Canada: from Rimrock Banff to Le Méridien Toronto, the luxury hotels to watch in 2026

Canada confirms in 2026 what hotel analysts had anticipated: an openings boom and upmarket repositioning across the four major cities and in alpine destinations. Hilton has announced 15 new hotels across Canada for 2026 alone, and Marriott has passed the symbolic milestone of 300 addresses in the country.

Four projects command particular attention for their luxury or ultra-design positioning: a high-altitude mountain palace, a brand comeback in a record-breaking skyscraper, an acoustic boutique hotel in a 1914 building, and a Le Méridien development in greater Vancouver.

The defining event of 2026 in Canadian mountain hospitality is the reopening of the Rimrock Banff, Emblems Collection, scheduled for mid-2026 after a major renovation. Opened in 1993 and long known as the Rimrock Resort Hotel, the property, perched on a cliff above Banff’s Upper Hot Springs, joins Accor’s ultra-luxury collection.

This is the first Emblems Collection address in North America, making it a full-scale test for the brand, until now limited to Europe and the Middle East. The repositioning targets an upscale international clientele: golf in summer, skiing in winter, wellness year-round, capitalising on the exceptional setting facing Mount Rundle, near Banff National Park.

The programme includes a complete renovation of rooms and suites, an expanded spa with access to the Upper Hot Springs, two signature restaurants and a panoramic bar. Target rates are aligned with the neighbouring Fairmont Banff Springs, though without that property’s historic prestige.

In Toronto, the announced return of Le Méridien in 2026 is making waves in the Ontario real estate market. The Marriott brand will return to the downtown core in what is projected to be Canada’s future tallest building: a mixed-use skyscraper combining residences, offices and a hotel, still under construction.

Le Méridien’s positioning, rooted in a contemporary French heritage and revisited mid-century design, targets an international business and leisure clientele. The brand’s absence from Toronto had lasted a decade, and its return confirms Marriott’s strategy of reinstating its premium brands in major North American capitals.

Also worth noting: the opening of a second Le Méridien in Richmond, in greater Vancouver, planned for the same year. And the announced development of a Moxy Vancouver Downtown in a dual-brand configuration with Element Hotels.

SonoLux, opened in a 1914 building in Old Montréal, is Canada’s other great revelation of the year: it was listed by Esquire among the Best New Hotels in the World 2026. The singular proposition blends transformative acoustics, exhibition spaces for experimental video art, and rooms conceived as sensory installations in their own right.

The property belongs to no major chain and positions itself for an international creative clientele: gallerists, architects, artists, journalists, for whom a stay is also a cultural experience. The rooms, few in number, can be privatised for artist residencies or private listening sessions.

Still in Montréal, the Embassy Suites is completing a $20 million renovation cycle due to conclude by summer 2026. The Quebec metropolis confirms its diversification: from the grand business hotel to the arty boutique hotel, by way of the classics on Mont-Royal.

Industry analysts converge: 2026-2027 marks a record investment milestone for Canadian hospitality, driven by the post-2020 recovery of international tourism and the diversification of destinations (Banff, Whistler, Mont-Tremblant, Charlevoix). International luxury brands are accelerating their rollout: Accor (with Emblems and Fairmont), Marriott (Méridien, Edition, St. Regis), Hilton (Waldorf Astoria and Conrad).

For European travellers, the main appeal lies in a new generation of discreet addresses alongside the Fairmont classics (Banff Springs, Chateau Frontenac, Empress Victoria). SonoLux opens a boutique path in Old Montréal, and the Rimrock Banff Emblems will offer a luxury alternative to Fairmont’s historic Rocky Mountain properties. Toronto, long overshadowed on the international stage, is regaining momentum with Le Méridien’s return and several other premium projects in the pipeline.

Sources: Accor (Emblems Collection) · Marriott · Hilton · Esquire 2026 Best New Hotels · Tourisme Montréal · official hotel group communications.