What is arguably Edmonton’s most historic hotel has been recognized by not one, but two world leaders in hospitality accreditation.
The Fairmont Hotel Macdonald has received one key from the Michelin Guide and has been included in the Condé Nast Traveller 2025 Readers’ Choice Awards.
Built in 1915 and containing 198 rooms, the Hotel Macdonald was one of several grand hotels built by the railways such as Canadian Pacific and the Grand Trunk Railway (later amalgamated into CN Rail), many in a Château style.
For the first time, the iconic hotel overlooking Edmonton’s river valley has received one key from the esteemed Michelin Guide.
A view of the skyline of downtown Edmonton, Alta., on Aug. 20, 2020. At centre is the historic Fairmont Hotel Macdonald.
Don Denton/ The Canadian Press
Known to many locally as the “Hotel Mac,” the Michelin guide has this to say:
“There’s still nothing else in North America quite like Canada’s string of grand railway hotels; the Macdonald, formally known as the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald, is an incongruously old-fashioned structure, a storybook French Renaissance castle standing by the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. What’s inside, however, is a perfectly contemporary luxury hotel, in classic Fairmont style, featuring handsome and well-equipped rooms and suites, and, at the top end, lavish suites named for Winston Churchill, King Edward VIII, and Queen Elizabeth II.
“No surprise, then, that among the Macdonald’s culinary offerings is a highly regarded afternoon tea.”
The Michelin Guide started out more than a century ago in France and is based on anonymous inspector evaluations — hotels and restaurants do not know when they are being assessed.
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Originally packed with maps, gas station locations and tourist attractions, the guide by the Michelin tire company was intended to get more people driving. In the 1920s it began handing out stars to fine dining restaurants and keys to hotels.
While the stars recognizes the most outstanding restaurants in the world, the Michelin key does the same for outstanding hotels that inspectors believe excel in design, architecture, service and personality.
The Michelin Guide now contains more than 7,000 accommodations across the world, with options for every style and budget. The distinctions aren’t necessarily handed out to the most expensive experience, but rather hotels that stand out and offer a great experience.
One key denotes a very special stay, for a hotel Michelin feels is a true gem with personality. Two keys is for a exceptional stay — a hotel that’s unique in every way. Three keys, the highest honour, is reserved for extraordinary stays at hotels that would be considered a “destination for the trip of a lifetime.”
In Canada, there are 38 hotels with Michelin keys, including two locations on opposite sides of Canada with three keys — one on a remote Newfoundland island, and the other in a secluded Vancouver Island inlet reachable only by boat or seaplane.
Many of Canada’s historic grand railway hotels are in the Michelin Guide, including the Chateau Lake Louise and Banff Springs in Alberta’s Rockies, the Château Laurier in Ottawa, and the Le Château Frontenac in Québec City — all owned by Fairmont. Now, the Hotel Macdonald has joined the list.
The hotel was also included this year in the top 15 hotels in Western Canada section of the Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards. Fairmont said that honour is especially meaningful as it comes directly from guests who have stayed there.
“This recognition is deeply personal for our team and for our city,” said Fairmont Hotel Macdonald general manager Cole Millen.
“For more than a century, we’ve been proud to welcome travellers to Edmonton, offering experiences that celebrate our community’s warmth and spirit.
“These awards are a testament to our colleagues who make special happen every day, and to the guests who continue to choose us as part of their journeys.”
Michelin said its inspectors added five new top Canadian hotels to its list in 2025, four of which Fairmont said were its properties, including the Hotel Macdonald.
While hotels across the country have received keys, Michelin has only handed out restaurant stars in three Canadian regions: Vancouver, the Greater Toronto Area and parts of Quebec, including Montreal.
The Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards honour the best in travel worldwide, based on votes from hundreds of thousands of readers each year.
The luxury travel magazine first published in 1987 is by the media giant also behind brands such as Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair, Bon Appétit and The New Yorker.
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