Audio Transcript

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Welcome to the Fairmont Palliser! This incredible hotel, formerly known as the Palliser Hotel, is a hotel of the Canada-based Fairmont Hotels and Resorts chain.
 

The Palliser is the city's oldest and most luxurious hotel and celebrated its 100th birthday on June 1, 2014. When the Canadian Pacific Railway pushed west in 1883, Calgary was essentially a mounted police post and trading centre. With an influx of tourists, mainly en route to Canadian Pacific's Banff Springs hotel, a hospitality spot in Calgary was an essential link.

Ground-breaking for the building was on May 12, 1911, on property owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway. It was built by P. Lyall and Sons Construction Company with materials such as stone, steel, reinforced concrete and brick at a cost of $1,500,000.

The hotel was named after Captain John Palliser, who was an explorer in the region during the 1850s. The building was originally eight stories high, with three stories added in 1929, making it Calgary's highest building until 1958. It has been renovated and expanded a number of times throughout its history, including a $28 million renovation in 2000.