The wonders of Quebec never cease, which makes adding a few days before or after meeting in Canada’s largest province an absolute must. Even a short list paints a sweeping picture. In fairytale Quebec City, celebrating its 400th anniversary next year, the centuries crisscross as evocatively as the cobblestone streets. The same goes for Montreal, of near equal vintage and eternally young as one of the liveliest, most energetic cities on earth.
Quebec’s microcosmic appeal comes with a Gallic flourish, infusing everything from the cuisine to the Old World aura of town and country alike. Follow the compass in any direction and the rewards are constant. To the west, the vast Outaouais region mixes culture with endless outdoor pursuits. East of Quebec City, the spellbinding Charlevoix region is a resort destination par excellence, rising from the sea to sky-high peaks, while an hour north of Montreal, the mountainous Laurentian region is a world-class, four-season getaway. And to the south, straddling the New England border, the event-ready Eastern Townships region is a major historic, culinary and agritourism destination.
With 21 distinct tourism regions in all and increasingly sophisticated meetings capabilities, Quebec’s breathtaking diversity makes it an all-in-one, one-of-a-kind choice.
Quebec City
Get ready to pop the champagne—Quebec City turns 400 years old June 3, 2008. Ten months of celebrations commence this New Year’s Eve (see sidebar), and with ribbons signifying the event already festooning the city, the excitement is building.
Fanfare also surrounds this historic citadel’s prowess in the meetings and hospitality arena.
“Quebec City stands out in today's crowded convention and incentive travel market, combining all the features of a premier business destination with the appeal of one of North America's most likeable and popular leisure destinations,” says Quebec City Tourism’s Paule Bergeron.
Business travel to Quebec City has been decidedly on the upswing since the opening of the Quebec City Convention Centre in 1996, according to Bergeron.
“Just outside the walls of Old Quebec, this facility can accommodate up to 4,000 participants at a single event and offers direct underground access to nearly 1,000 hotel rooms as well as vast indoor parking facilities,” he says.
Few of the city’s 12,600 hotel rooms are far from the mammoth convention center—last year’s winner of the prestigious Apex Award as the world’s best convention center—or the Quebec City Fair Centre.
A major part of the city's drawing power lies in the narrow winding streets of Old Quebec itself, the historic walled section overseen by Fairmont’s magical Le Chateau Frontenac. Here, business travelers have a profusion of boutiques, museums and special attractions—along with over 100 cafes, bistros and gourmet restaurants—to ease away the day’s work. Emblematic of the Quebec City time travel experience is the 40-room Hotel-Cafe 71, housed in the old headquarters of a major bank in the historic Old Port district. Inside, it’s modern and chic; looking outside, guests see centuries-old rooftops.
At the gates of Old Quebec, the elegant Hotel Chateau Laurier has added 92 rooms and more conference space. Steps away from the old city, the 406-room Loews Le Concorde Hotel offers spectacular views and the city’s only revolving rooftop restaurant.
The same transcendency is found in the newly reborn Saint-Roch district. Close to the Old Port and one of the city’s oldest suburbs, this neighborhood of recycled factories is now a hopping bar, restaurant and boutique scene. Kids of all ages flock to Benjo for toys, while adults head to the terrace at Boudoir Lounge Resto-Club, the sushi bar at YUZU or the popular La Barberie microbrewery. The city wins on unique venues and experiences, too. At the Chapel of Musee de l’Amerique Francaise’s magical New France Gala, guests enjoy gourmet dining while donning 18th century costumes, while at the circa-1781 Manoir Montmorency, the fine cuisine is served high atop the Montmorency Falls. Groups can chill out at the seasonal Ice Hotel, and for private club affairs, the historic Garrison Club is ideal for impressing blue-chip clients.
Like Montreal, Quebec City is a biker’s paradise. With the official inauguration this summer of the Green Route—the longest bike trail in North America—cyclists can literally travel Quebec end-to-end. One of best routes is the Marie-Helene-Premont Path, winding through the heart of the first villages in French North America.
Just east of the city unfolds the Eden-like Charlevoix region. La Malbaie is a choice destination for conventions, small symposiums, and business meetings, with over thirty hotels including Hotel Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu, with gathering space for up to 800 people. Two UNESCO-protected national parks are havens for nature lovers, while skiers enjoy challenging peaks such as Le Massif and Mont Sainte-Anne. Rapelling down ice faces, or “ice canyoning,” is a unique dimension in team building, while the Quebec-Charlevoix Gourmet Route is an experience in agritourism not to be missed.
