The Snuneymuxw First Nation, majority owner of the new Courtyard by Marriott in Nanaimo, celebrated this week the grand opening of the long-awaited nine-storey hotel next to the Vancouver Island Conference Centre.
The venture gives the Snuneymuxw people the chance to share their culture with visitors from around the world while supporting economic growth for the First Nation and entire community, said Chief Mike Wyse.
“By investing in Nanaimo’s hospitality industry, we have created local jobs and established essential infrastructure that benefits a growing tourism sector.”
The hotel at 100 Gordon St. is on a site where the now-extinct wool dogs that lived with First Nations were cared for by Snuneymuxw people, a joint news release said.
Snuneymuxw art has been incorporated throughout the 72-room hotel, which had a soft opening in March.
“Our goal was to create an immersive and one-of-a-kind experience that celebrates Snuneymuxw culture and the unique history of the land on which the hotel is located,” said Aunalee Boyd-Good, one of the artists.
“Our family of artists is honoured to share the profound connection between art, place and history with hotel guests.”
The hotel is expected to play a critical role in attracting tourists, hosting local events and supporting and attracting conventions.
Nanaimo once owned the site and sold it with the expectation that another developer would construct a hotel.
At one point, a company was planning to erect a 21-storey, 240-room luxury hotel. But the plans stalled and the city eventually turned down a bid from the would-be developer for a time extension to build the hotel.
The city issued a request for proposals and PEG Companies of Utah was picked in 2017 as the new developer.
The groundbreaking was in February 2020, which meant the company was building during the pandemic, creating “many hurdles,” including labour shortages, higher construction costs and travel restrictions, the statement said.
PEG chief investment officer Robert Schmidt said the company learned a lot while “persevering through the challenging market conditions.”
The hotel used low-carbon, concrete-alternative panels on the exterior, which sped up construction and reduced the amount of construction waste normally seen on such a site, the statement said.
Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog said the project, which has been more than a decade in the making, will help “grow our leisure and business tourism markets in a big way.”
Hotel Equities is managing the hotel, and 55 staff have been hired so far, many of them Snuneymuxw First Nation members.
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