CHÂTEAU FRONTENAC-QUEBEC'S LANDMARK

(Photo taken by me, and text copied from Wikipedia)

The Château Frontenac is a grand hotel in Quebec City, Quebec Canada. It was designated a National Historic Site of Canada during 1980. Prior to the building of the hotel, the site was occupied by the Chateau Haldimand , residence of the British colonial governors of Lower Canada and Quebec.

The Château Frontenac, designed by the American architect Bruce Price, was one of a series of " château" style hotels built for the Canadian Pacific Railway company during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The railway company's policy was to encourage luxury tourism and wealthy travelers. The Château Frontenac began operation during 1893, five years after the Banff Spring Hotel which was owned by the same company.

The Château Frontenac was named in honor of Louis de Baude, Count of Frontenac, who was governor of the colony of New France from 1672 to 1682 and 1689 to 1698. The Château was built near the historic Citadelle, the construction of which Frontenac had begun at the end of the 17th century. The Quebec Conference of 1943, at which Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt discussed strategy for World War II, was performed at the Citadelle while much of the staff stayed nearby in the Château Frontenac.

Although several of Quebec City's buildings are taller, the hotel is perched atop a tall cape overlooking the Saint Lawrence River, this giving a spectacular view for several kilometers. The building is the most prominent feature of the Quebec City skyline as seen from across the St. Lawrence.

The hotel is managed and operated by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts of Toronto, a company that manages numerous prestigious hotels around the world. The hotel was sold by Fairmont on October 31, 2000 to the Legacy Hotels REIT for Canadian $185 million. However, Fairmont has a long-term management agreement with Legacy Hotels.

During 1953 this hotel was used as filming location for the Alfred Hitchcock's movie I Confess , featuring Montgomery Cliff and Anne Baxter as main actors.

It has the Guinness World Record of "The most photographed hotel in the world".