LAC-SAINTE-MARIE, Que.― After a 30-year absence of hotels in Lac-Sainte-Marie, Ottawa hotel developer Activar Hôtels is partnering with Mont Ste-Marie for a ski-in ski-out hotel to be built on the signature Dustin Cook Run, at the base of the mountain. Construction on MSM Hotel is set to launch in 2023 and will be completed in two phases.
“Our team has been working on a remarkable and comprehensive hospitality concept for over two years. Launching the hotel is the first phase of this development that is set to revive Lac-Sainte-Marie’s legacy as the destination to re-invigorate your senses in a sublime natural setting,” says Mathieu Mault, CEO of Activar Hôtels. This hotel brings Activar Hôtels’ portfolio of managed properties up to six.
The hotel part of the concept represents an investment of $25 million and is expected to create close to 50 jobs. “We are very supportive of Activar Hôtel’s plan to develop a lifestyle hotel in Lac-Sainte-Marie. We’re excited to collaborate on an initiative that sparks new economic activity in our community and creates an experience that gives people a new reason to explore our beautiful region,” says Mayor Cheryl Sage-Christensen.
The 80-room lifestyle ski-in ski-out hotel will feature bold architecture and design, chic guestrooms, modern amenities, a restaurant and bar headed by a local chef, a pool and spa as well as creative remote working spaces. A space to experience, discover and connect, the MSM Hotel will also be home to a new social club.
The hotel is expected to open as early as 2024. Activar Hôtels has a track record of funding its hotel developments exclusively with local investors and intends on reproducing this model for the MSM Hotel.
“Mont Ste-Marie has amazing skiing, mountain biking, hiking, swimming, golf, tennis, and other natural elements that will propel this hotel’s success,” says owner of the Mont Ste-Marie ski resort and partner in the hotel, Bob Sudermann. “This, combined with its location on the Cheval Blanc hillside, makes it a desirable opportunity. The new hotel crystallizes the region’s full potential, year round.”
Activar Hôtels has partnered with architecture & design studio, Linebox, which is already active in Lac-Sainte-Marie. “What we love about this hotel development project is the vision to make it a community hub 12 months a year, allowing guests, local residents and nature’s elements to engage in a positive way,” says Andrew Reeves, CEO of Linebox.
The MSM Hotel is meant to be a seamless transition, between the inside and outside spaces, that celebrates nature and captures the light on the land through various openings and windows. The objective is to use sustainable building practices such as cross-laminated timber.
