Beautiful, peaceful and close to the river, St-Joseph-de-la-Rive is very popular with tourists. Since the beginning of the century, three hotels are open to travellers and bring the village to life. The Hotel Cimon (which became Hotel Beauséjour after it was rebuilt following the 1925 earthquake), the Hotel Bellevue, today Auberge Félix-Antoine and Hotel Laurentides (which housed the restaurant Le Loup-Phoque until the summer of 2000).
During the summer, many rich families were staying in these hotels often for many weeks. In winter, the roads were closed and the traveling salesmen were coming by train. On week-ends, the young people from the village would get together in the hotels. During the 20's the Hotel Castel de la Rive (today Auberge de la Rive) was added.
The 30's and 40's were blossoming years for artistic life. Not only were the hotels full during the whole summer but in addition, countless homes opened their doors to offer room and board or room only to visiting vacationers.
Over the years, the traditional welcome remained the same while offering more modern conveniences. Hotels became inns and next to Auberge Beauséjour, Auberge de la Rive and Félix-Antoine, smaller establishments were added: during the 70's, Mrs Yvonnette Desgagnés was the first to transform her family home into an inn: L'Été became an example for the whole of Charlevoix, particularly because of the quality of its cuisine; in the early 80's, it's Maurice and Annette Desgagnés house that became "La maison sous les pins".