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2013-02-06 at 14:41

New hotel project underway in Intercity area

By tbnewswatch.com
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Thunder Bay's Intercity area will soon be home to yet another new hotel.

Work is underway on Carrick Street at the Harbour Expressway, driving piles for a new Holiday Inn Express.

Company officials confirm the new hotel will be a three-storey structure, containing 88 rooms. Company officials say they expect construction to take about a year.

No word yet on the cost of the development. It's located right across the street from another new hotel development.

Work has been underway for several weeks on a Marriott Hotel, which will be adjacent to the Real Canadian Superstore.

That hotel will be five stories high and hold 148 rooms. The projected cost is about ten million dollars.

Also in the works for the city is the new waterfront Delta Hotel, and a Hampton Inn Hotel that's slated for Arthur Street, near the airport. 

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Comments

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FernandoMartinez says:
And so what will happen to North Cumberland Street?

There's already a Days Inn near the Superstore and another near the hospital. There's the Valhalla, Airlane, and Best Western near the airport with one more on the way.

Now we have another two hotels going in front of the Superstore plus yet another one going at the Waterfront.

New Thunder Bay Hotels:
- Delta (Waterfront): 150 rooms
- Hampton Inn (Airport): 75 rooms
- Marriott (Superstore): 148 rooms
- Holiday Inn Express (Superstore): 88 rooms
Total: 464 NEW rooms (Not including the planned one for John and Junot).

Now I realize there's a massive price difference between the motels on Cumberland and these new rooms, but obviously all these new hotels are going to drive those eyesore motels on Cumberland out of business.

So is North Cumberland going to become a street littered with bums and abandoned buildings? Or do we have enough johns on Court Street to keep those businesses afloat?
2/6/2013 3:12:49 PM
Mystified says:
It's all about market share. The hotels and motels on Cumberland st. will still have a customer base as not everyone can afford to stay in the higher priced places. Some people from out of town come to work here on a project and stay at the lower priced hotels/motels for a week at a time.

Try looking at the brighter side of things. Your negativity is unhealthy.
2/6/2013 3:35:46 PM
ring of fire dude says:
I would suspect that the talent in the "Entertainment District" doesn't use Hotels or Motels .
2/6/2013 3:43:30 PM
FernandoMartinez says:
Clearly you've never browsed Craigslist.
2/6/2013 4:49:02 PM
conker2012 says:
I say rip down the old motels and put up mid rise appartments and condos with lake views. Most of them rent to prosritutes by the hour anyways. So tear them down.

PROGRESS!!!!
2/6/2013 3:45:05 PM
stuck? says:
if the motels do end up going out of business, maybe they can bulldoze the empty buildings to make some parking for the events centre.

oooh.

And then, the people who come from far and wide can stay at these fancy new hotels... ooooh :D ......

right?
2/6/2013 3:47:56 PM
tbay99 says:
North Cumberland is already littered with bums and abandoned buildings...
2/6/2013 4:17:02 PM
TBDR says:
This is the problem of speaking before researching... Thunder Bay has one of the lowest room vacancy rates in Canada. With the mining and health care sectors in the city picking up, we were in desperate need of more hotel rooms. Nobody... EVER... goes "ya know the Valhalla is booked solid, lets go stay at the Voyageur on Cumberland".
2/6/2013 11:33:16 PM
oscarmyerweiner says:
Just another Simpson St. Maybe the city will put some fancy lights and trees along the street as well.
2/8/2013 8:54:01 AM
vimeo says:
Fernando...How many business professionals do think stay in the hotels on Cumberland? Yeah, that's what I thought. They target a different clientelle.

2/6/2013 3:45:02 PM
Bigtime says:
Maybe these "eyesores" on Cumberland should do something about that so they are not eye-sores. If I was travelling through the city as a visitor I'm sorry but I will not be staying in a run down little motel on Cumberland just because of price difference. Face it, people want to sleep in a nice room with nice facilities, pool, gym, sauna, restaurant, possibly free breakfast etc. I hate to see them shut down but they need to change to compete and that is a very real fact that you can cry about all day long, its happening.
2/6/2013 3:53:49 PM
SomeGuy says:
I remember the first night I spent in Thunder Bay, all the hotels where booked and instead of staying at one of these motels I slept in my car.

