OUR STORY
Our story began in 1921 with the construction of the first Hôtel Belle Plage at 8 Avenue Saint-Jérôme in Matane.
In 1935, the hotel was sold and converted into a hospital, then into a nursing home around 1950. It was eventually transformed into a supermarket in 1972.
The second Hôtel Belle Plage was built by Arthur Fradette on its current site in Matane-sur-Mer in the early 1930s. He called it the “New Hôtel Belle Plage.”
From November 1945 to October 1951, the hotel was successively run by Ludger Caron and Frank Byrne.
The Roux family acquired Hôtel Belle Plage on October 1, 1953, and progressively transformed it into the first-class establishment it is today.
For over 25 years, the Roux family made constant improvements to the hotel, adding the west and east motel units as well as the dining room, which quickly made a name for its first-class cuisine, lovely sea view, and spectacular sunsets.
Its reputation firmly established, Hôtel Belle Plage became a popular haunt for some of Canada’s most distinguished families, and attracted such prestigious visitors as Pierre Elliot Trudeau, Robert Bourassa, and Eleanor Roosevelt.
In a further innovation, Mr. Roux also established the famous Hôtel Belle Plage smokehouses, whose famed smoked salmon has been an enduring favorite and house specialty ever since.
In the late 1970s, the Bérubé brothers of Rimouski purchased the hotel, selling it three years later to André Gagnon, who operated it for seven years.
In 1986, two Matane businessmen—Camille Nazair and Marcel Dulac—acquired the hotel.
In fall 1990, the Dulac Family became the sole owners. Since then, the family has built on the foundations that have contributed to Hôtel Belle Plage’s popularity and success—a friendly and welcoming staff, a top-notch dining room, and of course, the delicious quality products from the smokehouses.
We like to keep old traditions strong. For example, we still ring the bell when a busload of guests arrives, and the lollipop tree continues to grace the entrance to the dining room. What’s more, diners can still enjoy classic Hôtel Bell Plage dishes like Germaine’s pea soup, rice pudding drenched in caramel sauce, and our delicious potato candies.
But even though traditions are important, hotel improvements are a priority, too. Which is why we have continued to expand with our new south wing and the addition of a second floor to the east wing. And there is more to come…
Ever since its beginnings, Hôtel Belle Plage has offered the kind of hospitality and fine dining that have earned the Matane region its proud reputation.
