Kenora — Lake of the Woods
Request for Proposals

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Concept visualization of the Kenricia Hotel on its downtown Kenora corner in late-afternoon light

A landmark opportunity at the heart of Kenora.

The City of Kenora has issued a Request for Proposals to secure a developer who has the vision, experience and capability to revitalize the Kenricia Hotel, a 1910 Beaux-Arts-influenced landmark at 155 Main Street South.

Register interest
Concept visualization

Built when the railway made Kenora the gateway to Lake of the Woods.

For over a century, the Kenricia has anchored the corner of Main Street — a grand hotel from the era when travellers stepped off the transcontinental line and into the North. Its brick and stone carry the ambition of 1910; its heritage designation under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act protects what makes it irreplaceable.

Today, Kenora is a destination again — the urban heart of a lake with 14,522 islands, a two-hour drive from Winnipeg, with world-class sport fishing, fly-in wilderness, and a downtown filling with new energy. What the Kenricia needs is an operator with the vision to turn a historic landmark into a heritage-led destination business.

For a century, this corner is where Kenora has gathered.

The Kenricia Hotel in 1912, two years after opening
Two years oldThe hotel stands new on Main Street behind a steam fire-engine trial — turret, dormers and full verandah intact.5 September 1912 · Kenora museum collection 988.30.1
A horse-drawn ladder wagon passing the Kenricia Hotel verandah
The street it was built forA horse-drawn ladder wagon passes the hotel’s columned verandah, when Main Street was still dirt.Date unconfirmed, c. 1910s · Kenora museum collection 1965.3.41a
A crowd on the Kenricia Hotel verandah during a royal visit, August 1941
The best seats in townKenora packs the hotel’s two-storey verandah to watch a royal motorcade pass below.16 August 1941 · Kenora museum collection 2012.58.11

The strongest room rates in Northern Ontario.

Revenue per room is growing at double digits. Most visitors travel as couples, and two in five stay in hotels. What the market doesn’t have yet is a destination property.

59%
Of visitors report a length of stay between 1 and 5 days
74%
Travel with their partner
41%
Of visitors stay in hotels
40%
of visitors spend $1,655-$2,999 per day

Sources: CBRE Trends in the Canadian Hotel Industry, National Market Report — Kenora, ten months ended October 2025; City of Kenora 2021 Tourism Study in partnership with Brandspark.

The Next Decade

You wouldn’t be betting on the town. It’s already moving.

  1. New housing development

    Residential projects moving through Kenora’s planning pipeline.

  2. Downtown revitalization

    $1.5 B new hospital, long-term health care facility and campus of care – 5 years of construction followed by the creation 500-700 full-time jobs.

  3. Four-season visitor growth

    Established four-season tourism anchored by Lake of the Woods, fishing, outdoor recreation, arts & culture, sport tourism and a packed events calendar.

  4. The Kenricia RFP

     

Two mountain bikers pause on a Canadian Shield rock outcrop over the water near Kenora
Riding the Shield, Kenora

    Register your interest.

    Register to receive the Request for Proposals and an invitation to the proponent briefing. Responses close 60 days from formal posting; every registered party receives the same information.

    Not the right fit? If you know the developer this was built for, the form takes referrals too.