Bayfield’s Original Hotels

By: Natalie Murdoch

Various hotels in Bayfield have contributed to the development of each industrial phase in the village’s history. Back in the 1840s, the village began to thrive as an agricultural shipping port. When wagon drivers dropped off their products for shipment after long voyages, the new hotels’ restaurants and sleeping accommodations were gaining success. In the late nineteenth century, the sector shifted to fishing, with fishermen bringing business to these establishments. Finally, as the town grew in popularity as a vacation and tourist destination throughout the last century, the hotels played an important role. Throughout this ever-changing history, the four original hotels—The Albion Hotel, The Little Inn, The River Hotel, and The Ritz Hotel—left lasting impressions on the village's identity and legacy. The contents of these articles were developed in consultation with the Bayfield Heritage Conservation District Plan and Guidelines published in 2024.

  • The Albion Hotel

    The Albion Hotel consists of a two-storey Georgian styled structure with the addition of a veranda in the Folk Victorian style. The property is protected under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act within the Bayfield Heritage Conservation District. It is situated at the south end of Bayfield’s Main Street North where it recently re-opened in September 2025 after repairs as a hotel and restaurant.

    Learn More

  • The Little Inn

    The Little Inn consists of its original two-storey Georgian styled structure with a variety of additions. The modifications include a Folk Victorian-style wraparound veranda and a Modern Farmhouse-style addition that incorporates the neighboring Carriage Shop structure. The property is protected under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act within the Bayfield Heritage Conservation District. It is situated at the north end of Bayfield’s Main Street North where it functions as a hotel and restaurant.

    Learn More

  • The River Hotel

    Description The River Hotel was a two-story Vernacular structure with Georgian and Folk architectural elements at various points in its service life. Because of the large number of architectural additions and interventions, the building was not limited to a single architectural movement. The property is not currently protected under Ontario Heritage Act as it sits outside of Bayfield’s Heritage Conservation District. It is located on Bayfield Terrace, with the remaining structure used as an apartment building.

    Learn More

  • The Ritz Hotel

    The Ritz Hotel's original building was a two-storey Folk Victorian and Italianate stylized hybrid. Following a fire, the new Ritz Hotel was built in accordance with Modernist principles of Functionalism. The building has aesthetically evolved to include other vernacular features typical of the area. The property is protected under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act within the Bayfield Heritage Conservation District. It is located at the north end of Bayfield's Main Street North, and it serves as a virtual high school.

    Learn More

Sources

Bayfield Terrace/Louisa Street Walking Tour. Driftscape for Web. Accessed August 30, 2025. https://webapp.driftscape.com/map/b1a349d8-76f4-11e9-8000-b0cf3db2a64e.

Clinton News-Record. Clinton, Ontario. June 24, 1976.

Cragoe, Carol Davidson. How to Read Buildings: A Crash Course in Architectural Styles. New York: Rizzoli, March 18, 2008.

Driftscape Inc. Main Street Walking Tour (interactive map). Accessed August 30, 2025. https://webapp.driftscape.com/map/9c9bd198-76fb-11e9-8000-b0cf3db2a64e.

Gillians, Dave. For the Love of Bayfield: The Events and Special People Who Shaped This Village. Bayfield, ON: Bayfield Historical Society, 2012. Updated edition, 2016. Accessed August 30, 2025.

Heritage Resource Centre. Architectural Styles Guide. Canada: Heritage Resource Centre, 2018. Accessed August 30, 2025. https://www.therealtydeal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Heritage-Resource-Centre-Achitectural-Styles-Guide.pdf.

Historical Walking Tour. Bayfield, ON: Bayfield Historical Society, n.d. Accessed August 30, 2025.

Huron Historical Notes: 1913; Huron Historical Notes: Bayfield; Huron Historical. Updated edition. Goderich, ON: Huron Historical Society, 2009.

Jones, Will. How to Read Houses: A Crash Course in Domestic Architecture. New York: Rizzoli, March 25, 2014.

Municipality of Bluewater. 2024. Bayfield Heritage Conservation District Plan and Guidelines: Final Report. Bayfield, ON: Municipality of Bluewater. Published September 2, 2024. Accessed August 30, 2025. https://www.municipalityofbluewater.ca/media/4ykav1qo/20240902-final-report-bayfield-hcd-plan-and-guidelines-sept-2-2024.pdf.

Parks Canada. Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada: A Federal, Provincial and Territorial Collaboration. 2nd ed. Gatineau, Québec: Parks Canada, 2010. Accessed August 30, 2025. https://www.historicplaces.ca/media/18072/81468-parks-s+g-eng-web2.pdf.

Parks Canada. Writing Statements of Significance—A Guide to Heritage Value. Ottawa: Parks Canada, 2011. Accessed August 30, 2025. https://www.historicplaces.ca/media/5422/sosguideen.pdf.

Prieto, Camila. “How Has Modern Architecture Transformed the Farmhouse Style?” ArchDaily, May 7, 2023. https://www.archdaily.com/997116/how-has-modern-architecture-transformed-the-farmhouse-style.

The Albion Hotel. “Our History.” Accessed August 30, 2025. https://www.albionbayfield.com/our-history.

The Buildings of Canada. Canada: Reader’s Digest, 1980. Accessed August 30, 2025. https://www.historicplaces.ca/media/7173/buildingsofcanada.pdf.

The Little Inn of Bayfield. “Our Historic Inn.” Accessed August 30, 2025. https://www.littleinn.com/about/our-historic-inn/.

Van Ginkel, Daniel H.P. “Architectural History: 1914–1967.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. Published November 16, 2005. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/architectural-history-1914-1967.

External Links