Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac: Where dreams are made

Sometimes, we find a destination where our real world and dream world meet and share a moment.

Royal castles that celebrate tales of chivalry and royalty have captivated many of us. Romantic tales of yesteryear resonated in my heart as we chanced upon our dreamy destination — the legendary Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac, said to be the most photographed hotel in the world. As I explored the property, whose location dates back 400 years, I realized that modern-day fairy tales do come true.  In Quebec, the largest province in Canada, they certainly do.

It was a very pleasant six-hour drive through the countryside of New Hampshire where the verdant leaves were just beginning to turn into fiery shades of crimson and gold. Excitement prevailed as the traveling trio of Reesa Tesoro Guerrero, Edwin Vergel de Dios Santos and myself approached the exquisite crown jewel of French Canada, Quebec City.

Respected as the heart and soul of francophone culture in the New World, Quebec mesmerized us with its dramatic sight of a walled city atop a ridge that cascades down to the banks of the picturesque St. Lawrence River. This is the longest river navigable by ocean-going ships. Cruise liners and freight commerce have been staples of this essential port for ages. From our corner suite, which gave us a stunning vantage of both the river’s majesty with docked luxury liners and the Carnival boardwalk, we observed the tourists from the Princess Cruise line as they strolled along the cobblestoned sidewalks dotted with antiquated lamp posts.

The expansive fortress encampment, with its dramatic citadels and cannons, create a real-life museum with historical markers depicting the battles of survival for real estate, which defined power and colonization. Similarly, venues of such historical significance are now protected under the United Nations World Heritage list. Since 1985, the entire “Old Town Quebec” has held this prestige. There is plenty to appreciate outside the walls but like most visitors, our hearts were captive to the 405-year-old city replete with culture enriched by the battles between the French and British empires.

Featuring Winter Carnival, Quebecers have found renewed vibrancy in hosting crowds of global tourists all year round. The economy is robust with emerging and novel businesses including software, biotechnology and and other high-tech enterprises. Winter attracts snow sports aficionados, Fall and Spring bring the most incredible colors while summer keeps revolving doors oscillating with a colossal number between nine and 10 million visitors annually. Over 95 percent claim French ancestry from among the near 700,000 local residents.

We will never forget the top-hat-garbed doormen of the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac who warmly received us, and the swift service of the white-gloved concierge who took care of our luggage. A 300-year-old stone bearing the Cross of Malta emblem is part of the interior opulence of the vaulted lobby synergized with world-class hospitality at the reception desk.

One can appreciate the sophisticated blend of styles, which is directly proportioned to the distinctive elegance of recessed wood ceilings and seductive chandeliers. Fairmont Le Château Frontenac owes its name to a flamboyant French governor named Louis de Buade, Count of Frontenac who guided the destiny of New France from 1672 to 1698. For almost three centuries, a long line of people coveted this stunningly beautiful site. The silhouette of the Chateau Frontenac against the skyline was to become the visual symbol of Quebec City — the cradle of French civilization in North America — despite the fact that it was built by an American architect and its interiors designed by English-Canadians.

We learned from Genevieve Parent, director of public relations of Chateau Frontenac, that this year 2013 coincides with the 120th anniversary of the remarkable property. A $66 million revitalization and modernization of the hotel includes the renovation of guestrooms, renovation and expansion of the Fairmont Gold executive floors. Fairmont Gold pampered us with personalized amenities for an exclusive hotel lifestyle of unparalleled level of service in the lineage of royal treatment. Each one of its 618 rooms offers breathtaking views with urban resort excitement and magic of the Old Quebec to ensure a perfect stay.

In 2002, general manager Philippe Borel unveiled 17 historic suites in the Chateau Frontenac drawing the world’s attention to the hotel’s history. Borel explained that the property is much more than a hotel. “It is unique — the only one of its kind in the world. It is important for our clients to experience it against its historical, cultural and artistic backdrop,” Borel said.

The suites were named after famous people who had signed the hotel registry since 1893: Cornelius Van Horne, Queen Elizabeth, Princess Grace of Monaco, King George VI, Charles de Gaulle, Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jimmy Carter, Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, Charles Lindbergh and Ronald Reagan. In 1952, Alfred Hitchcock’s film I Confess, starring Montgomery Cliff and Anne Baxter, was filmed in the Chateau Frontenac. We were humbled to be included in the roster of privileged hotel guests.

From the book entitled The Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac, I learned that the site of this castle was discovered long before the 19th century by Samuel De Champlain when he was exploring the shorelines of the main rivers of New France, even before he founded the city of Quebec. In the late 19th century, William Van Horne, general manager of Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway, began building the hotel as the ideal stopover for CP travelers. Van Horne retained the services of New York architect Bruce Price (father of Emily Post), who had already designed Montreal’s Windsor Station. Drawing on the architectural styles of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Price immortalized the history of the two great powers that had occupied Quebec City’s highest promontory.

The years leading up to 1993 saw many expansion projects to fashion the Quebec City luxury hotel into what it is today, including the Citadelle construction in 1899, Mont-Carmel construction in 1908, and the Saint-Louis and Tour Centrale in 1920 and 1924. A new expansion phase was completed in June 1993 with the inauguration of the Claude-Pratte Wing, which offers guests a superb indoor pool, a physical fitness center and a magnificent outdoor terrace. All renovations are expected to be completed this coming year. Internationally acclaimed design firms Wilson Associates and Rockwell Group are at the helm of these exciting developments. Their past design projects include The Fairmont Monte Carlo, The Four Seasons Hotel Sydney and the W Paris-Opera.

Worthy to note, in 2008, Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac was awarded the Four Green Key Rating from the Hotel Association of Canada and their Green Key Ecommodation Program. This certification is awarded to hotels that have shown national industry leadership and commitment to protecting the environment. The hotel is also recognized as a ReserVert participant, which is a program for sustainable development of the Quebec hotel industry. 

The culinary team of the Chateau offers the Vitalite Plus program, which features a harmony of gastronomy and health. Executive chef Baptiste Peupion has a preference for local products and you will marvel at his real wealth: fresh herbs, four beehives with abundant honey in his private garden, nestled sweetly atop the Chateau’s roof.

For total rejuvenation, one can be pampered at the Payot Institute with its luxurious range of body treatments, massages, manicures and more.

One ought to experience history incarnate at the Chateau. Since its centennial celebration, Anne Gery Inc. has offered historical tours in collaboration with the hotel. The people doing the tours are dressed as Chateau Frontenac employees from the end of the 19th century like bellboys, chambermaids, chefs, headwaiters and the like. They share interesting stories that allow a glimpse into a more intimate and personal past that enthrall the captive audience.

I wandered on my own along the monumental hallways and walkways after hearing these jewels of a storied past as my thoughts whispered, “Once upon a time, there was a castle perched on top of a steep hill and it was here that the Princess found her new beginnings where she lived happily ever after with her Significant Other.”

For a moment, I could not determine whether I was in my real world or my dream world. I was in total bliss. Between us, it did not seem to matter. All I knew is that dreams do come true. Here at Chateau Frontenac, they still do.

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For information about Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac, log on www.fairmont.com/frontenac-quebec/‎.

Korean Air flies to Quebec via Toronto and Vancouver. For reservations, call at 789-3700

E-mail the author at miladay.star@gmail.com.