Velvet & Vault is an independent guide to Canada's most luxurious hotels with an on-site casino. Here is exactly how we choose the hotels and score them.
Every hotel in this guide has a real, licensed casino on the property — that is the entry ticket. From there, we stay where we can, walk every gaming floor, eat in the restaurants and judge each hotel against the same four measures, so the scores mean the same thing across the region.
Our ratings are an editorial opinion, not an average of user reviews, and we take no payment for a place in the ranking or a higher score. Room counts, casino sizes and other figures are approximate and change often — always confirm the current details with the hotel before you travel.
How refined and how good the gaming is — the table games, the private salons, the high-limit rooms and the slots — and how it feels to play in a five-star setting.
The quality and comfort of the suites and rooms, the finish, the service, and how effortless it is to move from the felt to a good night's sleep.
The fine dining, the spa, the golf, the theatre and the touches that turn a gaming trip into a proper luxury getaway.
Where it sits, the setting and the view, what else is nearby, and whether the price buys something genuinely special.
Scores are out of ten, to one decimal. A hotel scoring above nine is, in our view, a genuine destination worth planning a trip around; the low eights are still strong stays where the casino is one good reason among several. We re-score as hotels renovate, expand or change hands.