“For a long time, the narrative was not our story; it wasn’t told by us.” The First Nations groups putting their stamp on hotels in Canada

On the windswept archipelago of Haida Gstprwaii, some 50 miles (80 kilometers) off the coast of British Columbia, a series of cedar cabins and a lodge sit ensconced in pine trees by a driftwood-strewn beach without a soul in site. This is Haida House, a former bear-hunting lodge that’s now a base to explore Haida culture across the islands—and my temporary home a few years ago.

It’s the kind of hotel you don’t forget, a beautifully designed, low-impact site that immediately puts you at ease and integrates elements of Haida culture: Hot tubs overlooking deserted sands; a restaurant on the banks of the Tlell River serving tide-to-table dishes including salmon with smoked black cod dumplings; walls decked in Haida symbolism and black-and-white photography of historic memorial poles. You’re not far from British Columbia (or K’aada Tllgaay, “out there land”, as it’s written on one map in the lodge) but you really do feel a world away. It’s often called the “edge of the world.”

What makes Haida House particularly special, though, is it’s run by Haida Tourism, a 100-percent Haida-owned organization. This means visitors get to appreciate and learn about an Indigenous culture with representatives from that culture. The organization is guided by the idea of Yahguudang, or “respect for all living things and the interdependence that binds us.”

It’s just one of many hotels in Canada opened or acquired by Indigenous groups in recent years. What makes them different is they’re telling their own stories, and introducing visitors to their culture the way they want to—a welcome trend given Canada’s long, painful and complicated history with its First Nations groups.

And it is a particularly dark history. Over the past several centuries, Indigenous groups were displaced from ancestral lands, their languages and traditions suppressed, and many children removed from their families and sent to ‘residential schools’ in an attempt to force cultural assimilation.

In recent decades, there’s been an increasing number attempts to right the wrongs in recent decades: The Canadian Museum for Human Rights has a section on the country’s history of colonialism and genocide, while the National Center for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) is “a place of learning and dialogue where the truths of the residential school experience will be honored and kept safe for future generations.”

It’s a trend happening south of the border too, with numerous US hotels acquired by Indigenous groups, according to the American Indigenous Tourism Association. Salish Lodge in Washington, purchased by the Snoqualmie Tribe, saw them returned to ancestral land; while Top of the World Hotel in Alaska, owned by Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, represents some 13,000 Iñupiat Alaska Native shareholders.

“Our nations have decided that they’re not just going to work with a brand because that’s going to give them reputation and experience. They’re going to use their culture as their brand … and that’s what’s really attracting visitors.”

- Keith Henry, Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC)

Further afield, travelers in Australia, can visit the 18-room Cicada Lodge, which is owned and operated by the Jawoyn people. It partners with Nitmiluk Tours for a variety of experiences including helicopter rides and tours that take in basket weaving and didgeridoo playing. In New Zealand, meanwhile, Kohutapu Lodge and Tribal Tours is a Maori family-owned lodge near Lake Aniwhenua in the North Island that offers guided forest walks and visits to ancient rock carvings while supporting local communities.

When Keith Henry, from the Métis Nation, joined the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) some 20 years ago, there were fewer than five hotels owned and operated by Indigenous groups. Now, there are around 70, says Henry (now ITAC’s president and CEO)—and many have opened in the past few years.

And each one is different. A hotel in British Columbia will be very different to one in Saskatchewan or Alberta, with over 630 First Nations communities representing more than 50 nations in Canada, each with distinct customs and languages.

It’s developments like these that have resulted in ITAC describing Indigenous tourism as “reconciliation in action”. Examples of this “reconciliation in action” include Dakota Dunes Resort in Saskatchewan, owned by the Whitecap Dakota First Nation. “It’s a beautiful hotel,” says Henry, with “subtly presented” interpretations of Indigenous cultures in the lobby, elevators, and rooms. “It’s culturally immersing without forcing it.”

ITAC recently partnered with Intrepid on a CAD$500,000 (USD$370,000) commitment to support the growth and promotion of Indigenous tourism in Canada (Adventure.com is owned by, but editorially independent from, Intrepid; this story was conceived before the announcement). He also points to Grey Eagle Resort & Casino in Calgary, Alberta, run by the Tsuut’ina Nation. and to Hôtel-Musée Premières Nations in Quebec City, which showcases Indigenous culture and cuisine through the Huron-Wendat Museum and La Traite restaurant respectively.

