This year, the Fairmont Palliser turned a whooping 100 years young, making it one of the oldest and still operating hotels in the entire country.

It all started back in 1999, when Canadian Pacific Hotels and Resorts acquired Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, an American chain that included some of the most revered accommodations like The Savoy in London, The Plaza in New York, and San Francisco’s Fairmont Hotel, the original property built in 1907. In 2001, CP hotel properties were renamed to be consistent with other properties as Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. The Palliser Hotel became the Fairmont Palliser.

Fairmont hotels have gone through multiple transformations to amp up the luxury, most significantly to the prized eighth floor. When the sample rooms were gutted in the 1980s to make way for exclusive suites, the floor became the Prestige Plus level, reflecting the corporation’s name for an esteemed level of service. When Canadian Pacific Hotels acquired rival Canadian National Hotels in 1988, it also adopted CN’s designation, relabelling the floor to Entrée Gold. Finally, in 2001, the Entrée Gold floor became the Fairmont Gold floor as a result of the rebranding.

To take the extravagance one step further, the penthouse level transformed from a banquet space into the Fairmont Gold Lounge with private concierge in 2011. (Think hotel within a hotel, and a lounge area complete with an honour bar, evening canapés and hot morning breakfast.)

Today, Fairmont's hotel properties continue to be known for their elevated level of service over other hotel groups. I can't really complain when the concierge smiles and says, "Good afternoon, Mr. Clapson" while I'm still unshaven and wearing a ball cap. 

Chances are, many of us don't find ourselves on a Fairmont hotel gold floor very often. Fortunately, you can bake a batch of the signature cookies that's offered every day. Its recipe varies from Canadian properties coast-to-coast. So, we're going to try to track them all down for us you.