One of Edmonton’s most exclusive hidden gems… and we’re taking you inside.

This week on Real Estate in Edmonton — where we talk real estate and real life — we take you inside one of Edmonton’s most iconic and exclusive lifestyle destinations, the Royal Glenora Club.

You are invited to join us on a VIP, behind-the-scenes tour by our friend, local businessman, and longtime member Warren Jones of Water Works Bathroom Renovations.
On the tour you’ll discover:
* Why the Royal Glenora Club is one of Edmonton’s premier private clubs
* The wide range of amenities including tennis, skating, fitness, and more
* A look at the club’s massive renovation, elevating it to a whole new level
* The stunning enclosed swimming pool with a retractable roof
* Brand-new banquet and event spaces that rival top-tier venues
* And how places like this contribute to the lifestyle and community that make Edmonton such a great place to live

If you're relocating, exploring neighbourhoods, or simply curious about what life in Edmonton can look like at its best — this episode gives you a true insider perspective on one of the city’s finer offerings. Because real estate isn’t just about homes… it’s about the lifestyle that comes with them.

Real Estate in Edmonton — where we talk real estate and real life.
Hosted by:
Devin Gray – Realtor with EXP Realty & Mogul Realty Group
Tracie Gray – Professional Broadcaster, Event Emcee & Real Estate Investor

✅ Subscribe for new episodes of Real Estate in Edmonton — where we talk real estate and real life.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

This is Real Estate in Edmonton, helping you navigate buying, selling, investing, and living in Edmonton, hosted by realtor Devin Gray and professional broadcaster Tracy Gray.

SPEAKER_01 0:17

Anyone who's ever lived in Edmonton knows the words Royal Glenora. It's a private membership club that literally has all the bells and whistles.

SPEAKER_03 0:25

It's located right in the heart of the river valley of Edmonton. It was created in 1961. It's very sports focused. So there's tennis, there's racquall, there's badminton, there's pickleball, there's also an amazing gym, and there's also a daycare and also a swimming pool for where the kids can hang out, it's very family focused.

SPEAKER_01 0:44

Everything was recently renovated too, so it's brand new and beautiful throughout the building. We get an exclusive sneak peek today from a friend of ours who's also a member.

SPEAKER_03 0:55

Let's go have a look. So if you're thinking about moving to Edmonton, there's so many wonderful hidden gems in the city, especially down in the river valley. And one of the most special gems has been around for decades. Pretty much everyone in Edmonton knows about it. It's the Royal Glenora Club. And we've got a longtime member here, Warren Jones, who we're just going to chat with a little bit because uh he he's kind of like King King of Kensington around this place, if you remember that reference from the 1970s. Every time I have uh somebody that I know that's a member at the Royal Glenora Club, I say, Hey, do you know Warren? And they go, Of course I do. So, Warren, welcome. How are you doing?

SPEAKER_02 1:31

Good, Devin.

SPEAKER_03 1:31

How are you doing? I'm doing really good. So thank you so much for spending some time with us. I uh just wanted to ask you, first of all, like how long have you been a member here? I've been a member since 2006, so a decent amount of time. Yeah. Yeah. And what was it that uh there's there's other private clubs? Uh uh what was it that uh made you decide to come here?

SPEAKER_02 1:50

Well, we had some friends that were here, and we were trying to find something new to do. My wife and I, when we go on vacation, it was always like sit and drink, hikes, but we wanted to have a sport. Right. And this club had tennis courts you could play all year round, so we came here to learn how to play tennis.

SPEAKER_03 2:06

Right. And uh he did Warren actually plays tennis a lot. You uh you you you you still dominate quite a bit, don't you?

SPEAKER_02 2:14

A little bit, a little bit less than the old days, yeah, that's for sure. I mean, I only took it up at 45. So oh, is that right?

SPEAKER_03 2:19

I thought you played longer, fair enough. So the role of an aura club has gone through a pretty major renovation. Um, it's been around since 1961. And when was the renovation? And tell us a little bit about what's happened.

