An international hospitality company based in Mississauga has won the bid to purchase the historic Fairmont Le Château Montebello.
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An international hospitality company based in Mississauga has won the bid to purchase the historic Fairmont Le Château Montebello.
Westmont Hospitality Group — which manages more than 500 hotels worldwide under major brands like Hilton, Marriott and Hyatt — has agreed to buy the hotel for an undisclosed price, according to court documents.
Built in the 1930s, the log hotel was purchased by Chinese property developer China Evergrande Group in 2014. In 2024, the company was ordered by a court to liquidate its assets after incurring US$300 billion in liabilities with no plan to refinance.
The resort has been on the market since, with accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers overseeing the sale.
The resort has operated under the Fairmont banner since 2000. Fairmont Hotels and Resorts continues to manage the 21-hectare property, which features 211 hotel rooms, skiing and hiking trails, indoor and outdoor pools, an 18-hole golf course, a 100-slip marina and other recreation facilities.
Westmont Hospitality beat out other bidding groups, including a local one led by Ottawa Senators owner Michael Andlauer and Devcore Group president Jean-Pierre Poulin. In addition to Poulin, the group included other notable Quebec investors, including Groupe Nordik founder and CEO Martin Paquette, and entrepreneurs Édouard Wakim and Charles-Antoine Hallé of Elevate Real Estate Properties, based in Quebec City.
The group had told OBJ it was prepared to pump $100 million into the property before the hotel celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2030.
Earlier this month, the group expressed disappointment at losing the bid and over the fact that the successful bidder was not based in Quebec.
“For us, it’s an asset that is not only an opportunity, not only an investment,” Hallé said at the time, “It’s really about celebrating Quebec history and for us to share that with the population.”
Hallé added that if the successful bidders want to work with local partners, the group is available to assist.
“The invitation is already out there for the new owners of Château Montebello,” Hallé said. “Edouard lives 25 minutes away from the Château. I live in Gatineau. We really specialize in and love taking properties that have histories that need to be told or retold. We’ve bought historic properties like churches, schools and also older homes. We take on projects that are close to home that feel right and this was definitely one of those projects.”
