"Halifax has never known for its luxury lodging choices. Simply put, they did not exist. ...The hotel is a game-changer for both Halifax and for the province of Nova Scotia as well."
Everett Potter for Forbes
Halifax, Nova Scotia is one of my favorite cities in North America, a compact Canadian port that is highly walkable and redolent of the seafaring life. It was from Halifax that a ragtag navy of rescue vessels was sent to the watery grave of the R.M.S.Titanic, an event commemorated in the city’s first-rate Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia is where to find works by acclaimed provincial folk painter Maud Lewis and the lively Halifax Seaport Farmers Market dates to 1750. It’s a city renowned for its Irish pubs, bookshops, and seafood restaurants, a university town, small-scale, relaxed, and full of sea breezes.
In terms of lodging, however, apart from a couple of stalwart downtown hotels and a few charming bed & breakfasts, Halifax has never known for its luxury lodging choices. Simply put, they did not exist.
That will change this summer when Muir, Autograph Collection opens on the Halifax waterfront. Muir is the first hotel in Nova Scotia to be affiliated with Marriott International’s Autograph Collection, as well as the first five-star property in Nova Scotia. The hotel is a game-changer for both Halifax and for the province of Nova Scotia as well.
Muir hotel at Queen's-Marque-Studio-Alessandro-Munge-Halifax-Nova-Scotia
"They [Studio Munge] reference the romance of the historic luxury liner but it’s sleeker and less clichéd than that might imply."
Everett Potter for Forbes
For those not up to speed on their Scots Gaelic, Muir means “sea” and the hotel is perfectly situated on the Halifax waterfront as the cornerstone of Queen’s Marque, a brand new $200 million mixed-use urban waterfront development in the center of downtown Halifax. The five-story, 109-room hotel was developed and will be operated by The Armour Group. It was designed by the celebrated Nova Scotian architecture practice MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects.
The developer and the architect are also responsible for Queen’s Marque, which will include residences, restaurants, offices, and retail. This massive project is essentially a full-scale reimagining and transformation of Halifax’s original harbor front.
The Armour Group uses the phrase ‘Born of this Place’ to underscore the hotel’s deep Nova Scotian heritage. The hotel interiors were designed by Canada’s Studio Munge for a modern take on a waterfront property, a look born of materials and design elements reminiscent of ship staterooms.
They reference the romance of the historic luxury liner but it’s sleeker and less clichéd than that might imply. Studio Munge used hand-rubbed Muntz metal, which was historically used by shipbuilders. Each guestroom features an original landscape painting and pottery from Atlantic Canadian artists. Floors and walls are lined with muted grey oak planks and virtually every guestroom has waterfront views. In a province known for its homespun crafts, a handwoven tapestry by noted Nova Scotian weaver Allison Pinsent-Baker will hang behind the reception desk. The lounge will feature custom furnishings by Alessandro Munge, the Italian-Canadian founder of Studio Munge.
The hotel will include the restaurant Drift Salon, which will offer interpretations of traditional Atlantic Canadian fare, as well as a lobby bar. Muir will have a 1,000 square-foot event gallery and an 8,000 square-foot wellness center equipped with an array of fitness equipment, hydrotherapy, and cold plunge pools, and a halotherapy salt room. The property will offer business travelers exclusive car and driver services, complimentary meeting rooms, and affiliation with Marriott Bonvoy.
Read the article by Everett Potter in Forbes