THE SOARING FACADES, elegant décor and all-around majesty of Canada ’s turn-of-last-century railway hotels are notorious. The Fort Garry, named for the former military post at the nearby junction of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, is no exception—though it’s the only hotel left on the trail blazed by the CPR that is independently owned and operated.

Two additional unique features set it apart from its contemporaries. The first is an oval-shaped piano bar just beyond the marble and stone appointed lobby. Lit by a wall of windows on the room’s south side and a large antique chandelier, the Palm Lounge is an enveloping and charming spot for afternoon tea or evening cocktails.

The second feature—which took three years of international research and more than $3 million in renovations to the top floor of the hotel—is the sleek, state-of-the-art Ten Spa, which fuses traditional and modern therapeutic treatments and techniques. The gem in their repertoire is the body-rocking hamam, “a modern reinterpretation of the Turkish Roman hot air bathing ritual researched from visits to Istanbul, Munich, Paris, London and Vancouver.”

Prices start at $149.