Although nothing official has been announced, a developer connected to Resolve Project Manager Group says Delta Hotels is his top choice for Thunder Bay’s Marina Park.
Joe Bova, a developer with Resolve Group, placed a self-imposed deadline for an official announcement regarding details into the waterfront hotelier for June 30. With that date come and gone and having only taken possession of the land at Prince Arthur’s Landing in April, Bova didn’t offer another specific date for that announcement.
Although he admitted his top choice was the Canadian-based Delta chain.
“I am not in a position to announce who it is, but I can tell you right now that I think Delta is probably the best hotel chain we have in Canada,” Bova said.
“The announcement would not be up to me. I think the president of Delta would like to be in Thunder Bay to make that announcement themselves if they indeed are the ones.
“I have given you as much information as you need to know and I think if you want to figure it out you probably can,” he added. “But the Delta by far would be my first choice.”
The city commissioned Resolve to build two condominiums as well as a hotel at the waterfront. The developers require a partnership with a hotel chain before they could go ahead with the project.
“It’s Canadian owned, it is the elite chain when it comes to dealing with professional and business people traveling across this country. I would consider myself absolutely fortunate to be associated and to be in a partnership with Delta Hotels. If you ask me if that would be my choice then absolutely.”
Tbnewswatch.com previously reported last year that Delta was expected to be named the hotel of choice.
That news report followed the discovery of a Brook McIlroy Urban Design and Planning website that detailed how BMI/Pace retained Delta and Resolve group to begin the design and construction process for the eight-floor, 102 room hotel.
The website page, however, has since been removed and an official deal hasn’t been signed.
Bova said they are continuing discussions with one of the best hotel chains in North America.
“They have stayed with us for three years now,” he said.
“I was in Toronto about three or four weeks ago and we had a very productive meeting. I think we are not going into the final stages of an agreement with them. I sincerely think there will be an announcement in the immediate future.”
He said he had to keep things quiet because there were multiple parts to the deal that included not only the hotel but also the two condos and the commercial redevelopment of the railway station.
Units for the first condo building went on sale last week and already 28 of the 51 units being offered have been sold.
Both condos have a total of 102 units.
The developer group held an open house for the public on Wednesday at the CN Station at Prince Arthur’s Landing. The presentation had eight different floor plans and models of penthouses for potential buyers to look at. The condos will offer a fitness centre on the main floor as well as on the seventh floor.
Gisele MacDonald, president and CEO for Resolve Group, said they really want to show residents what they have been talking about for the past four years. She said the level of response from Thunder Bay was unbelievable.
“The public has been taken to this very well,” MacDonald said. “Our benchmark point is about 70 per cent before we go into the ground. We’re pretty much close to that having literally having approximately six days of selling.”
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She said the seventh floor of the condo is completely sold out and other floors are getting sparse as well.
The price ranges for the units are around $340,000 and the penthouses around $650,000. MacDonald said the prices were decided based on a square foot basis and the high quality of the condos being offered.
She said she hoped to have construction start in the fall and have residents move in the spring of 2014.