2/6/2013 6:27:01 PM
madcatter says:
I used to work in one of those motels. Trust me, you made the right choice.
2/9/2013 3:06:13 PM
Mack10 says:
Isn't it interesting that the lack of accommodations in the Innova Park area was sited as one of the reasons the Event Centre shouldn't be located in the Intercity area???? There will be shortly.
2/6/2013 4:10:12 PM
Wolfie says:
That's a long walk on a cold winter night to a hockey game...
2/6/2013 4:54:04 PM
Common cents says:
Walk?
-25% of the people were taking Public transportation
-25% were going to bike there togethere as a family outing
-25% were car pooling
-25% were leaving the cars at thier business and just walking there after work....
2/6/2013 7:52:05 PM
Common cents says:
Exactly why the Events Center should be centrally located. Where any smart venture would located. Hotels,Resturants,Shopping
Confederation College,Lakehead University, easy access to Trans Canada, & PARKING....
OOPs did I say the "P" word

But hey we elected them.... well most of them, except Timmy
2/6/2013 7:46:14 PM
anvil of crom says:
The innova park axe that some people grind is now so small its barely the size used to cut wood by a lulliputan.
2/6/2013 8:09:53 PM
Molly says:
These new hotels are in fact relatively close to the Marina.
Straight up Fort William Rd. from Harbour Express
Maybe not walking distance but still a short drive
2/6/2013 4:48:55 PM
tsb says:
The hotels on North Cumberland serve different clientele. They're not going anywhere.

With the lowest hotel room vacancy rate in the country, these developments are sorely needed. Hopefully in the future we can get some residential development in Intercity as well.
2/6/2013 5:08:44 PM
sky high says:
Anyone who puts an ounce of thought into it will know that these new hotels will FORCE the existing ones to renovate. No, they will not tear the existing ones down...they will renovate. I realize I'm repeating myself but the people in this town are so negative that you have to drive common sense into their skulls. Hard to believe that people would whine about new hotels being built in their city. These are the same lulus that want us to keep the Fort William Gardens going for the next 100 years.
2/6/2013 5:46:41 PM
brooky says:
It's all private money. Construction money, tax base money, hotel employee money. All good news from where I sit.
2/6/2013 7:43:38 PM
Escroft says:
JUST three storeys huh? Does this city enjoy priding itself on being the flattest pancake of a city in the country?
2/6/2013 8:54:21 PM
FernandoMartinez says:
I'm with you on that one, but at least they're infilling the city and not just building on the outskirts (the Hampton Inn by the airport excepted). It's progress, at least.
2/6/2013 10:45:05 PM
keiths31 says:
The airport is on the outskirts? Outskirts to me would mean an area void of shopping choices, restaurants, other hotels, etc. The airport is right smack in the middle of all of these.
2/7/2013 6:59:38 AM
DougMyers says:
You dont build "up" because it looks cool.

Cities have tall buildings because of the cost of the property. When property cost get too high, it is cheaper to build up then it is to build out.

That is not the case here, even with the rising property rates we are realitvely cheap for a city our size. That is due to the abundance of vancant land inside of the city limits and in the surrounding municipalities.

No charge for the lesson :)
2/7/2013 8:25:18 AM
conker2012 says:
What happens when you build a city "up":

More people living and working in a smaller foot print.

What is needed when you have a smaller foot print? Less Infrastructure.

What happens when you have less infrastructure?
Less maintenace.

What is the result of less maintenance?
Lower maintenance costs.

Who pays the maintenance costs?
The tax payers.

Therefore taller buildings means lower taxes.

The only issue is congesstion. Proper balance in needed to ensure that we don't end up with gridlock on all our roads.

There are also many other benefits of density. More people in a smaller area means more exposure for local area retail businesses. Why do you think hotdog carts do so well in NYC? Volume not quality.

I am not expecting 50 storey sky scrapers, what I would like to see is more of the 8-15 storey structures along the major routes. And instead of building new suburbs, financially promote infill. Closed schools should become land for new homes, etc.

