New survey highlights appetite for foodie havens in travel planning for 2025
Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.
Canadians are increasingly voting with their stomachs when it comes to choosing travel destinations.
A survey suggests “restaurant” hotel filters have seen a huge rise in demand as vacationers decide where to go and where to stay based on what they want to eat.
The research by the online reservation service OpenTable and travel website Kayak reveals 61 per cent of Canadians believe hotel restaurants have improved over the years. And there has been a 99 per cent hike in the use of Kayak’s restaurant hotel filter, “highlighting how travel and dining are becoming increasingly connected.”
In other findings, nearly two-thirds of Canadians (64 per cent) said hotel restaurants are open equally to guests and locals; nearly half (46 per cent) said they splash out more on food and drink at restaurants than any other holiday activity; and more than two-thirds (68 per cent) would rebook the same hotel based on a positive dining experience. Nearly three-quarters (74 per cent) said they were more likely to try a hotel restaurant based on its popularity and positive recommendations.
“An exceptional hotel restaurant transcends the mere act of dining,” said Delphine Maillard, food and beverage director at the Fairmont Empress in Victoria. “It skillfully combines storytelling, refinement and a heightened sense of occasion in every detail to ensure the experience is memorable.
“With this ethos, our guest profile has broadened over time to include more locals, younger patrons and repeat visitors who are drawn back by the charm of tradition and subtle evolutions that keep the restaurant both vibrant and relevant.”
Based on diner insights, OpenTable and Kayak have now released a list of the top 50 hotel restaurants in Canada, which includes Botanist at Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver, Castello Italiana inside Fairmont Banff Springs in Alberta, and Café Boulud in Toronto’s Four Season’s Hotel.
1888 Chop House in Banff also made the list, alongside Braven in Edmonton, Fonda Fora in Calgary, ARC Restaurant in Vancouver, Darya in Halifax, Cannery Restaurant in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Tea at The Empress in Victoria, and Bar George in Montreal, among others.
For the full list of the top 50 hotel restaurants, head to opentable.ca.
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.
365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4
© 2025 Canada.com, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited.
This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
