The hotel was first conceived by the railway at the end of the 19th century, as a vacation destination to lure moneyed travellers into taking trains and heading west. By the time airplanes and automobiles had displaced the trains, it had gained sufficient renown to have a life of its own. In 1999,
Canadian Pacific Hotels (a division of the Canadian Pacific Railway) acquired Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, and adopted the Fairmont name for all of its hotels, resulting in the Chateau Lake Louise being operated as a Fairmont hotel. and Chateau from Ski Louise The natural areas around the hotel were incorporated into
Banff National Park, which has been declared a
World Heritage Site by
UNESCO. Originally built to function only in summer, the hotel was
winterized in 1982 and now offers all the regular
ski resort fare during the winter months. In addition to the usual
skiing,
ice skating and
snowboarding, there are
sleigh rides,
ice sculpture contests and
snowshoe excursions. The hotel is owned by
Oxford Properties, the real estate arm of
OMERS, and operated by
Fairmont Hotels and Resorts of Toronto. The hotel holds seven dining options: Fairview, Lakeview Lounge, the Walliser Stube, the Guide's Pantry (formerly the Chateau Deli), Louiza (formerly Poppy Brasserie), the Alpine Social (formerly the Glacier Saloon), and the seasonal Italian cuisine kitchen Lago (usually opened regularly during summer). ==References==