Construction crews have entered the final 90-day push to get the Premier Best Western hotel finished by the summer. (Glenn Hicks/paNOW Staff)

By Glenn Hicks

new business

Owners say new luxury hotel set for July completion

May 3, 2019 | 5:00 PM

It may not look like it from the outside but work is progressing on the new $15 million hotel going up on the southern edge of Prince Albert.

The owners of what has been billed as the city’s first luxury boutique hotel – a Premier Best Western – remain confident it will be ready to take guests by the end of July, despite what appears to be long way to go for the various contractors on site.

“Now we’re into the finishing 90-day phase,” Faizan Hirani, told paNOW. Hirani’s family business are the owners of the project. “We’re closing off the walls, [we’ll be] getting carpet in here, getting paint, moving the furniture in here and start dressing the hotel floor by floor.”

In the next two to three months people will see dramatic changes _{– Faizan Hirani, Premier Best Western}

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Hirani said despite the tight timeframe he was very happy with the local crews who were playing their role in getting things finished. Construction started in the spring of 2018.

As this photo of the fourth floor shows a lot still needs to be done before the hotel in ready for guests. (Glenn Hicks/paNOW Staff)

“They’ve really stuck to the schedule and any time we’ve fallen behind, they’ve sent extra crews to get it back on schedule,” he said. “For something of this size I’m really impressed in the timeline that we’ve been able to get things done.”

paNOW took a look around the site this week and watched tradespeople working on dry-walling and some of the major piping infrastructure. But it appeared a lot of work still needed to be done including the fixtures and fittings in the 82 suites, the completion of the pool and jacuzzi area, lobby, business rooms, kitchen and all the flooring.

“In the next two to three months people will see dramatic changes as we start finishing off the building, doing landscaping, clearing the lot and putting in new pavement,” Hirani said. “People will really see a difference.”

This is where the pool and jacuzzi area will be. It’ll be separated from the corridor by a glass wall. (Glenn Hicks/paNOW Staff)

One aspect where there appears to have been little progress is the building’s exterior. The moisture wrap barrier has been up for months but there’s no sign of any cladding. Hirani said the weather has been too cold and windy for the siding and stucco but that would be done in the coming weeks.

Mayor eager to check progress

The city of Prince Albert, and Mayor Greg Dionne in particular, has invested a lot of political and taxpayer capital into the project, justifying a $700,000 cash grant to the developers as the cost of attracting such significant projects and creating jobs.

Dionne said he was looking forward to seeing the project finished and checking out the progress for himself.

“You want to get it [finished] for the summer because of course some of our biggest traffic comes through here for the tourism industry and it’s certainly going to be visible and noticeable to anyone driving in,” he told paNOW. “I’m excited and I’m going to tour the hotel next week and decide for myself how close they’re going to be to getting it open for July.”

Dionne noted it was important for the developers to get the project up and running from a cash flow perspective to start paying off their big investment.

“I wish them luck …and the sooner the better, but at the end of the day whether it’s July or August we’re going to end up with a brand new beautiful hotel in our city,” he said.

The modern, spacious Beer Express store alongside the hotel site is well stocked but not very well frequented at the moment. (Glenn Hicks/paNOW Staff)

The issue of cash flow is not being lost on Hirani and their Beer Express store which opened next to the hotel site in December has been quiet. The large retail outlet features an extensive range of product in what is already a competitive sector in Prince Albert with over 400 kinds of beer, growler bar, a large walk-in cooler and a wide lane drive-thru that’s open until 3 a.m. Both he and the mayor expect business to pick up as the hotel comes on line.

“That will change as people get to know more about it I think you’ll see a great increase in that business once the hotel opens,” Dionne said.

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glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca

On Twitter:@princealbertnow