Nanaimo is anticipating this year will see the realization of two long-standing dreams: a new hotel to drive business at the adjacent Vancouver Island Conference Centre and the start up of a privately ruln fast-ferry service to Vancouver.
The hotel’s opening is imminent, with workers putting finishing touches on the nine-storey, 172-room Courtyard by Marriott business-class hotel at 100 Gordon St. downtown.
It is slated for a soft opening on March 14 or 15, said hotel manager Paul Dodds.
The 0.4-acre lot the hotel sits on was formerly owned by the City of Nanaimo. It was sold with the intention of seeing a hotel go up to support the conference centre, which in turn would generate economic activity and bring vitality into the downtown area.
The conference centre has been waiting for a hotel partner since it opened in 2008.
In 2013, city hall approved a development permit for SSS Manhao International Tourism Group, a subsidiary of Suzhou Youth Travel Services Co. Ltd., to build a 21-storey, 240-room luxury hotel designed to resemble the bow of a ship.
But two years later, council rejected a plan for a time extension to build the hotel and issued a request for proposals. PEG Companies of Utah was chosen in 2017 to develop the hotel.
Dodds does not have a spare minute as he prepares to open. “There’s nothing more exciting in hotel-land than opening up a brand-new property,” he said.
Amenities include a bistro, pool and fitness room, and the hotel is showcasing First Nations artwork throughout. The Snuneymuxw First Nation is a major investor in the property through its Petroglyph Development Corp.
“The 172 [rooms] we added, really really is helping the Vancouver Island Conference Centre sell our venue and [Nanaimo] as a destination for that market,” Dodds said.
Convention delegates are already booked April through June and then again from September into the winter, typical strong months in that sector, he said.
Marriott trainers are arriving to work with staff prior to opening, he said.
Fifty-six people have been hired to work in the hotel, including members of Snuneymuxw First Nation. First Nation members are working in all levels of hotel staffing, and Dodds hopes to see more join.
Vancouver Island University co-op students specializing in tourism, recreation and hospitality are also lined up.
The concrete building was constructed with Nexxi panels, a low-carbon alternative to wood, concrete and steel, on its exterior. Panels are manufactured off site and put together like a jigsaw puzzle, Dodds said.
Jenn Houtby-Ferguson, Tourism Nanaimo interim executive director, said the new hotel will bring “real tremendous opportunity for tourism in Nanaimo. … It’s something we’ve been waiting for for a long time.”
The Nanaimo area has 1,300 rooms at hotels and motels and could use more, she said, noting that not all venues take in group business, something she is promoting. “For a community of our size, this is actually quite a small number of accommodation rooms.”
Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog anticipates the hotel will be successful and welcomes the Snuneymuxw investment. “It is a wonderful example of moving forward in the community on the road to reconciliation, which has to involve economic opportunities and this is a real opportunity for everybody.”
Having a new hotel means the conference centre can now attract larger conferences, he said. “That means revenue for the city and a lot of enhanced revenue for the downtown businesses, who, after suffering through COVID, really need it.”
Krog hopes the new hotel coupled with a new fast ferry will lead to a “banner year for the City of Nanaimo.”
Vancouver Island Ferry Co. has said it plans to start a daily 70-minute passenger-only service using two high-speed catamarans, each able to carry 350 passengers, this summer between Nanaimo and downtown Vancouver.
Other promised ferry proposals have not been successful, but Krog is optimistic that the time is right for the service, pointing out that conference delegates would be able to easily travel from Vancouver and stay downtown.