Montreal
Canada’s second-largest city continues to prove an irresistible draw. Mentioned in over 1,000 national and international press articles last year, Montreal generated over 100,000 room nights hosting a run of major conventions, including the Association of International Educators and the World Outgames. And as Meeting Professionals International ably demonstrated, it pays to meet a la Montreal. With 34 countries represented, up from 28 last year, the organization’s 2007 World Education Congress held this July in Montreal set a new attendance record, with a total registration of 3,665 delegates. Montreal’s tourism industry stands to benefit greatly from the event, with economic spin-offs estimated at upward of $100 million over the next five years.
Tourisme Montreal’s Luc Charbonneau, director of sales and marketing for the business market, says the city is a strong draw for groups.
“Our entire business sales team feels fortunate that our city offers both a top of-the-line conventions and meetings infrastructure and lots of curb appeal, especially in the current ferociously competitive market,” Charbonneau says.
To keep the numbers up and maintain its decade-long standing as one of North America’s top three destinations for international meetings, Montreal, famed for its festivals and partying spirit, is broadening its appeal on several fronts.
Culture and creativity are major focal points, according to Charles Lapointe, president of Tourisme Montreal.
“Montreal's cultural vitality is what gives the city its real—and powerful—image around the world.”
Following its designation last year as North America’s first UNESCO City of Design, Montreal has officially opened the long-awaited Quartier Des Spectacles, a 230-acre quadrilateral grouping of 28 performance halls and 28,000 seats in downtown Montreal’s historic entertainment district.
Tourisme Montreal is also looking after meeting planners, launching a new online attendance building tool kit on its website and partnering with leading online group reservation system Passkey to offer a completely web-based centralized room reservation system.
Downtown Montreal’s Place Bonaventure exhibition complex, the city’s largest, just expanded its halls to a total of 315,000 square feet, and the hotel inventory—with 160 properties and 15,200 rooms already in downtown alone—is also getting a major boost. Embassy Suites just opened an upscale, 210-suite hotel directly across from the renowned Palais des Congres de Montreal. Meetings-capable hotels from Marriott and Novotel just opened near the Montreal-Trudeau Airport, with another 275-room Marriott debuting near the transborder jetty in 2008.
The Crystal De La Montagne and Hotel Dauphin Montreal Centre-Ville are luxe newcomers, along with Opus Montreal, a chic 136-room urban retreat concept based on its successful twin in Vancouver. The Intercontinental and Holiday Inn are getting expensive makeovers, while Hotel Nelligan is getting 44 new rooms and additional meeting space. Loews Vogue Hotel is a recently renovated, European-style business property.
Auberge Bonaparte, Chateau Versailles and the circa-1725 Hostellerie Pierre du Calvet are among a suite of Old World hotel jewels, and from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the Chateau Ramezay Museum to Bonsecours Market and the Botanical Garden & Insectarium, the special offsite venue collection is as rich as ever.
Outaouais Region
Encompassing nearly 12,000 square miles, this scenic expanse of western Quebec is blessed with all that nature has to offer. Located on the north side of the Ottawa River across from Canada’s capital, Ottawa, the Outaouais region enjoys the dual advantage of being ready-made for tourists and purpose-built for meetings.
“Our principal city of Gatineau and the vast territory beyond feature an enjoyable blend of dynamic urban life and the proximity of the great outdoors, which multiplies the opportunities for conducting team-building activities and creating memorable experiences,” says Brigitte Cerat, director of marketing and communications for Tourisme Outaouais.
Urban and sophisticated, Gatineau is an absorbing experience unto itself, now with a rising haute cuisine scene.
The multi-functional Canadian Museum of Civilization is a national treasure and architectural triumph, matched only by its counterpart across the river, the Canadian War Museum. In the heart of the National Capital region, Gatineau is also within easy reach of Ottawa’s main attractions, such as Parliament Hill, the National Gallery of Canada and the Rideau Canal.
