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L’Hôtelier | The Hotelkeeper

A hôtelier, or hotelkeeper, was a person who kept a house where one lodged and ate for money.

In New France, a hotel was similar to an auberge (an inn) and to a cabaret, but not quite the same. The inn was a simple place where you could drink, eat and stay, while the cabaret was a place where alcohol was generally served in small quantities. The hotel, on the other hand, was a furnished property that was more comfortable than the inn, where it was also possible to drink, eat and stay. That said, the differences between these three types of establishments were not evident until the 18th century. It was only from 1726 that tenants were required to display the category of his establishment: hotel, cabaret or inn.

Regardless of the establishment, the customer could buy mainly wine or brandy, as well as rum, beer and cider. There were restrictions, however: the sale of alcohol was prohibited after certain hours in the evening and during religious offices and some cities prohibited the sale of certain drinks to natives.

It is important to note that an Hôtel-Dieu is not a hotel in the traditional sense. Loosely translated to "hostel of God", it was a hospital for the poor and needy, run by the Catholic Church. An hôtel de ville designates a city hall.

Known persons who had this occupation: J.A.A. Ayotte, Auguste Beaudry, M. Beaulieu, Nicolas Bellin, George Bergeron, Jean Baptiste Berthiaume, Adrien Bourdezeau, Euclide Cousineau, Josaphat Desjardins, Alphonse Deslauriers, Olivier Gervais, Amable Godon, Onésime Labelle, Jean-Baptiste Lacoudraye, Robert Lafontaine, Flavien Laliberté, Étienne Landron, Édouard Lapointe, Joseph Monette, Morgan Mullins, Pierre Nolan, Laurent Normandin, Pierre Piché, Louis Prat, Timothé Rhéaume, Richard Ritchie, William Russell, Louis Saint-Germain, Moïse Soulliers, Charles Trépanier

Sources:

• Stéphane Tessier, "Auberges et cabarets en Nouvelle-France" (http://www.stephanetessier.ca/aubergesetcabaretsenNouvelle-France.htm).

• “Daily Life : Entertainment”, Canadian Museum of History, Virtual Museum of New France (https://www.historymuseum.ca/virtual-museum-of-new-france/daily-life/entertainment/), original research by Gilles Proulx, Ph.D.