By NICK STEWART
Having completed the final touches on North Bay’s newest hotel, a Burlington-based developer is already ramping up to begin construction on a second, with the idea for a third hotel also in the works.
“We’ve conducted a series of market studies for the region, and they indicated to us that there was in fact room for up to three new hotels in the city, so that’s what we’re going to do,” says Darko Vranich, president and CEO of Vrancor Development Corporation.
The combined total of building the two initial hotels will reach beyond $30 million, and will employ more than 100 people.
Despite the official opening of the 116-bed Holiday Inn Express in late July, Vranich’s involvement doesn’t end there. He also runs a hospitality management firm, Vrancor Hospitality Corporation, which oversees the operation of the hotels once they’ve been built.
To date, the company has built and overseen six hotels throughout southern Ontario and the United States, including London, Toronto, Hamilton, Huntsville, as well as Kansas City, Missouri and Omaha, Nebraska.
Although “all are welcome to stay there,” Vranich says the new Holiday Inn Express has a variety of features specifically suited to cater to corporate clients. These include an exercise room, photocopy and fax services, as well as a meeting space designed to hold up to 100 people. A smaller boardroom is also available for up to 25 people.
This particular focus is a result of studies that indicate a growing number of local businesses with a client base extending beyond the immediate area require more accommodations during their stay.
In the coming weeks, Vrancor will begin work on an extended stay hotel known as Staybridge Suites, an 85-room facility featuring one and two-bedroom spaces as well as studio apartments. Allowing for a stay up to a year, the hotel features amenities such as fridges and stoves in each unit. This allows people to look for permanent residence, while relocating to the city, or for families as they tour the region, Vranich says.
Like the Holiday Inn Express, construction of Staybridge will largely be overseen by Vrancor, who will employ a variety of local subcontractors such as Miller Paving Limited.
However, the company’s plans for the city won’t end there, as Vranich says he fully intends to build a third, Hilton-branded hotel in the city, though details have not been finalized.
With the strengthening economy, record construction levels and a growing number of businesses settling into the city, North Bay seemed a natural choice to establish new hotels, Vranich says.
“It’s very simple: you go where the market is.”
Tourism typically injects $197 million into the local economy, while supporting the 1,200 businesses that provide direct or indirect service to the industry. North Bay stands to benefit from new hotel construction, according to Katarina Nordbeck, tourism coordinator for the City of North Bay.
Not only does it create additional accommodation space for travellers, but a series of multi-million dollar investments by a recognized name in hospitality will assist local efforts to attract new business to the region, she says.