2/7/2013 10:47:42 AM
SomeGuy says:
This hotel is infilling vacant land which is a good thing. Industries that will this areas should be pushed to the outskirts of the city and infilled with commercial and medium/high density residential.
2/7/2013 1:14:09 PM
newshound says:
Those little motels on Cumberland serve a purpose, many are rented out by the week or month for people who work in Thunder Bay, they are not DUMPS as many of you have stated. They are family run local businesses! What happened to shop local, eat local and now stay local? Just because some don't look appealing on the outside, doesn't mean they are not well kept on the inside. Now I understand that some do rent their rooms by the hour, but really, Cumberland is only bad in the downtown core, not on the outskirts where the little Mom and Pop motels are located. Wow, people, use your heads before posting!!
2/7/2013 8:26:33 AM
conker2012 says:
For those who do not know the Mariott is designed for long term stays, not vacationers. Every room has a kitchenette and it is placed in front of a gocery store for a reason. The rooms in this type of hotel cost a fortune if you spend just 1 night, but when you stay for a week or even a month the cost comes down signifficantly per night. This hotel will be filled with transient work forces. Like the HVAC and disaster cleanup teams that came to town after the May sew water backup fiasco.

And those people saying ohh there are hotels in the intercity area so the multiplex should go there... not true, these two hotels are 3km from innova park site and 4km from down town site.... They are in the middle between both sites.

I a just surprised that the holiday inn is only 3 storeys. It is going to look small compared to the 5 storey mariott across the street.
2/7/2013 8:56:50 AM
canuckman55 says:
It's a Holiday Inn express... its a smaller lower frills hotel than the regular Holiday Inn chain. They often are much smaller.
2/8/2013 12:10:13 PM
fastball says:
If they want to address the low vacancy rate - what is needed is more affordable apartment buildings built so people don't need to rent those motel rooms by the week/month.
You're looking at the better part of 1000 dollars to rent a not-a-great-quality 2-bedroom apartment these days. Not too many people or families working at low-wage jobs can afford a grand a month just for rent.
Maybe if those people had more rental choices, they'd get out of those rat-traps on Simpson and Cumberland...and the city could perhaps do some urban renewal in those areas.
Just my 2 cents worth.
2/7/2013 9:26:24 AM
conker2012 says:
The problem of attracting new large appartments structures that have cheap rent is the height restrictions in this city. The burocracy makes it hard for investors to build here when they are dictated on what to build. The height restrictions should be increased to allow for more affordable houseing to be built.

That terravista project never should have been alowed to go forward. It is to small. That space should have been designated for minmum 8 max 15 storey building. Not these town homes that are on the edge of the student ghetto for $300k. Who wants to live next to a ghetto when you can live above it nextdoor at maplecrest for alot less....
2/7/2013 11:57:49 AM
DougMyers says:
I stand to be corrected but the only height restrictions in this city are in the area of the airport (I think that may be a federal restriction) and at the marina (to limit blocking the view).

I am not aware of any height restrictions anywhere else.

Can you quote the municipal bylaw tht restricts building height in the city of Thunder Bay?
2/7/2013 1:01:59 PM
DougMyers says:
After some digging it would seem that a multi dwelling apratment (more than 4 units) is restricted to 45 meters. That's pretty high, the height of Maple Crest Towers actually.

There are other restrictions in place but mainly to buildings that should not be that high anyway. That is pretty standard for most cities.
2/7/2013 1:28:38 PM
conker2012 says:
You didn't dig deep enough, the height restriction is around 28m. That is why the delta hotel had to get a special odinance to break this by-law by less than 1m for roof top equipement.
2/7/2013 7:37:59 PM
mikevirtanen1961 says:
Delta is a special case; the North Core is under additional restrictions to preserve the view of the lake.
2/8/2013 2:15:50 PM
lori says:
I wish these stories would stop. Thunder Bay is dyingy. The economy is not on a roll. The housing market is not through the roof, our unemployment rate is not leading the province, new jobs are not coming here, new buildings are not going up, more gov't money than at any time in our history is not coming here. The city is dying.

Who are you people going to believe. The doomsayers on this site or the facts.

So for years I have been called a Liberal lover, stupid, idiotic, all because I didn't know what I was talking about when I said this city is moving and growing. I didn't know what I was talking about when I said it was the gov't making this possible.

Please check out the comments by Chamber President Harold Wilson on the why this city is growing. Gov't money, but more specifically the Province and the money coming here.

