Canadian National Railway selected leading architects and designers to give the interior decoration a "New France" theme, using Quebec handicrafts. The artists included Albert Edward Cloutier (carved wooden panels), Jean Dallaire (wall hanging), Marius Plamondon (stained glass mural), Claude Vermette (ceramic tiles) and Julien Hébert (bronze elevator doors).[3] Cloutier painted a mural for the main dining room of the Salle Bonaventure in the hotel.[4]
There was controversy over naming the hotel: Quebec nationalists wanted it called Château Maisonneuve in honour of Montreal's founder, Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve. CN's president, Donald Gordon, insisted it be named for the queen, who had unexpectedly come to the throne in 1952 while the hotel was still on the drawing board. The French name, Le Reine Élizabeth, may appear startling, because of the use of the masculine article le, but the article does not actually apply to the feminine noun Reine. Instead, it applies to the implied masculine noun Hôtel (as in Le Ritz).
The hotel reached worldwide fame when John Lennon and Yoko Ono, who had been refused entry into the United States, conducted their Bed-In in Room 1742 at the hotel between May 26 and June 2, 1969. "Give Peace a Chance" was recorded in this room on June 1 by André Perry. This song is the first solo single issued by Lennon and became an anthem of the American anti-war movement during the 1970s. It peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on the British singles chart.
The NHL Entry Draft was also held at the hotel ten times between 1963 and 1979.
CN Hotels assumed direct management of the hotel on January 1, 1984, when the contract with Hilton ended.[6] CN Hotels was sold to Canadian Pacific Hotels in 1988. In 2001, Canadian Pacific Hotels was rebranded as Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, following their purchase of that smaller chain. The hotel was renamed Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth.
In 2010, six doormen of the hotel were arrested on charges of racketeering and extortion.[7]
From June 17, 2016, to July 10, 2017, the hotel was closed for a CA$140 million renovation.[8]
