How Canadian Hotelier Ryan Pomeroy Is Redefining Luxury Through Nature and Wellness
The third-generation hotelier behind Pomeroy Lodging is redefining luxury for today’s traveler, blending mountain adventure, Nordic-inspired wellness, and community investment across Canada, Alaska, and soon the U.S.
The Black Diamond Club Lounge at Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge offers a private retreat of understated elegance. Photos: Courtesy of Pomeroy Lodging
Raised in the halls of small-town hotels and promoted to president in his 30s, Ryan Pomeroy has spent the last decade steering Pomeroy Lodging—one of Western Canada’s largest privately owned hospitality groups—from limited-service roots into nature-led luxury.
With a portfolio spanning over 20 hotels across Alberta, British Columbia, and Alaska, including the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge and Alyeska Resort, Pomeroy has evolved a regional legacy into a cross-border brand defined by its immersion in place. The group’s holdings range from Autograph Collection mountain resorts to urban conference hotels and long-stay properties, yet share a throughline of community stewardship and access to the outdoors.
The shift, he says, isn’t about layering polish on existing assets but “changing what luxury rewards.” “Modern luxury is really about the luxury of your time,” Pomeroy tells Luxury Travel Report—“the quiet to put a phone away, the space to do one meaningful thing outdoors, and the rituals that help guests process it.”
He adds, “We use the expression a lot: bonding through conquest. Get out in nature, have an experience, then be the host of that recovery.”
On Luxury at the Edge of the Wild
That philosophy defines Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge in Alberta and Alyeska Resort outside Anchorage—grand, uncrowded landscapes that make the setting the star. “Kananaskis is not Banff,” Pomeroy says. “When you get back to the resort, there’s nothing to do but yourself in the experience that you just had.”
Both resorts are designed to let nature take center stage. At Kananaskis, the mountains and Nordic Spa create a restorative counterpoint to the busier Banff corridor, while Alyeska sits in Alaska’s lush Chugach range, which offers heli-skiing and rainforest hiking from the same base. “We want our guests to do something they probably wouldn’t do if they weren’t in a place like this,” he says. “It’s less about showing up to be seen and more about reconnecting—with yourself or whoever you’re sharing that experience with.”
On Wellness as an Invitation
The Kananaskis Nordic Spa originated as a hotel amenity and soon evolved into a standalone destination. “It’s the only thing you can do in nature that doesn’t require a specific set of equipment, a specific skill set, or a specific weather pattern,” Pomeroy says. “I just personally became addicted to it, and then that fostered my interest in doing more hikes and mountain biking a little more.”
Most visitors now come solely for the spa, and the concept’s success has spurred U.S. expansion. A striking brownstone-quarry site in Portland, Connecticut, and a second in Roxborough Park near Denver will anchor the brand’s next phase—each less than 90 minutes from a major city.
“The hydrotherapy ritual runs four to five hours,” Pomeroy notes, “so it’s perfect for day use.” He sees the spas as accessible entry points to wellness: “Anyone can sit in a hot pool, look at a beautiful view, and feel the same benefits of nature. That’s what makes it powerful.”
On Building Communities, Not Just Resorts
“We’re big supporters of our community—a give-where-you-live philosophy,” Pomeroy tells LTR.
The Portland spa will likely be the town’s largest real-estate investment, while at Alyeska, his broader village project includes hockey arenas, a recreation center, daycare, and essential retail. “It’s hospitality that strengthens its surroundings,” he says—an ethos advisors can read as both stability and stewardship.
That focus continues a family tradition. Pomeroy’s grandfather opened the first Pomeroy Hotel in 1941 in Fort St. John, British Columbia, creating a gathering place for locals long before tourism reached the region. Three generations later, the intent remains the same: to build experiences that uplift the communities that host them.
On Access Without Compromise
At Kananaskis, the new Black Diamond Club introduces a hotel-within-a-hotel model featuring private floors, all-day lounge service, and a dedicated adventure concierge, while programming remains consistent across all room categories.
“There’s a really good opportunity to provide people accessible luxury experiences,” Pomeroy explains. The model suits multigenerational families or executive buyouts seeking quiet luxury close to Calgary, where adventure and serenity are both on call.
On Leading with Pragmatism and Purpose
Pomeroy’s leadership is described by the company as “balance-sheet centric”—a philosophy that funds the moments that make guests present, from stargazing walks to après rituals and front-desk teams who know which trail is empty at 10 a.m. “Younger generations today are happy to spend a much larger part of their disposable income on travel and these experiences,” he says, a trend that reinforces his long-term investment in purposeful, place-based hospitality.
Asked about his own inspirations, Pomeroy cites two opposites: “My favorite hotel in the world that I’ve ever stayed at is the Wynn in Las Vegas,” he says, proof that operational excellence can scale. Then, Enchantment Resort in Sedona, for the sense of place. That dual admiration—precision and presence—perfectly maps his own approach.
Pomeroy’s playbook comes down to four key takeaways: privacy and space are the product; wellness is a ritual, not a feature; proximity enables day-use and buyouts; and investing locally ensures steady service.
“Give where you live,” he says—advice as sound for a community as for the guests who come to escape one.
