Pat & Connie O’Connor purchased Emerald Lake Lodge in 1979. Long regarded as one of the best-kept secrets in the Rockies, this jewel of a destination is located in Yoho National Park northwest of Field, British Columbia. After years of restoration and construction, the property – famed for its tranquility and impossibly beautiful surroundings – re-opened in the summer of 1986.
In 1982, the O’Connors purchased Deer Lodge from the Crosby family – who, at the time, ran the hotel as a uniquely summer operation. In the fall of 1984, Deer Lodge underwent major renovations and re-opened the following February as a year-round destination. Deer Lodge maintains its rustic decor and original charm – a welcoming retreat for those wishing to get away from it all.
Mountainview Village Resort in Banff was purchased by the O’Connors in 1983, which – after extensive construction and renovations – would eventually be named Buffalo Mountain Lodge.
Shortly after, in the spring of 1985, Western Securities Limited created Canadian Rocky Mountain Resorts as the vehicle with which to operate our lodges – each with a focus on fine Rocky Mountain Cuisine which made bringing this culinary concept from the mountains to the city a natural progression.
Purchased with a partner in 1986, Cilantro was the first of four CRMR restaurants. After major renovations and upgrades, Cilantro opened its doors in 1988 proudly featuring Alberta’s first wood burning pizza oven imported from Italy.
Panino Bakery, now located in its new location in the Calgary neighbourhood of Bowness, originally opened in 1990. The bakery supplies all of the restaurants with fresh baked breads, desserts and specialty cakes. This ensures that all guests, no matter where they are dining, experience the finest and freshest product CRMR has to offer.
BIN 905 opened in 1997 to serve Calgary’s growing thirst for premium wines and spirits. The popular boutique store works closely with our lodges to ensure access to a diverse array of specialty wines. Located on trendy 4th Street S.W. in Calgary, the store features friendly, knowledgeable staff.
Canadian Rocky Mountain Ranch was constructed in 1997 to meet the growing demand for ‘Rocky Mountain Cuisine.’ Located southwest of Calgary on 540 acres of rolling foothills, our ranch is committed to raising hormone and antibiotic-free game. This embodies CRMR’s commitment to ensure quality, local products from the ground to the plate.
Divino Wine and Cheese Bistro was purchased in May 2001 and relocated to the historic Calgary Wine and Spirits building on Stephen Avenue Walk (8th Avenue SW) in 2003. This popular, downtown restaurant embraces the heritage of America’s grand bistro tradition with its comfortable, modern décor.
In 2001, CRMR purchased The Ranche Restaurant – which is located in Calgary’s Fish Creek Park. The restaurant most similar to the style of our mountain lodges, The Ranche is home to some of Calgary’s finest cuisine.
In May 2007, our company began managing Painted Boat Resort – located north of Vancouver on B.C.’s picturesque Sunshine Coast. The Restaurant at Painted Boat opened in June 2008. Aside from delicious, Oceanwise, locally-inspired food, this 70-seat bistro boasts an elegant aesthetic that includes tiger bamboo flooring, espresso tables and luxurious, chocolate brown leather chairs.
CRMR released the internationally acclaimed cookbook, Simple Treasures, in 2008 – making public recipes our loyal patrons can create at home. A year later, Canadian Rocky Mountain Resorts opened CRMR at Home, a specialty retail store that also provides catering services. The store offers homemade signature sauces, stocks, meat sourced from our ranch and an assortment of fresh-made pies, breads and pastries from Panino Bakery.
In 2011, CRMR began operating a new commercial laundry facility. The commercial laundry facility handles all of the linens for the mountain lodges and city restaurants. This offsets the cost of outsourcing but, critically, it also permits us to be more ecologically sustainable as we integrate the latest low impact machinery and environmentally-friendly products into our operations.
