By Michael Joel-Hansen

Multi-million dollar P.A. hotel and beer store on schedule: Developer

Dec 5, 2018 | 4:26 PM

Prince Albert’s newest development is on schedule with part of the near $15 million venture set to be ready to open for business next week, according to the owners.

The Beer Express, the city’s newest beer store will be offering locals some different products.

Co-owner Faizan Hirani, said he was optimistic about the economic boost for the city.

“Initially, we’ll be looking to hire at least 20 people and we’re hoping once business ramps up in there, we’re hoping to have at least 30 people on staff,” he said.

The new beer store will be offering some different products when compared with others currently open in the city, as it will have a growler station and craft beer. Hundreds of different beers will be available, according to Hirani.

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Along with the new beer store, work on the city’s newest hotel, a Best Western Premier is also coming along. Hirani said construction work, which lasted for six to seven months is going well.

“(The) project is coming along really well, we’re on schedule,” he said.

Hirani said the project was helped along by the fact that the majority of the contractors and tradespeople who have been working to build both buildings are locally based.

“If we do need the guys to push a little bit extra hard, to work over the weekends, all of those things are possible when you’re able to use local trades,” he said.

Besides the flexibility of the local workforce, Hirani said the contactors who they have been working with have been able to start on time.  

“Everyone that’s signed on and said that, we’re going to start on that date has started on that date,” he said.

The new hotel will feature 82 rooms. The rooms are slightly larger than the average hotel room. There will also be four rooms which will have kitchens in them for people who are staying for a longer period of time.

Another aspect which will set the new hotel apart is that during the design period Hirani was able to convince Best Western to let him put in a room where hockey teams can store their bags. This flexibility is part of why the Hirani’s chose to work with Best Western, as they allowed him flexibility when it came to designing the building to his prospective clientele.   

Hirani and his father have been running the Best Western Marquis Suites in P.A. for 10 years and are optimistic about their prospects.       

“We think a project like this and a hotel like this is much-needed in Prince Albert,” he said.

When it opens, Hirani expects the hotel to employ between 50 and 60 staff.

The development secured $700,000 in cash incentives from the city. According to the mayor, that decision was made as a cost of attracting this scale of investment to the city.

MichaelJoel.Hansen@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @mjhskcdn