I don't need to say to the critics I told you so. The majority of people in the city GET IT. They just don't post on this site.
2/7/2013 11:24:09 AM
Seriously?? says:
Sorry Lori, I couldn't tell whose side you are on... Do you think the city is dying or growing?
I certainly have seen the positive change in Thunder Bay in the 9 years I have lived here. I don't really know about "the good old days" of the '70s and '80s that I always hear about, but I do know that things just keep getting better. I also believe that the other three areas I have lived in for any length of time in Southern Ontario don't compare to all the positive aspects of Thunder Bay. Heck, I loved this town when it WAS in the dumps 10 years ago :-); and I am very excited about where it will be ten years from now.
(that might be too optimistic for most of the people who comment here :)
2/7/2013 1:55:04 PM
lori says:
sorry seriously. I am on the side of the facts. This city is booming and it is because of the money the province has shipped here and the work of our two MPP's for getting more funds, jobs and new infrastructure than any other time in our history.

These stories just prove that my belief in what is going on here is based on facts and that the negativitiy from my friends like YQT is based on politics and them trying to get rid of our liberal MPP's.

Without their efforts, and the provinces money, this town would be a mere shadow of what it is. Thanks to them, we have a future. Most people get it. The negativity by many on this site is fortunately the minority.

the good old days of the 70's and 80's was based on mills, grain and rail. That ended in the early 90's. But the critics would want you to believe that the liberals were responsible for everything bad, and had nothing to do with anything good.
2/7/2013 6:54:29 PM
Papercut says:
BUILD A MONORAIL. Paint it flashey like a native Thunderbird....don't worry about cost.....it will employ a large staff of city workers and it will bring the carloads of visitors to teh event center.

Build it now.....we need a monorail!!!!!
2/7/2013 12:27:15 PM
Hey_Buddy says:
Newshound has an excellent point!! These little hotels are businesses rent out their rooms to people working long term, whether it be construction jobs, even tree planters during seasonal times!! WOW people are so quick to judge that it's only undesirables in these establishments. NOT SO! What about those people travelling through who can't afford the OVERPRICED big hotel rates throughout our city? Closed minded people commenting on this site never surprises me.
2/7/2013 5:15:19 PM
The Beaver..... says:
@ Lori..yes you are so right in what you say only peobllem is that with all you good doing you got the Province in a state that is worse then Greece.So Lori pleas acept the fact that the Liberals are on the way out "TheTaxpayers"
are no longer willing to be cheatet and stolen from..and please remember there is only one Tax Payer.Living of the other guys Credit Card is allways a lot of fun...
2/7/2013 7:51:02 PM
lori says:
beaver so I am right but let's get rid of them anyway. that is the famous T.Bay neanderthal thinking that has kept this city down. Get rid of the best MPP's in decades. Okay, let's do it. This is what I also said on this site. That two years from now if there was an election when the support and initiatives stop coming here ( see Federal Gov't ), I will laugh and laugh at all the complainers on this site who say we are ignored. We have been front and centre for 8 years but people still complain. As for the boogeyman deficit and Greece. What about our country's deficit only the "critics" pretend that this doesn't exist and they avoid answering the one question.. We still owe for both provincial and federal debt, only the money from the provincial debt is coming here creating far greater tax revenue, jobs etc. Now which situation is best for us. No debt is ideal but of the 2 current, which do u prefer or do u believe our MPP's should fight to not bring money here?
2/9/2013 8:46:11 AM
trevor99 says:
Many of the people I associate with cannot be happier with what is going on in this city. For the first time in my lifetime, there is a new future going on in this city. One more new hotel is just a sign that the business sector sees Thunder Bay, and the gov't investments that have taken place here, as a great place to put their money.

Thunder Bay is getting stronger all the time. Great to read stories like this.
2/7/2013 9:39:03 PM
Jon Powers says:
What no "Tax-Payer" funded developement?

See what happends when businesses are left alone.

Great Story!
tbnewswatch.com
2/8/2013 1:08:23 PM
The Beaver..... says:
Lorie when after the last election i met my MPP at the Superstore one day..i said..luck i voted for you with one hand but held my nose with the other.His reply was..many people have told me that..Yes you can like the man because he brought a lot of commerce to the City..The fact still stands he did it with your and mine Credit Card.As you know houses of cards are not ever build for the long term.
2/10/2013 9:59:56 PM
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