Some of Canada's most unique features are the majestic railway hotels that were built across the country by the Canadian Pacific and the Canadian National Railways.

For their time, these hotels were miracles of construction and engineering. Everything that went into them was the biggest and best of their time and they have become very much a part of Canada's national heritage and identity.

This is the third hotel to be named 'Hotel Vancouver'. The first was a five-story, brick structure that looked and functioned much like a farmhouse.

The second, built from 1912-1916, and opened in 1916, became the meeting place for Vancouver society. The second Hotel Vancouver was turned into a government administration building during World War II and torn down in 1949.

The present Hotel Vancouver took 11 years to build because construction was halted for five years during the Great Depression. It was started by the Canadian National Railway but was finally completed under a joint operating agreement with the Canadian Pacific Railway. It was opened in May of 1939, in time for the Royal visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth at a final cost of $12 million.

A $70 million restoration in the mid 1990s has ensured that The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver remains at the very forefront of Vancouver's best hotels.