The ultra-modern Lac-Leamy casino, hotel and conference complex has a bonanza of meeting and leisure options under one roof, including conference space for up to 1,600 people and 349 rooms at the multiple Connie Award-winning Hilton. At the Chateau Cartier Relais Resort, conferees have 20,000 square feet of conference space to go with tennis, golf and spa. Meetings hotels close to the Gatineau Convention Center include Four Points by Sheraton & Conference Centre Gatineau-Ottawa, and the 174-room Ramada Plaza.
Just outside Gatineau, the circa-1838 Wakefield Mill Inn & Spa, set on 24 acres in Gatineau Park and featuring four executive conference rooms, is a perennial planners’ favorite. Located at the park’s entrance in Old Chelsea, the relaxing Le Nordik Spa recently opened a wooden lodge for meetings, retreats and receptions. With its locomotive turning 100 this year, the Hull-Chelsea-Wakefield Steam Train is great for events on the rails.
In the forested Lievre et Petite-Nation territory, the star-shaped, 214-room Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello is the world’s largest five-star log building, built in 1830 from 10,000 red-cedar logs. And speaking of the Outaouais’ truly great outdoors, groups have many ways to get their Tarzan and Jane on. At Morrison’s Quarry, bungee jumpers leap from a 200-foot tower above a spring-fed lagoon. Gatineau Park’s “Fortune Aerial Experience” features six courses including suspended walkways, rope bridges and net gangways, or you can zip over to the new vertigo-defying Aerial Trek in the heart of the Forest de l’Aigle, which includes three luxury rental chalets. For a true bird’s-eye view, take a spin aboard a Cessna with DecouvAIRte Aviation, a new company specializing in year-round aerial tours and flyovers.
Laurentians
An hour north of Montreal and easily reached from Quebec City and Ottawa, “Les Laurentides” is a superlative vacation destination. Attributes include the largest concentration of resorts in Quebec, top-flight skiing and world-renowned ski schools, villages with a romantic European atmosphere, and great tourism product year-round.
As a leisure supplement before or after meeting in the big cities, the Laurentians—an extension of the Adirondack Mountains in New York State and among the oldest mountain ranges in the world, at almost 540 million years old—is hard to beat. Now, following a concerted marketing effort over the past few years, the region is maturing as a prime meetings destination, with 125 resorts and hotels, plus multiple smaller properties.
As you leave Montreal behind and enter the Laurentian Gateway, a paradise for outdoor sports, the change of scenery is immediate and intoxicating. Then comes the main act, the Laurentian Heartland, the region’s vacation epicenter with over a dozen golf courses, hundreds of miles of trails and most famously, world-class skiing. Mont Tremblant is SKI magazine’s top-ranked resort in eastern North America, while the Valley of Saint-Sauveur boasts the world’s largest concentration of illuminated nighttime runs.
The rugged Upper Laurentians transport you into another reality altogether, thanks to its wide-open spaces and its 4,500 lakes and rivers. It’s back to nature in a vast territory that includes “Le P’tit Train du Nord” Linear Park cycle path and the second-highest peak in the region, Montagne du Diable.
Luxury is the hallmark of many of the region’s meetings-ready hotels and resorts. Hotel du Lac Carling has nine conference rooms accommodating from 10 to 400 people with over 21,200 square feet of meeting space, plus the Carling Lake Golf Club, one of Canada’s finest 18-hole courses.
Situated at the base of its namesake mountain, Chateau Mont Tremblant is a luxury conference center with 308 guest units, including 49 condominiums. Urban cowboys can saddle up and fulfill their dreams at Ranch Mont-Tremblant, offering new cowboy-themed experiences this season.
Other top resorts include Hotel Le Quintessence, Wyndham Cap Tremblant and Club Tremblant l'Hotel du Lac.
For More Info
Eastern Townships Tourism 819.820.2020
www.easterntownships.org
Laurentians Tourism Association 800.561.6673 www.laurentides.com
Quebec City Tourism 418.641.6654
www.quebecregion.com
Tourisme Charlevoix 418.665.4454
www.charlevoixtourism.com
Tourisme Montreal 514.844.5400 www.tourisme-montreal.org
Tourisme Mont-Tremblant 819.425.2434
www.tourismemonttremblant.com
Tourisme Outaouais 819.778.2222
www.tourismeoutaouais.ca
Tourisme Quebec 514.873.2015 www.bonjourquebec.com
