1913
The Fort Garry Hotel opens on December 11, welcoming Grand Trunk Pacific Railway executives and Winnipeggers to the city’s “new castle of opulence.”
1924
Circus magician Alfred Banyon, aka The Great Zanzig, joins the hotel as maître d’, a position he will hold for 22 years.
1948
Bellman Andy Kuhn joins the hotel, collecting the first of hundreds of celebrity autographs he’ll acquire over 32 years.
1971
A November fire on the hotel’s seventh floor requires 50 firefighters to extinguish and leaves the building water-damaged.
1988
Quebec hotelier Raymond Malenfant buys the hotel in 1987, reopening it a year later, following extensive renovations, at a black-tie soiree for 750 guests.
2009
Under new ownership, the beloved hotel is rebranded the Fort Garry Hotel, Spa and Conference Centre. A new facility is added for weddings and events.
Current
As the hotel’s managing partners, Richard Bel and Ida Albo, along with the Laberge Group out of Quebec City, have resurrected and rebuilt the Fort Garry for a new generation of stylish travelers.
