Loto-Québec already has a growing reputation in the real estate and hospitality business, but its latest announcement of expanding its facilities has raised mixed feelings across Montreal. Jean-Francois Bergeron, President of Loto-Québec, announced on 18 December 2023 that Casino de Montreal is getting a new hotel. The 200-room hotel, an investment of about CA$150 million, would be next to Casino de Montreal in the heart of the beloved Parc Jean-Drapeau as a new edifice for tourist attraction.
Casino de Montreal has become a landmark casino in Québec since it launched in 1993. We know that Montreal has enjoyed continued gaming and tourism benefits from the Loto-Québec casino, but it is about to get better. The mid-rise building has become the largest Casino in Canada and a great place to enjoy the best Montreal hospitality. According to Jean-Francois Bergeron and Loto-Québec, building this new hotel on Notre Dame will surely boost the tourist attraction in Montreal. That said, it would enhance the entertainment offerings that players and individuals can get and keep Montreal as a leading destination for entertainment and tourist seekers.
Structure of the Hotel
The building plans for the Casino de Montreal hotels are still underway, but we know it would have at least 200 rooms. Jean-Francois Bergeron also confirmed that Loto-Québec is considering a 4-storey building for this landmark structure. The hotel will also be on the Casino de Montreal property in Parc Jean-Drapeau. In fact, the outline shows that the hotel will sit right on top of the Casino de Montreal parking lot.
Tourists and residents of Montreal are familiar with the beautiful sight of the Casino de Montreal. The structure had attracted tourists to Montreal before the Casino took its pavilions. Loto-Québec and the government of Québec are moving forward with this construction in the hope that it will attract more tourism to the region.
Loto-Québec is sponsoring the hotel with over CA$150 million as the estimated funds to complete the structure. The company would be the sole owner of the hotel, with the income going to the Government of Québec like other Loto-Québec companies and affiliates. Construction has not started, but Loto-Québec expects to welcome its first guests before the end of 2027.
Casino de Montreal and Tourism
Casino de Montreal is popular as the largest land-based Casino in Canada, but it is also a leading tourist attraction for non-punters worldwide. Parc Jean-Drapeau and its beautiful sights have been notable tourist sites before Casino de Montreal entered the scene in 1993
Parc Jean-Drapeau has been attracting several tourists as far back as the Man Expo of 1967. The exposition was considered one of the most successful World Fairs of the 20th Century, spanning over five months with representatives from at least 62 countries. The Bureau International des Expositions records that the Man Expo ’67 recorded over 500,000,000 visitors between April and October 1967.
Apart from its record participation, Expo 67 was notable for its rich architecture. Most tourists visited Montreal for the Notre Dame Basilica, which became Montreal’s pride at that time. However, Parc Jean-Drapeau also joined the list of tourist sites with the beautiful artificial Notre Dame Island.
When the Casino de Montreal launched in 1993, they took over two pavilion buildings in the park. The Casino soon became a popular site for punters and tourists from all over Canada and beyond. The Casino stays open seven days a week and operates for over 18 hours daily.
Adding the hotel to the Casino de Montreal grounds will increase the tourism value of the park and Montreal as a whole. Generally, it would boost the tourism sector and local economy. The combination of hospitality and gaming services allows Loto-Quebec to become an epitome of multifaceted entertainment complexes catering to a variety of individuals.
The Hotel is also expected to give visitors a good view of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve motor racing circuit, which is only a few metres away from Casino de Montreal. Several exciting activities are happening in Montreal, but the Hotel would bring all attention to the natural beauty of Parc Jean-Drapeau.
What are the Critics saying?
Undeniably, the hotel would become an esteemed addition to the Montreal cityscape. Still, it always goes without saying that some of the local residents and their city council would undoubtedly reject the planned development. The opposition’s leading spokesman is Craig Sauve, the Montreal City Councillor who remains the enemy of « the commercialization of public space. »
To be cited, Councillor Sauve thinks that the luxury hotel is not the expected next successor of the further development of Parc Jean-Drapeau. He claimed that the city had not followed the Parc Jean-Drapeau master plan for 2021 adopted by the city council as the construction did not fall within this plan.
Certain other Montrealers are recriminating about having the green space of Parc Jean-Drapeau affected by the project. Usually, the prominent opposition to the construction is in the line of defacing the park by stripping it of the access and beauty that people enjoyed and got used to.
In response, the Mayor of Montreal, Valerie Plante, who has long been a supporter of this project, has claimed that the hotel would improve the tourism industry of Montreal. She indicated that, after the construction, there will be notable modifications to Parc Jean-Drapeau and assist in the city’s drafting of the updated plan for the outline of the park. Plante was vocal that the hotel may, in the long run, preserve the character of the and also its enviroment.
Conclusion!
Loto-Québec’s decision to launch a hotel in the Casino de Montreal grounds encourages the boost of land-based betting and wider tourism in Montreal and the Québec region. It is also a guaranteed way to improve the living standard in the region by creating more jobs. The information we have about this new hotel does not include its name or the details of the contractors and building plan, but we are looking forward to the new edifice gracing Notre-Dame Island.
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