About 250 hotel guests were evacuated from the Westin Hotel in downtown Edmonton after part of the exterior back wall collapsed Sunday morning.

As of 3:30 p.m. MT, a structural engineer for the city declared that the damage to the hotel was limited to the façade of the building. A statement released by the Westin said the hotel was given the all clear from city officials to re-open Monday.

A section of the brick wall about 10 metres from the ground appeared to bulge out and collapse into a largely-vacant parking lot Sunday morning. The brickwork failure left behind a hole about three metres tall and 15 metres across.

No one was injured in the incident.

“It’s kind of lucky it’s Sunday and not Monday,” said fire district chief Randy Shakura. “The potential here was huge for injury. At this point we don’t have any injuries at all and we’d like to keep it that way.”

Most hotel guests didn’t appear to be bothered by the sudden disruption and evacuation — not even an Edmonton couple that was celebrating their wedding.

Ilia and Denise Biziaev spent their wedding night at the Westin Hotel on Saturday.

Newlyweds Ilia and Denise Biziaev weren't bothered by the disruption on the first day of their honeymoon. (CBC News)

The newlyweds were hoping for a late checkout on Sunday before officially departing for their honeymoon. Instead, they received a knock on their door around noon and a firefighter telling them they had to leave the building.

Ilia Biziaev said the firefighter told them there was “serious structural damage” at the other side of the building and they would have to leave the hotel immediately. .

“Thankfully we don’t have to get relocated, but still it’s kind of frightening,” he said.

The couple laughed off the experience, saying it makes for a memorable start to their honeymoon.

“I’m not too worried myself,” said Trevor Huyd, another hotel guest. “Hopefully everyone was OK, but it’s not too big of an issue.”

“We’ll just find something else to do for a while,” said Barb Hutton. “They are doing everything to keep people safe so I don’t think there’s anything to be worried about.”

Hotel staff are working with emergency crews as well as experts to determine the cause of the collapse.

Police closed the city block around the Westin Hotel, located at 10135 100th Street for several hours. All roads were later reopened, but the alley behind the hotel remains closed.

Shakura said it was important that fire crews take precautionary measures to ensure all guests and staff were safe.

“Anytime you have a collapse, there’s always potential for further collapse,” said Shakura. “It’s a lot easier to err on the side of caution than to wait until it happens and try to get people out in a hurry.

“We’re taking it slowly. We’re relocating them in a calm fashion, and I hope it doesn’t ruin their day too badly.”