 95.20

2. Fairmont Empress: Victoria, British Columbia

Reader Score: 94.61

3. Rosewood Hotel Georgia: Vancouver, British Columbia

Reader Score: 94.25

4. The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto: Toronto, Ontario

Reader Score: 93.47

5. The Ritz-Carlton, Montreal: Montreal, Quebec

Reader Score: 93.14

6. Four Seasons Hotel Toronto: Toronto, Ontario

Reader Score: 92.44

7. Auberge Saint-Antoine: Quebec City, Quebec

WBA Hall of Fame honoree. Reader Score: 92.00

8. Four Seasons Hotel Montréal: Montreal, Quebec

Reader Score: 91.25

9. Fairmont Pacific Rim: Vancouver, British Columbia

Reader Score: 90.28

10. Fairmont Le Château Frontenac: Quebec City, Quebec

Reader Score: 89.78