THUNDER BAY – After some delays, a new hotel on the city’s south side is nearly read for its grand opening.
The construction of the Hampton Inn and Suites Hotel was originally scheduled to finish construction on West Arthur Street by summer 2014. While project delays didn’t allow that to happen, the city’s newest hotel is preparing to open sometime in September.
The hotel’s general manager, Siva Kiruddinan, says the building itself is finished and the only work left now are some finishing touches.
“The rest of the work we have to do is with the furniture, electrical equipment, and lights,” Kiruddinan said during an interview with TBT News. “Generally speaking, we are ready for everything."
When opened, the Hampton Inn will have 104 rooms through five floors, including 54 suites.
Kiruddinan said about 30 people will be working at the hotel when it opens. Half of those 30 will work front of house, with the remainder making up the hotel’s support staff.
Most of the staff have already been hired, and Kiruddinan said training will start over the next few weeks.
The Hampton Inn is also set to include a full business centre, dining area, and gym with an attached saltwater swimming pool.
Though Thunder Bay is already home to several dozen hotels, Kiruddinan said as Hampton is owned by Hilton Hotels, he expects the Hilton brand name will be a big draw. But he adds that Thunder Bay is an unusually hot community for hotels, with high occupancy rates across the board.
"Thunder Bay is a fantastic location,” he said. “I see the economy is so good, most of the hotels are doing almost 75 to 80 per cent occupancy. So I expect we'll go up to 85 average occupancy.
“At least by the end of this year … There is no Hilton brand hotels between Winnipeg and Sudbury, so over 1,500 kilometres. So that is going to be a big plus point for us."
(Xiaoli Li, TBT News)