At the latter, chef Marc de Passorio’s menu incorporates products from local hunting, fishing and gathering. It currently features dishes such as traditional Wendat soup of beans, corn and butternut squash; bison shoulder; and rainbow trout with smoked seaweed and mussels.

Often experiences organized by third parties can feel exploitative or can veer into cultural appropriation—even when guests have good intentions. “Our nations have decided that they’re not just going to work with a brand because that’s going to give them reputation and experience,” says Henry. “They’re going to use their culture as their brand … and that’s what’s really attracting visitors.”

Shearwater Resort sits on the banks of Denny Island, amid mist-shrouded cedar trees, imposing mountains, and peaceful waterways—a real slice of wild Canada. It was purchased by the Heiltsuk Nation in 2021 after being privately owned for 70 years. The group’s first focus was to bring in community members; now, more than half of the staff are Heiltsuk, says its sales manager and Heiltsuk Nation member, Megan Humchitt. They’ve also renovated and upgraded much of the property, “really putting our stamp as Heiltsuk people on the lodge.”

The resort, which encompasses a hotel, bar, grocery store, and shipyard, is a prime spot for fishing with local breeds such as salmon, halibut, and lingcod. The Heiltsuk staff are expert guides, having been fishing their whole lives, and they’re adding cultural tours too.

“Canadians know a lot about reconciliation, but what does that mean? It’s about language and culture, but economic reconciliation is also really important.”

- Chris Tait, Klahoose Wilderness Resort

“We are coastal people, and to be able to take guests out and have conversations with them, about territory, is really important to us,” says Humchitt. “Part of the reason that we have purchased Shearwater is to be able to tell our story, to be able to invite people in to learn who we are,” she adds. “For a long time, the narrative was not our story; it wasn’t told by us.”

The nation, which numbers some 1,200 people, has a “long and wonderful history” here, she says. Archeological evidence demonstrates continuous occupation for at least 14,000 years, and every story is different.

Another excellent resort lies further north in BC. Klahoose Wilderness Resort was built in 2008 as a fishing retreat and was known as Homfray Lodge, named after British civil engineer Robert Homfray. The previous owners engaged members of the Klahoose First Nation for grizzly bear tours in 2016, but in 2020, the nation, which has lived in the area for millennia, bought the entire property and started running the show themselves.

Now, some 70 percent of the staff are Indigenous, and, in fact, more than 50 percent of the staff across the entire industry’s 2,700 businesses are Indigenous, says ITAC’s Henry. That equates to some 35,000 people working in Indigenous tourism in summer 2025.

The property offers guests an intimate immersion into the area and the Klahoose way of life. With just three cabins and four lodge rooms, there are usually only 12 to 14 people per all-inclusive stay, says the lodge’s tourism manager Chris Tait. They arrive by boat and are greeted with a traditional drum performance before embarking on several days of “really easy and unhurried” exploration. This could include kayaking, paddleboarding, or respectfully watching bears eat salmon and wading in the water from a viewing tower.

On the last night, there’s a cedar brushing ceremony and smudging to wave off negative energy, says Tait. “It’s a guided, meaningful ceremony, it’s not staged,” he says. “Many guests leave with tears in their eyes as they hug staff members. That makes my job fulfilling, because I know that we’re doing it right when guests have that kind of experience.”

Indigenous guides often tell stories of growing up among the bears, while some might share memories of Canada’s darker history regarding residential schools. The Klahoose were also subjected to forced relocation; while many live on Cortes Island now, their homes used to also line the shores of Toba Inlet.

“Canadians know a lot about reconciliation, but what does that mean?” asks Tait. It’s about language and culture, he says, “but economic reconciliation is also really important. This is a tourism business that’s making money on its own; sharing culture, but doing it in a respectful way.”

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The writer visited Haida House in Haida Gwaii as a guest of Destination BC in 2022.
ITAC runs an Original Original accreditation program for certified Indigenous-owned businesses.
Destinationindigenous.ca is a great resource for trip inspiration and planning.

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