Decore Hotels: 50 Great Years By Nerissa McNaughton
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asper, Alberta. It’s a place of beauty in all seasons, sought by tourists all over the world. From the pristine lakes to the majestic mountains, a visit to Jasper means nourishment for the body, mind and soul. Those familiar with Jasper know to make reservations far in advance of any long weekend to ensure a place to stay. Those in the know make those reservations at a Decore Hotel. The Tonquin Inn and Maligne Lodge have long been staples of the Jasper experience. How they came to be? Well, that’s a story 50 years in the making. The Decore family’s interest in the area goes back to the early ’60s when John Decore was starting his career as a lawyer. He had a client, Mr. Diamond, who was selling his Jasper motel. Mr. Decore made the purchase and Diamond Motel became the family’s first resort property. The Decore family were always movers and shakers. John’s father, a Liberal member of parliament, was a close friend to Lester B. Pearson (and, little known fact, was the one who nominated him to be leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, becoming Canada’s 14th Prime Minister five years later). John’s brother, Laurence, was Edmonton’s 31st mayor. John and his two brothers, Laurence and Leighton, were the third generation to run their grandfather’s law firm. When the trio succeeded to ownership, they renamed the firm Decore & Company. Though they loved building a dynamic law firm, Laurence and Leighton could see the potential of Jasper and felt the time was right to build another hotel in Jasper – the Tonquin Inn. John Decore bought the Tonquin from his brothers in the ’70s. John’s wife, Maureen, was in from the start. Maureen saw to the customer service, and as a longstanding patron of the arts, designed how the properties looked and felt from floral landscaping, to luxurious linens, to the soft colours in each room. “Our parents always had people visiting us at home and our mother wanted every customer to feel that staying at a Decore Hotel property would be like staying in your own home,” says Karyn Decore, daughter of John and Maureen and the president of Decore Hotels. “Following in the footsteps of my grandfather, father and uncles, I decided to also pursue a career in law and joined Decore & Company in the late ’80s. While I enjoyed law, I wanted to do something different and was on my way to Vancouver when my father said ‘Karyn, we have these two hotels in Jasper, maybe you could help out.’ That was about 25 years ago and I’m still there!” Karyn’s introduction to the world of Jasper accommodations started early. She was cleaning rooms in the Tonquin at 12 and each summer, progressively performed more and more tasks at both the Diamond Motel and the Tonquin Inn. “Those summer
Karyn and Nicole Decore
Maureen and John Decore
jobs helped me pay for my education, and being in Jasper satisfied my athletic interests – ski racing, mountain biking, running, and more. I have been on every trail in Jasper and can say, there is nothing like it anywhere else in the world.” She wasn’t the only one. Karyn’s sister, Nicole, started her summer work at the Jasper properties when she was 13 and in between making beds and cleaning bathtubs, the girls would hit the trails on their bikes or jump into one of the many icy lakes for a refreshing swim. “Jasper is the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies. It’s where wild animals roam freely and comprises of spectacular mountain ranges, lakes, rivers and hundreds of kilometres of hiking trails. Jasper prides itself on maintaining ecological integrity for future generations and we are incredibly fortunate to experience this firsthand,” says Nicole.
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Maligne Lodge Junior Suite
Tonquin Inn
Not long after Karyn started working in the family’s hotel business, she and her father decided to rename the Diamond Motel. It became Maligne Lodge in honour of one of the world’s most photographed lakes, Maligne Lake. Sadly, John passed away in the mid-’90s, and Maureen in early 2007. Decore Hotels is now owned and managed by sisters Karyn and Nicole. “We have a great partnership and an even
Congrats Decore Hotels on 50 years! Wishing you many years of continued success.
Box 2609 #34 Industrial Drive Jasper, AB, T0E 1E0 Ph: 780.852.4280 Fax: 780.852.5910 rockymountainroasters.com
better relationship as sisters,” smiles Nicole. The hotels themselves are as engaging as their owner’s history. Jasper, a major tourist destination, has several very high-priced accommodations. The Decore’s, however, wanted everyone to be able to experience and love Jasper the way they did. “Having two mid-market hotels, the Tonquin Inn and Maligne Lodge, helps make Jasper accessible by a broad range of travellers. We believe this is one of the reasons we have guests visiting us from all over the world,” says Karyn. “Even as a midmarket hotel, we provide high-end amenities – pillow top mattresses, excellent linens and towels, etc. This makes the guest experience that much better and is why we have so many repeat clients at both locations.” With their desire for customer service and providing something unique for Jasper travellers, Karyn and Nicole were excited for the recent opening of the WickedCup at the Maligne Lodge. Karyn explains, “With the opening of the WickedCup, we have brought Canada’s best organic coffee and tea experience to Jasper. It started as the decision to purchase a cappuccino machine, and quickly grew to a very large investment into an outstanding speciality coffee and tea shop. The WickedCup offers organic specialty coffee, and organic teas from around the world that have no artificial colours, no artificial
Congratulations Decore Hotels on your 50th Anniversary!
1400 Canadian Western Bank Place, 10303 Jasper Avenue, Edmonton, AB Phone: 780.421.1818 • Fax: 780.429.4453 • www.ogilvielaw.com Decore Hotels | 50 Years | Page 2
flavours and no sugar added – it is truly 100 per cent organic and tastes amazing. We have great breakfast and lunch food items, and after a day outside in Jasper National Park, you can enjoy wine, craft beer and tapas. Nicole and I travelled to Britain, Ukraine, Vietnam, Central Java and Bali to select hundreds of handcrafted retail items and tea wares from around the world. We have just launched wickedcup.ca for worldwide delivery of our organic coffee and tea. We are having a lot of fun with this and are excited to expand the WickedCup into other areas.” As important as business success is, it is equally important to give back to the community – something learned by seeing Maureen Decore’s active involvement as president of the Citadel Theatre. Karyn and Nicole feel it is important to support the communities in which they work and live. Decore Hotels matches every dollar donated by clients booking rooms on their website and directs the funds to the numerous kids’ charities they support. Their passion is to support charitable organizations that benefit children, such as the Jasper Freestyle Association, several hockey teams, Little Warriors and Kids with Cancer.
Decore Hotels says a special thank you to the numerous team members whom they have worked with over the past 50 years and made the properties such a success. “The combined effort of our incredible team has allowed thousands of people from around the world enjoy the Canadian Rockies while staying at a Decore Hotel,” the sisters confirm. Congratulations on a 50 great years from all of those that appreciate the many contributions Decore Hotels has made to Jasper and the kids in our communities.
decorehotels.com Sales and service of residential and commercial machines
Congratulations Decore Hotels! Wishing you many years of continued Success! Edmonton Office - 10265 97 Street NW Tel.: (780) 421-8555 • Fax: (780) 421-8559 Calgary Office - 602 Manitou Road SE Tel.: (403) 571-8555 • Fax: (403) 571-8559
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Congratulations to Decore Hotels on 50 years of successful business! Congratulations to Decore Hotels on 50 successful years. We look forward to the next 50! Donald F.M. Mah
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#200, 12204 - 106 AVENUE EDMONTON, ALBERTA T5N 3Z1 780-428-6890
2800 Scotia Place 10060 Jasper Ave www.dcllp.com
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