By Tyler Marr

New luxury boutique hotel slated for P.A.

Oct 3, 2017 | 8:32 AM

An upscale, four-star Premier Best Western Hotel expected to employ upwards of 70 people upon completion was announced in a press conference this morning.

The $15 million project to be built on the south end of the city will house 82 luxury suites in a modern four-story structure. A new liquor store will also be on site alongside two empty lots for future development. These projects are expected to be announced later today.

“It is going to put our electricians, our plumbers our painters to work this winter. It was looking bleak for the winter and now we have a major project,” Mayor Greg Dionne said, adding some concessions by council were made but the details of which are not yet known.

Dionne said there are 3,400 Best Westerns in North America and only 25 Premier.

Securing the development transpired over two years and faced a number of speed bumps along the way. Dionne said the foremost difficulty was securing a liquor permit to open a store and generate cash flow as the hotel is built. Working alongside MLA Joe Hargrave, moves were eventually made to grant a permit under the new privatized liquor system.

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“In the past, if you built a hotel, you automatically got one. Unfortunately, we were told no and that is when Joe got elected and he turned that no to a yes,” Dionne said.

The original goal was to have the hotel open for the 2018 World Softball tournament set to hit the city next July, but unfortunately, this date is not expected to be met.

However, both Dionne and Hargrave said the expected uptick in tourism and investment will be a boon for business.

“It is going to help with everything,” Dionne said. “They are building two unique features that will attract sports teams to the city and get more sports teams to stay here. It is going to attract business people that leave our community to go stay in Saskatoon.”

Hargrave said the project will be a welcome jolt to the economy, by employing dozens in the coming months.

“That is what pushed this whole thing, is that contractors in this city are hungry and anxious to do this. For our part, we are more than supportive,” Hargrave said. “It is going to create an additional tax base that will help the coffers of the city, which helps everybody else in the city.”

Hargrave added, “It encourages not only tourism but additional investment now that we do have a nice upscale hotel.”

Construction is expected to get started in mid-October. The development permit and concessions the city made to secure the project will come forward at the Oct. 16 council meeting for approval.

tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr