The first inspection took place on a wintry Monday night last November, though no one at the hotel knew it at the time. Who would have guessed the lone English tourist in the corner led a secret life as an arbiter of excellence, judging the standards of Relais & Châteaux’s worldwide collective of small, exclusive hotels? Months later, when his nine-page report was sent to the hotel, staff found the inspector (who also reviews for Michelin) had noticed the smallest details of his stay, commenting on everything from the impractical distance between the shower and the towel rail to the exemplary freshness of the flowers on his breakfast tray. The chef, 37-year-old Jonathan Gushue, was particularly happy with the inspector’s opinion of the hotel’s cuisine. If the Guide Michelin operated in Canada, read the report, Langdon Hall’s dining room would be rated somewhere between one and two stars. But would that be enough to qualify for Relais & Châteaux’s Grand Chef status, an honour bestowed on a mere 150 restaurants in the world? “Very, very nearly,” concluded the inspector. The food was definitely worthy, but the dining room lacked curtains, the ambient jazz or classical music was “unnecessary,” and “while the staff could not be more charming or well informed,” there appeared to be “no service hierarchy.”

No doubt that first report has been deeply pondered by the hotel. The owners and staff set their sights on the Grand Chef designation many years ago, partly for the prestige and the ensuing boost in business, but mostly because it serves as recognition of the standards they have already achieved. They think they’re ready—and no, they haven’t suddenly hung curtains in the dining room or tossed the stereo system in anticipation of a second visit in the spring. When the verdict is announced on June 15, they will find out if their confidence was misplaced.

Langdon Hall is no stranger to accolades. On the day it opened, September 21, 1989, it became the most elegant and interesting hotel in Canada, lavishly praised by international media from Gourmet to Convivium. Just three minutes from the 401’s Cambridge exit, it has always seemed an unexpected Eden, the forested driveway opening onto pillowed lawns, guiding the eye to the stately 1902 Federal Revival mansion with its massive portico. The co-owners, architect Bill Bennett and his wife, Mary Beaton, had integrated new buildings with the old to create a luxurious country house hotel in the grand English manner. A pool lay beyond the croquet lawn and the vegetable garden, while inside Beaton had exercised her impeccable taste on every detail of every room. There was Frette Italian linen on the beds and books one actually wanted to read in the book­cases; even the faint scent of lavender and woodsmoke that hung around the back staircases was exactly as it would be in England. Lured across the Atlantic, the chef was a precociously talented 24‑year-old Englishman called Nigel Didcock who cooked with a nouvelle European sophistication. When he left after almost four years, Bennett and Beaton brought in Québécoise chef Louise Duhamel. Like Didcock, she made spectacular use of the hotel’s orchard and vegetable garden, but her cuisine was markedly different: less concerned with presentation but in love with profound flavours.

Duhamel left in 1999 and was followed by a succession of talented chefs, none of whom, it turned out, was the right fit. They all loved putting together debonair dinner menus for the Toronto elite, but some were less enthusiastic about catering breakfasts and lunches for the conferences that are a crucial part of the business. Temperament was also an issue. One was too aggressive with his brigade; another insisted on a silent kitchen and was always at odds with the staff. Not that such private frictions stopped the inn from achieving CAA/AAA five-diamond status for its restaurant or threatened its standing as one of only two Relais & Châteaux properties in Ontario (the other is the Inn at Manitou).

Langdon Hall has been part of Relais & Châteaux since 1990. The French-based organization started in 1954 as a collaboration between eight small hotels on the route between Paris and Nice that couldn’t afford to advertise individually. Today there are more than 470 unique, owner- operated properties in 55 countries. Each one must meet exacting standards, especially where cuisine and service are concerned. Membership is expensive (though the organization was reluctant to give numbers, Langdon Hall would pay $38,000 [U.S.] a year if granted Grand Chef status), but the dividends can be great, especially in terms of marketing and brand recognition. Many sophisticated European and American travellers rely on the guide when choosing where to stay. In fact, Langdon Hall recoups at least 50 per cent of its fee from reservations made through Relais & Châteaux.