Email: info@royaldukehotel.com Tel: (403) 938-4101
The Royal Duke Hotel
Since the beginning, The Royal Duke Hotel has been the pub and eatery where people love to gather in Okotoks. Located right on Okotoks' main street, Elizabeth Street, it continues to be the hub for getting together to this day.
Whether you are dropping in for a night or a pint, we welcome all of our guests!
On this spot
Originally on this spot was a hotel named Grand Central Hotel. When this hotel opened in 1905, it boasted top-of-the-line amenities, including over 40 rooms, a large dining room, a billiard room, a bar, and a showroom for salesmen to show off their wares. The hotel proved so popular that a large expansion was needed just a year after opening.
The hotel was torn down in 1928 and replaced by the Willingdon Hotel, now known as the Royal Duke.
After a big night at the Grand Central's bar, a man given the pseudonym Mr. Smith reached his limit, and had to be taken to bed. Unfortunately he was a loyal boarder at one of the other hotels and refused to spend the night at the Grand Central. So he was put in a wheelbarrow and taken to his favourite hotel, where he slept it off in the lobby.
Information courtesy:
In those early days, hotels played an important role in the community: after all, the first two businesses in the Okotoks area were stopping houses. Many people in Alberta were transient, as the book Century of Memories explains: “There were steady boarders, and many people stopped overnight or just for a meal.
Many rested on their way to a new home. One such boarder was Dr. A. E. Ardiel, who briefly took advantage of the hotel and its convenient stables to ride about making house calls.
A brief history
Constructed in 1928 the Royal Duke Boutique Hotel, Eatery & Pub was formally known as the Willingdon and was a cornerstone of social life.
The Willie, as locals called it, was the landmark spot to meet friends in the heart of Okotoks.
The original structure was an immaculate 3 storey brick building. Named after the Governor General of Canada at the time (Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon), the Willingdon remains a very important part of Okotoks history.
The building has naturally gone through several changes over the years.
In August 2011, the Royal Duke Boutique Hotel, Eatery & Pub was opened with a European-inspired makeover, introducing a modern look and feel for the hotel, restaurant & pub.
Through the years:
