Construction halts on new Welland hotel
Holiday Inn Express in process of hiring staff amid lockdown stoppage
An 80-room Holiday Inn Express and Suites in Welland will open three months later than expected, says general manager Karen Hardcastle.
Hardcastle said construction of the hotel — it will feature a gym and indoor swimming pool and be the largest hotel in the Rose City — has been set back due to the latest provincial lockdown to stop the spread of COVID-19.
“We were doing really well, this just knocked us back,” she said, speaking of the second provincial lockdown. An original opening date set for March 18 has been changed to June 3.
It’s at 224 Power Dr., inside Niagara Centre Business Park, created by commercial, industrial and residential development company the Prime Way Group. It sits in behind Walmart and Canadian Tire, northwest of Woodlawn Road and Highway 406, giving visitors access to the city and the rest of Niagara.
The hotel to be operated by JBT Hospitality Inc., an independent hotel management company, is being developed in conjunction with Burlingtonbased Chamberlain Architect Services Ltd.
Hardcastle comes to it as an international hotelier and global consultant with five-star and midscale property experience. There are 16 suites and 64 standard rooms, and in addition to the pool and gym, it will also include three meeting rooms and a breakfast/patio area.
“Everything is just about complete on the outside, and we were doing quite well on the inside,” Hardcastle said Monday.
Once the lockdown is over, it will take two weeks to get all of the trades back on site, she said.
“I’m remaining positive.”
Hardcastle said the process of hiring employees is underway, and she has met with people electronically.
Other hotels in the city include the 68-suite Best Western Plus Rose City Suites on Prince Charles Drive south of Lincoln Street and two others in the city’s north end, both on Niagara Street — Canada’s Best Value Inn by the Niagara Regional Exhibition grounds and Travelodge by Wyndham Welland close to Seaway Mall. Neither of those two hotels lists the number of rooms on their websites.