Loto-Québec will build a 200-room hotel at the Montreal Casino, an investment of “nearly 150 million” that has been in the works for several years.
The state-owned company argues that the “vast majority” of casinos of the same caliber already have their adjoining hotel.
“The hotel will be unique in its kind thanks to its location in the heart of Jean-Drapeau Park, and it will allow Montreal to benefit from a beautiful showcase,” said the big boss of Loto-Québec, Jean-François Bergeron. At a press conference, he clarified that no games of chance will be installed in the hotel, which will be accessible to children.
“This is good news,” said Tourism Minister Caroline Proulx. “The addition of a hotel on the Casino site will increase its power of attraction and further promote Montreal on the international scene. »
The mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, also supported the project. “The hotel will be built on land that already belongs to the Quebec government,” she stressed. “The hotel will not eat up any public space that belongs to the City of Montreal. » Craig Sauvé, an independent municipal councilor who sat with Projet Montréal until 2021, instead denounced “a commodification of public space that is completely unacceptable”. “I can’t believe that the city is going to let a hotel be built in the center of a prestigious park,” he said via press release.
The establishment will be operated by a hotel brand which remains to be determined. It will be made up of pavilions of relatively low height (around four floors), in order to facilitate its integration into the Casino environment. These buildings will replace the current parking lot number 3.
The new hotel is scheduled to open “within two to three years.” “Calls for tenders will soon be launched to begin the design of the hotel,” indicates Loto-Québec.
The Casino du Lac-Leamy, in Gatineau, and the Casino du Manoir Richelieu, in La Malbaie, already have their hotel.