A few more details to add to my Hicks on Biz column about 100 years of the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald in Edmonton, published July 10, 2015.
When the Hotel Macdonald re-opned after its massive restoration by CP Hotels, it's had a strong line-up of general managers, who all made their mark as community leaders in Edmonton.
The list includes:
Tony Cary-Bernard - 1990 to 1997 (over saw the reopening in 1991). Currently General Manager of the Westin Resort & Spas, Whistler, B.C.
Kevin Toth - 1997 to 1999 - re-assigned to be General Manager of the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, currently President, Fox Harb'r Golf Resort & Spa, Fox Harbour, Nova Scota
Danny Crowell - 1999-2005 - currently General Manager, Harrison Hot Springs Resort & Spa, Harrison Hot Springs, B.C.
Johanne Johnson - 2005-2009 - currently Human Resources Manager, Nuna Logistics, Edmonton, AB
Don Fennerty - 2009-2013 - current General Manager, Fairmont Empress Hotel, Victoria, B.C.
Garrett Turta - 2013-present
Important dates in the hotel's illustrious history - From the Edmonton Sun, Sunday July 5, 2015
* 1909 - Land purchased to construct Hotel Macdonald. Two other hotels on the site were demolished to make way for the new Grand Trunk Pacific Railway hotel.
* 1911 - Construction begins on the hotel, built and furnished for around $2,250,000, the equivalent of around $35 million today.
* 1915 - Hotel Macdonald, named for Canada's first prime minister John A. Macdonald, officially opens on July 5.
* 1919 - Grand Trunk Pacific Railways defaults on federal government loans, company becomes nationalized on March 7, before coming under the control of Canadian National Railways (CN) in 1920.
* 1939 - King George VI and Queen Elizabeth stay at Hotel Macdonald. Well-wishers gathered below main balcony hoping to see the royals cause Edmonton's first traffic jam.
* 1941 - A four-year, $10,000 upgrade to the Hotel Macdonald completed.
* 1942 - American soldiers stationed in Edmonton during World War II stay in Hotel Macdonald's Wedgewood Room between 1942 and 1946.
* 1953 - A 16-storey, 300 bedroom addition is constructed, but the architectural style is not in keeping with the hotel's Chateau style and locals nickname it 'the Mac and the box it came in.'
* 1955 - Upgrades to rooms improved plumbing and brought air conditioning.
* 1957 - American soldiers again stationed at Hotel Macdonald for construction of Distant Early Warning (DEW) line, part of a system of radar stations.
* 1983 - Hotel Macdonald closes its doors after falling into disrepair.
* 1984 - City of Edmonton designates Hotel Macdonald a Municipal Heritage Resource, the first designation of its kind in the city, to save historic hotel from destruction.
* 1988 - Canadian Pacific Hotels purchases CN hotels, commits to restoring Hotel Macdonald.
* 1991 - After extensive restoration at a cost $28 million, Hotel Macdonald is reopened to the public.
* 1994 - Rolling Stones stay at the Hotel Macdonald.
* 1997 - Bono, front man for U2, stays at the Hotel Macdonald.
* 1998 - Desmond Tutu stays at the Hotel Macdonald.
* 1998 - Former President of the United States Gerald Ford stays at the Hotel MacDonald.
* 1999 - Canadian Pacific Hotels merges with Fairmont Hotels, creating Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, the largest luxury hotel management company in North America.
* 1999 - Chevy Chase stays at the Hotel Macdonald.
* 2000 - Hotel Macdonald officially renamed the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald.
* 2003 - Bruce Springsteen stays at the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald.
* 2005 - Queen Elizabeth II stays at Hotel Macdonald, blocking two floors of the hotel for security reasons.
* 2006 - Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal and a U.S. investment firm buy Fairmont Hotels & Resorts Inc. in an all cash $3.98-billion US deal, purchasing all 87 Fairmont Hotels worldwide, including Fairmont Hotel Macdonald.
* 2006 - Former president Bill Clinton stays at the Fairmont Hotel MacDonald.
* 2012 - Paul McCartney stays at Fairmont Hotel Macdonald.
* 2013 - Oprah Winfrey stays at Fairmont Hotel MacDonald.
* 2014 Singer Pink stays at the Fairmont Hotel MacDonald.
* 2014 - Justin Timberlake stays at the Fairmont Hotel MacDonald.
* May 2015 - Fairmont Hotel Macdonald boardroom rededicated to honour former Edmonton Mayor Terry Cavanagh, who helped save the hotel from destruction by helping designate it as Edmonton's first municipal heritage resource.
* July 5, 2015 - Fairmont Hotel Macdonald turns 100.