‘An opportunity in the market’ Fort Garry Hotel prepares to open higher-end, 15-unit ‘Vice Regal Floor’ next month after $1-million renovation By: Aaron Epp Posted: 5:19 PM CDT Tuesday, Mar. 17, 2026

Guests at the Fort Garry Hotel can experience a new level of luxury starting next month.

The first floor of the historic 112-year-old Winnipeg hotel has undergone a $1-million renovation, and now includes 12 guest rooms, three suites and an executive lounge.

Dubbed the “Vice Regal Floor,” it’s scheduled to open on April 9. The floor is meant to give guests an elevated, exclusive experience, said Ida Albo, co-owner and managing partner at the Fort Garry. It’s a place where they can unwind or catch up on work in peace.

“I thought there was an opportunity in the market for a higher-end offering of guest rooms,” she said.

She’s sitting in the Vice Regal Lounge as she explains the transformation. The lounge features a bar, tables and seating for 36. There’s a 75-inch TV on one wall and a semi-private meeting area in the back, not far from the coffee and tea bar.

The lounge will offer guests hot breakfast, evening hors d’oeuvres, all-day snacks, and beverages with an honour bar starting in the late afternoon. Additionally, the lounge will include curated wines selected by the hotel’s wine director, Christopher Sprague.

Each room features luxurious bedding, extra plush towels and a seating area with a marble table. The bathrooms include heated floors, backlit makeup mirrors, and premium Fig + Yarrow bath products.

Additional touches include an in-room safe and a privacy doorbell that replaces the “do not disturb” signs usually seen hanging on hotel room door knobs. If guests do not wish to be disturbed, they press the doorbell until it turns red.

The floor will have its own concierge and will only be accessible to guests staying on the floor. Rooms will be priced $150-$200 above the going daily rate, Albo said.

Although not officially open yet, Prime Minister Mark Carney and his security team spent two nights on the Vice Regal Floor during the Grey Cup festival in November.

The floor takes its name from Room 114, which has been called the “Vice Regal” ever since the hotel opened in December 1913.

At 1,700 square feet, it’s the largest suite and includes a living room, dining area and two bedrooms, each with their own en-suite bathroom.

Belinda Albo, Ida’s younger sister, designed the floor, which features a blue-and-gold colour palette throughout. She’s been the Fort Garry’s go-to designer ever since Ida and her business partners bought the hotel in 1993.

Ida Albo said she visited a few hotels to find inspiration for the Fort Garry’s new offering, including the “gold” rooms at the Fairmont Winnipeg and the Fairmont Royal York in downtown Toronto.

“The gold floor at the Royal York in Toronto was very much an experience that we wanted to duplicate,” Albo said.

The first-floor renovation is the latest in a series of updates the Winnipeg hotel has undergone in the past six years.

They include the restoration of the Oval Room and the transformation of the Club Room into Yuk Yuk’s comedy club, plus the addition of the Sunset Terrace patio and Vida Cucina Italia, a white-tablecloth Italian eatery.

Albo estimates she and her business partners have invested approximately $5 million in the Fort Garry since the COVID-19 pandemic as part of an effort to reposition the hotel as more than just a place where visitors from out-of-town can stay.

“The hotel has been a landmark institution since 1913 on Broadway.”

 

“I would say we’ve made it more into an urban destination,” Albo said, adding comedy nights, jazz performances and dining and drinking options are features Winnipeggers can enjoy just as much as visitors can.

It’s exciting to see Albo and her partners making upgrades such as the Vice Regal Floor, said Michael Juce, president and CEO at the Manitoba Hotel Association. “I think it’s a great thing to see in our city and in our downtown.”

Juce noted the Best Western Plus Downtown Winnipeg was renovated and rebranded as the Hampton Inn by Hilton Winnipeg Downtown in late 2024, and the Holiday Inn & Suites Winnipeg Downtown underwent renovations last year.

It was announced Tuesday that the Fairmont Winnipeg will be closed July 1 to spring 2027 to undergo a full renovation of its 340 rooms, among other improvements.

“It’s great to see this momentum and to see these investments made in our sector,” he said.

Colin Ferguson, president and CEO at Travel Manitoba, called the latest renovation at the Fort Garry a positive move for the hotel.

“The hotel has been a landmark institution since 1913 on Broadway,” he said. “It is majestic, if nothing else, and… there is a percentage of the marketplace that is looking for something that is a little bit more upscale, that provides them a few more amenities, and that connects some of the other amenities that the hotel has to offer.”

Approximately 80,000 people stay at the Fort Garry annually, Albo said. The hotel has nearly 400 employees, 120 of whom are full-time.

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca