Iconic Bessborough Hotel closes May 1 for months-long renovations

After 91 years as Saskatoon’s castle on the river, the Bessborough Hotel has closed – but only for the season.

According to the hotel’s website, “as of May 1, the hotel will pause service and accept no bookings.” A representative with the hotel also confirmed Friday will be the official closure date in a call with 650 CKOM.

The hotel will remain closed throughout the summer months.

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On Thursday afternoon, all of the Bessborough’s hotel rooms were listed as “sold out” on its website.

The closure is for the iconic landmark to complete major interior renovations, which began on the building’s north-wing in January of this year.

The hotel’s 225 guest rooms are getting a complete redesign, while public spaces, like the lobby and meeting rooms, are also being upgraded.

Plus, there will be a new restaurant called the Grand Junction, according to the hotel’s former general manager, Renjith Vengalil, who spoke with 650 CKOM in December 2025.

“We are relocating our restaurant … (to) where the pool is located now on the ground floor,” he said at the time, which will require demolishing the lobby.

Perhaps less visually exciting for visitors is the work being done on the building’s mechanics, including its heating and cooling systems, which plays a role in the hotel’s extended closure during the peak of Saskatoon’s tourism season.

“The best time period to actually make that happen is during the seasonal change, which includes when the temperature warms up,” Vengalil noted about the mechanical renovations.

Even with all the interior changes, though, Vengalil said the plan is to, “preserve the history of this hotel,” by blending old and new together.

For instance, the hotel’s ceilings will stay the same, but its walls and light fixtures will look like new, he said.

Years in the making

In December, Vengalil said the Bessborough was originally slated to undergo renovations in 2020, but the pandemic put those plans on hold.

Due to the project’s scope, it took until the end of 2025 for new plans to be announced.

The Bessborough commemorated its last day open, April 30, captioning an Instagram post, “As The Bess prepares for an exciting new chapter, we’re celebrating over 90 years of unforgettable stories.”

The post is a video, asking people to send in their favourite memories from the hotel to “be part of history in the making.”

Following renovations, the hotel’s name will officially change from Delta Bessborough to The Bessborough Hotel.

Its grand re-opening is scheduled for this fall.