Casino Hotels

The Montreal property is one of the more architecturally curious hotels in its category, because the complex grew out of pavilions built for Expo 67 on Île Notre-Dame. That inheritance shows in the angular exterior and the tall interior volumes, which feel nothing like a purpose-built resort.

As a hotel it offers the expected range — rooms, restaurants at several price points, event and show spaces — with the gaming floor as one facility among them. The island setting means the surroundings are parkland and water rather than street, which gives the stay a quieter frame than the category usually implies.

Fallsview is defined less by its floors than by what is outside the windows: the hotel is built into the escarpment directly above the Horseshoe Falls, and a large share of its rooms and restaurants are oriented toward that view.

It functions as a full resort — a theatre that books touring acts, conference space, a spa, a broad spread of dining — with gaming as one component of a much larger building. Visitors often arrive for the falls themselves and treat the hotel as the comfortable base rather than the destination, which suits the property well.

River Rock sits on the Fraser River in Richmond, a few minutes from Vancouver International Airport and on the rapid transit line into the city, which makes it a practical base as much as a resort. The campus includes a hotel, a show theatre used for touring music, restaurants, a spa and a small marina on the water.

The gaming floor is substantial but sits within that wider offer rather than dominating the guest experience. Its location has made it a common choice for travellers who want airport proximity without an airport hotel.

Casino Rama Resort stands on the land of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation, north of Orillia in the Ontario lake country, and it was developed as a full destination rather than a gaming hall with rooms attached.

The entertainment venue is the part most people know — it has hosted touring acts at a scale unusual for a property this far from a major city — alongside a hotel, several restaurants and conference facilities. The setting is rural and seasonal, so a stay here reads closer to a lakeside resort break than an urban one.