SPEAKER_02 2:32

The only bad part was it was right at COVID, so which was kind of kind of crazy. So we finished it about two years ago, three years ago, I think now. And uh, you know, even though there was lots of bumps to the road and stuff, it's just been absolutely amazing what they've done with the place.

SPEAKER_03 2:49

And uh, you gave us a bit of a tour earlier. So, just can you if you can remember again, like what are some of the like this this room here, the dining area, yes. Uh this used to be a quarter to the size. And I remember it was all like kind of oak paneling and and all sorts of stuff. It's it's correct.

SPEAKER_02 3:06

So they opened up the ceiling, yeah, and we had all these beautiful beams, it was just amazing. Yeah, they've uh added, well, we have a full pool with a retractable roof. They added uh, well, we have always had the outdoor courts, but now we can access them during the winter as well.

SPEAKER_03 3:23

Right, but there's before you had to walk outside, right? And the pool used to be seasonal, it used to be outdoor.

SPEAKER_02 3:28

Absolutely, yeah. And then uh we added, well, we moved the gym, made it a little bit bigger.

SPEAKER_03 3:33

Yeah, there's uh and they added a gymnasium. Yeah, so let's talk about all of the different activities you can do. I mean, obviously, it's a we're in a beautiful dining area. There's the social aspect of it, but it really is kind of a sports-minded place.

SPEAKER_02 3:47

So we have tennis, yes, we have squash, we have pickleball, we have badminton, we have a skating rink with four hockey teams. Oh, exactly. And they have a whole hockey league here for guys. So you can you don't have to play it like midnight, you can play at regular hours, right? Um obviously the pool, you can do lots of different things in the pool. Um there's lots of different clubs too. They have a book club, they have uh cards, trying to remember the name. What's the bridge?

SPEAKER_03 4:20

Uh bridge and crib, and I'm sure all sorts of stuff and and um you actually were uh uh at an event. It was like like wine tasting. There's lots of events, like dinners and lots of dinners and lots of events.

SPEAKER_02 4:32

Yeah, we have a wine club as well. Uh, because of all the new catering space, there's lots of big rooms that we can have to do just about anything.

SPEAKER_03 4:42

Yeah, this area used to be basically the the venue that used to be rented out, and now uh off to the south, it's a it's a an event space. So you also uh um you you mentioned before about this being like family, like you've you've you've found a lot of friends here and 100%.

SPEAKER_02 5:00

Yeah, like I know I think it's too late to change the name, maybe, because Royal gives it that you know kind of uh boogie, or not bougie, but often highbrow it, right? For sure, but it really isn't like there's a lot of young families here, right? Like, and I mean a lot, like during the week, like between five and seven o'clock, this place is they're everywhere doing all kinds of activities because they also give lessons and all of those things, right? So you can learn to play squash or tennis, or yeah, and they have lots of them on the weekends and stuff too. So if you have young kids, I mean this especially in the winter, and if you have a lot young kids doing a lot of different activities, yeah, you're not you're people know if you have kids, you're driving all over the city. Yeah, here it's like you you just come to this building, right? And you can have four different five different things going on, right? So it's pretty amazing that way.

SPEAKER_03 5:52

So for somebody that's thinking about moving to Edmonton and would like to be part of a establishment like this, what what would you tell them to do? What would be the best uh course of action for them to take if they're interested in checking out the Royal Glenora Club?

SPEAKER_02 6:05

Talk to Shauna or uh anyone from member services, let them know you want to come and and and they'll give you the full tour, and it's it'll be impressive, that's for sure. Yeah, but uh that's it's very simple. Yeah, and it's a great staff. I mean, like Krista, who we just had lunch with, yeah, she's been here for like almost 15 years. So there's it really is like family, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_03 6:29

And it is uh uh located right here in the River Valley, uh a beautiful setting, um uh right next to uh City Golf Course, one of the most popular golf courses as well, the Victoria Golf Course, beautiful driving range there as well. Um, so uh if you are thinking about moving to Edmonton, definitely come consider checking out the Royal Glenora Club as a place uh that can be part of your new lifestyle as you move here to the city.

