Luxury hotel coming to Ontario's most popular beach getaway

The Toronto area's favourite place for a beach day getaway, Wasaga Beach, is gearing up for some major changes that will completely transform the popular Ontario destination.

Demolition on the main pier running along the waterfront already kicked off earlier this year, levelling the iconic bars, stores, tattoo shops and other businesses — the sunny patios of Sandbar, Dardanella and Bananas Beach Club among them — that have defined the sandy Georgian Bay shoreline for decades.

But, being home to the world's longest freshwater beach and one of the province's top warm-weather attractions, the Town of Wasaga Beach has some grand ideas in store for its pivotal revival that should make up for the loss of what once was.

The release of information about what visitors can look forward to has been slow-coming, but as of this week, we know that the Province of Ontario is dedicating $38 million to the big revamp. This will largely go toward fixing up the Nancy Island Historic Site, along with building new homes, roads, and revitalizing Wasaga's downtown area.

The idea, the Province says, is to ensure Wasaga can grow as a "premier, world-class tourism destination and draw more visitors to local attractions, restaurants, accommodations and main street businesses."

Following that announcement, the cornerstone of the new development along the beach itself has also just been revealed: a new luxury hotel.

Sunray Group

The $45 million project, helmed by Sunray Group, will centre around a new Premium Marriott Hotel that will anchor bars, restaurants, cafes, retail and more along the waterfront, creating a new main tourist precinct to replace the weathered pier of yore.

Another key addition is a Festival Square for live performances and other events, along with new residential areas and "additional amenities."

Construction will kick off in early 2026 and take place over four phases, starting with the hotel — which will boast 120 rooms, convention and event spaces and "fitness, spa or pool area" — and commercial area along Beach Drive.

Sunray Group

Though it will mean some messy construction and less-than-ideal amenities over the summers to come, the project will undoubtedly elevate Wasaga Beach to a new level, as planned, and, in the words of the mayor, "unlocking the community's full potential to become a thriving, year-round destination."

The beach, previously under the jurisdiction of the Province as Wasaga Beach Provincial Park, will now be handed over to the town to "support its integration into the broader development of Destination Wasaga."