Entrepreneur Jim Hilsinger would never have guessed that when he opened the Algoma Water Tower Inn in Sault Ste. Marie 35 years ago that it would grow to become one of the cities leading hotels.
Hilsinger decided he wanted to be in the hospitality industry, so he bought a vacant patch of land in a residential area off Highway 17 near one of the five Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises he owned and started to build.
“I just remember my father saying to me as a kid, 'I want to build a hotel,'” remembers daughter Donna Hilsinger.
Fast forward to 2009 and the Algoma Water Tower Inn is one of the leading hotels in a busy metropolitan area of the city with Donna running the inn as general manager.
It's one of the few large hotels in its class that is completely independent, said Hilsinger, a 2008 Northern Ontario Business Influential Women award winner.
“We're an independent property; we're a family-owned property,” said Hilsinger. “We've been here for 35 years and I'm passionate about it because we're able to provide our own level of quality and service without restrictions or control from the outside.”
“We're able to create our own guest experience … It's what standard we want to create for our own property.”
Being in the unique situation of having a locally owned hotel in a market filled with big franchised chains presents equally unique challenges, but the inn has always managed to keep pace.
“This is how we compete,” said Hilsinger. “We give people what they want.”
To mark the hotel's 35th anniversary, 65 guest rooms have been upgraded. They now have new bathroom fixtures, granite vanities, new furnishings, king- or queen-sized beds with new linens, refrigerators and flat-screen TVs. On the walls, the photography of local artists Gary and Joanie McGuffin is featured.
Hilsinger markets the hotel using the slogan “The resort for the price of a room” because of its many features. Over the years, the hotel has added a number of multi-million-dollar additions and done extensive renovations.
Now, the Water Tower Inn has an indoor and outdoor pool, a spa, a pub, an on-site restaurant, and a large meeting room.
“The value comes in when you have that level of accommodations along with fabulous recreation facilities,” said Hilsinger.
The inn is particularly striking due to its unique architecture, which includes a lot of natural light, woodwork and high ceilings. The exterior of the building is surrounded by waterways and waterfalls.
Founder Jim Hilsinger, who is a former Northern Ontario Business entrepreneur of the year, claims a person like him couldn't build a hotel like the Algoma Water Tower Inn these days.
Staying true to its Northern Ontario heritage, the Water Tower Inn recently changed its on-site restaurant from a Lonestar Texas Grill to a franchise of Casey's Grill & Bar, which originated in Sudbury in 1980.
In the fall, the Water Tower Inn will be undergoing further improvements to its lobby and public spaces.
Hilsinger, who also chairs the Sault's tourism board, said she has faith tourism will pick back up in the city, particularly because the Agawa Canyon Tour Train is being replaced with new cars and a locomotive.
She said she's confident the city is in a strong position for the future, with initiatives at Essar Steel Algoma, new green-energy projects, and Algoma University.
]“Our community is working hard to grow; there's a number of opportunities taking place right now.”
But what keeps Hilsinger and her family going year after year is a passion for the hospitality industry.
“We love the hospitality business. We're providing a home for people … it's our hospitality that can make or break that.”
