Astoria Hotel (Jasper, Alberta)

 hotel, restaurant, bar

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www.astoriahotel.com/

Paul Andrew, elder brother of "Papa" George, called his early restaurant the "Jasper Cafe" and advertised an ice cream parlour, lunches and tourist picnics. The home-style cooking was enhanced by vegetables grown in Paul's garden, at the back of the hotel and the genuine hospitality created a healthy reputation that continues today. Originally called the "Hotel Cavell", the building was renamed the Astoria after the river which flows out of the Tonquin Valley into the Athabasca. With the exception of the Jasper Park Lodge, there were only two other hotels in Jasper at the time, "The Athabasca" and "The Pyramid", which were eventually acquired by Paul.

Astoria Hotel picture of Andrews family

In 1944, George Arthur Andrew moved from Banff to Jasper and purchased the Astoria Hotel from his brother Paul. Together with his wife Violet and son Socrates, and later joined by his eldest son Arthur, he survived the lean early years and established a reputable family innkeeping business. He made his home in one of the guest rooms and would personally welcome guests from early in the morning until late in the evening. In his later years, he could often be found having an afternoon snooze in a chair, shaded by a grapefruit tree in the lobby.

In the late 1950s, a number of new properties were built to accommodate the growing tourist trade. The Astoria is still owned and operated by the Andrew family.

Information from website.