SPEAKER_02 6:57

So they have a whole little menu of snacks, everything's here.

SPEAKER_03 7:01

Do you play on this court? Yeah, so it's there and there. Yeah. Okay. This is what used to be curling.

SPEAKER_02 7:07

That used to be curling.

SPEAKER_03 7:08

Right.

SPEAKER_02 7:09

All of the the young ladies and moms, they call it the penguin club.

SPEAKER_03 7:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:15

So you come, you want to go for a workout, you can drop your child here. Yeah. So you can work out, you can go play tennis, you can well, we have a business lounge as well. A private space where you can go in, and they've got a I was gonna say a fax machine, but it's not a fax machine, it's whatever machine. So this is the new gym. So we kind of squeezed it in. There's a beautiful, but what we've done is we've brought it over here so you can see the hockey rink and the pool when you're working out. Right. So as you can see, there's the full arena right there. Right. And it's a good view of the pool.

SPEAKER_03 8:00

Especially I see where all the treadmills, that way, moms can keep an eye on their kids is the kids playing in the pool.

SPEAKER_02 8:06

Yeah, they come, they play tennis, they work out. And to what age? I think it's around five or six. They could go into the daycare, right? And uh there's so many programs for young people here. Yeah, like it's a lot. The other thing I've noticed since the reno is we have a lot more teenagers hanging out here now than we ever did before. Because they have stuff to do. Right. Like they have their own lounge. Oh, there's a teenage lounge? There's a teenage space as well, yep. So the skating rink is well, it's part of uh the original, the original 1961 when they merged. It was curling and skating. Curling is still here? No, no, curling is all now tennis. Oh, yeah. And this is where the hockey teams work out of as well. Right.

SPEAKER_03 8:51

So it's all the old history here with some, you know, uh, international champions.

SPEAKER_02 8:56

Yeah, Chrissy Yamaguchi and Kirk Browning. Kirk Browning and then uh Jamie Soleil. Jamie Soleil, right?

unknown 9:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:04

Who I see all the time. Oh, there's they still are still members. I don't see Kirk Browning anymore. He's busy doing the chip commercials. That's right. I think he lives down east, maybe. We have lots of beautiful art from some of them, are even members. Oh, that people have painted. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 9:26

The paintings are for members, yeah. And up for sale.

SPEAKER_02 9:29

Yeah, they're all for sale. There's our little pro shops. We have some, you know, if you run out of socks or need this or that, the room is mirrored, right? So they're all kinds of activities. None of which I developed a taste for yet. So this is our squash. So they have seven courts and a double squart. You can tell it's quite busy getting the squash. Like in our royal review is a list of all the affiliate clubs all over the world that you can go to and you just get a letter of reference. That's it, right? This, remember I showed you the picture of the bowling alley? Oh, yes. So they made an entire sit-down area for you for people watching their kids play hockey or ice skating or whatever, right? So, what they did do is they added benches now. We have actual benches, okay, and then this whole area is locker rooms for the different teams. Yeah, it's Thursday. So pickleball this afternoon. Oh, very exciting. But as you can see, we have basketball. We it's also set up for volleyball, so you can play volleyball and this is there was never a gym prior to, right? Never, no. So on the other side of that is also the same thing, but if they're playing volleyball, they can open it up with the nets in the middle, too. That's quite amazing.

SPEAKER_01 11:16

Well, that wraps up our tour for the day, the exclusive one from Warren. Uh, but if you're ever in Edmonton and you'd like to see the Royal Glenora Club for yourself, you can just give them a call. Reach out, they'd be happy to give you a tour.

SPEAKER_03 11:27

And if you'd like to know more about the club before you come to Edmonton, just check them out on their website.

SPEAKER_01 11:32

So whether you're coming to Edmonton in nine days or 90 days, you can reach out to us and let us know. We'd be happy to give you a tour too.

SPEAKER_03 11:40

Look forward to hearing from you.