Ramada Inn hotel breaks ground

Just a few weeks after news officially broke that a new Ramada Inn was planned for the Trans-Canada Highway lot at the intersection at Highway 23 North, the developers gathered at the construction site for the official groundbreaking ceremony on Oct. 7. The developers of the property say the construction will also happen at an accelerated pace. The project is slated for completion next April.

Another rendition of the proposed new Ramada hotel to be located on the vacant lot at the intersection of the Trans-Canada Highway and Highway 23 North. Photo: City of Revelstoke image

Mayor Mark McKee joined Rod Graham of builder Horizon North and Paul Deutsch of owner Canwest Hotels Ltd. for the official ceremony on the former highways works yard, which has sat vacant for over a decade while being subject to several different development proposals.

At the ceremony, Mayor McKee said he was looking forward to this project coming to fruition.

“We always looked out at the Trans-Canada Highway and said that we need a bigger and better presence for the community on the highway,” McKee said. “This is going to put an even better face on the Trans-Canada Highway for Revelstoke. It’s going to bring more business into town, more employees, more jobs, and I think it bodes well for everybody.”

This is a rendition of the proposed new Ramada hotel to be located on the vacant lot at the intersection of the Trans-Canada Highway and Highway 23 North. Photo: City of Revelstoke image

Paul Deutsch is the president of Canwest Hotels Ltd., a Golden, B.C.-based company with roots in restaurants and hospitality. “We’re extremely excited to get into the ground here,” Deutsch said, in a brief statement. “We really want to have a beautiful product and provide an amenity in the community that’s going to continue to wow people.” He said that the mayor and city staff had been helpful getting the project going.

Rod Graham of Calgary-based builder Horizon North also said the project had hit smooth sailing so far. “The City of Revelstoke has been incredibly helpful in terms of permitting, and I look forward to participating in this development.”

Graham explained that the hotel will be built using a modular construction facility based in Kamloops, then the parts will be shipped to Revelstoke for assembly here. A typical modular piece will include two rooms that sit opposite from each other, divided by a hallway. Once here, a crane will lower the module into place, then finishing work such as carpeting, electrical and plumbing hookups are completed. Horizon North’s main area of business is building and operating work camps, primarily in the Alberta oil patch.

The proposed Ramada Inn Hotel. Photo: From council documents

Graham said their indoor construction facility in Kamloops is state of the art, and will allow them to continue work through the winter.

Deutsch also thanked former owner Steve Platt, saying the developer had done the “first 11 rounds” for him in getting the property ready for the project.

The property has been the subject of controversies in the community. A recent proposal to develop it into a shopping centre failed after council rejected a zoning change. In 2013, former owner Steve Platt also ended his decade-long effort to develop hotels on the site, citing the “regulatory and political environment” in Revelstoke.

For more background, see these stories:

https://revelstokemountaineer.com/breaking-large-four-storey-hotel-planned-for-revelstoke-highway-lot-15008

https://revelstokemountaineer.com/revelstoke-city-council-approves-ramada-inn-development-15106