New hotel, renos spiff up hospitality scene

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This article was published 28/10/2019 (2147 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Revamped restaurant, bar and gaming spaces at the Norwood Hotel in St. Boniface should be ready to open by the end of October, according to Sparrow Hotels CEO Ben Sparrow.

The space that used to house the Jolly Friar restaurant is now home to a bistro-style restaurant called Pauline, inspired by famed local artist Pauline Boutal, whose work is referenced throughout the restaurant’s design.

“We want people to have that really high-quality breakfast and lunch (experience), and associate Pauline with a place to come and have brunch on Saturdays and Sundays,” Sparrow said.

The old Wood Tavern will keep its name, but the interior has been completely overhauled with a design Sparrow describes as both modern and retro.

“Every square inch of the place has been transformed, so there’s very little that remains of the old tavern. We have included some touches that are unexpected — if you had come to the Wood Tavern 30 years ago, 40 years ago even, you might see things that used to be displayed.”

A new private dining room will hold around 50 people, and a meeting room can hold 14.

“And then the main tavern can be isolated, as well, for 80 seats. So, we can have multiple private functions going on at the same time, as well as still keeping the tavern open to the public,” Sparrow said.

Video lottery terminals that used to occupy the Wood Tavern will be moved into a new space of their own, the Carousel Gaming Lounge.

“By having the VLTs in a separate area, it provides better service to the VLT players in that they can enter and exit at the street level, and it’s more convenient for them and more private for them to play,” Sparrow said. “And at the same time, it strengthens the brand of the tavern.”

All three new spaces at the Norwood Hotel feature their own entrances on Marion Street. Sparrow hopes the new street-facing facades and signage will engage passers-by on Marion Street and help make St. Boniface a destination on par with The Forks, Corydon Village and Osborne Village.

“I think that’s what all of us who are here in St. Boniface are trying to achieve. And it’s not going to happen overnight — but if you’re familiar with the area you can see these subtle changes, and these subtle changes are going to have a really positive impact on this community.”

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Further east, at 900 Regent Avenue West, a brand-new Best Western Premier hotel opened up in mid-September.

“Basically, we define the Premier (brand) as providing the highest degree of hospitality, quality and attentive service for guests,” said Steven James, general manager of the newly constructed six-storey hotel. “It’s a level much higher than what you would find at a regular Best Western.”

Workers broke ground on the Best Western Premier in spring 2018. It’s owned by Saskatoon car dealer Sherwood Sharfe.

“It’s very solid, and the owner spared no expense in building a building that he knew would last and would provide a lot of quiet atmosphere for our guests as far as noise transfer,” James said.

The 141-room hotel is designed to attract corporate travellers, although James said amenities such as a pool with a water slide would make it suitable for families, as well. A banquet room seats around 80 people, with breakout rooms for smaller groups available. An attached trade centre with seating for 400-500 people has been planned but not yet built, James said.

Other amenities include a breakfast area with a made-to-order omelette bar, which becomes a bistro with a bar in the evening. The hotel is pet-friendly and offers five accessible guest rooms, including one with a roll-in shower.

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Near the airport, the Comfort Inn at 1770 Sargent Ave. is undergoing significant renovations. It’s the prototype for a broader revitalization project that will renew 53 Comfort Inns across Canada owned by InnVest Hotels, Canada’s largest hotel owner.

The lobby, breakfast area and corridors at the Comfort Inn Airport location will be updated, and guest rooms will get new furnishings, said Brian Leon, president of Choice Hotels Canada, which is jointly owned by InnVest and Choice Hotels International.

“There’s not a lot that’s going to stay, it’s a pretty major transformation,” Leon said.

The hotel’s exterior will also be refreshed, with a new design by architecture firm Turner Fleischer.

“Because the insides are being so extensively renovated, we wanted to make sure that we did something on the outside that would also signal that change to guests,” Leon explained.

The exterior should be finished in the coming months, Leon added, with the interior completed in early 2020. Leon expects the upgrades will help keep existing guests satisfied and attract new guests — but the changes should still feel familiar to travellers used to staying in a Comfort Inn, he said.

“A Comfort Inn is a Comfort Inn, and people come to them because they like the feel of the brand, and we want to stay true to that.”

InnVest’s portfolio of Comfort Inns across Canada is also trying to reduce the use of single-use plastics by replacing tiny shampoo and conditioner bottles with “bulk-sized bathroom amenities,” according to a press release.

solomon.israel@freepress.mb.ca  

Twitter: @sol_israel