Investors and developers say there’s nothing like the city of Saskatoon. It’s dynamic and rich with opportunities but has that led to a surplus in inventory, specifically when it comes to hotel rooms.
Friday marked the grand opening of the city’s latest hotel, a 125-suite TownePlace Suites by Marriott located in the heart of the Stonebridge neighbourhood.
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It’s also one of 11 hotels that have gone up since 2014 in the Bridge City. According to data from the Saskatchewan Hotel and Hospitality Association (SHHA), that’s 1,000 rooms in just two years and brings the total number to 4,914.
Developers say this one is a bit different, the longer you stay – the cheaper the bill.
“We experimented a bit in Winnipeg and we learned it’s a good concept, a good niche so we brought it here so we thought it has a good strong chance of being successful,” said John Owens, with Southtoon Hospitality Group Inc.
Owens said they noticed there were no “extended-stay” options in Saskatoon and went for it. The property offers studio and one-bedroom suites with fully equipped kitchens ideal for crews requiring a longer stay.
“It’s another choice for the consumers, as we continue to try and draw people in from around Saskatoon having choice in front of them is a very important thing,” said Kent Smith-Windsor, executive director of the Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce, even if it is just one property at a time.
Jim Bence, president of SHHA, was also on hand during the hotel’s official opening and said it was exciting to see this type of product come online.
“As we sell Saskatoon to the world and try to bring business here often times companies, events, tournaments would have to skip over us – they would fly to Calgary or Vancouver,” Bence said.
“We may have facilities – the space to accommodate their event we just didn’t have the rooms.”
Approximately three years ago that all changed said Bence – the industry exploded to keep up, then demand took a dive with the downturn.
“In this case oil and gas does have a direct impact on the business coming in.”
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According to Bence, things have rebounded a bit in the last 12 months and any gains in the oil and gas sector can only mean good things.
“We will see this through and so development like this is really positive. It just stands to reason that hotels such as this will be filled when you think about the events that Saskatoon hosts and all the things throughout the year,” said Bronwyn Eyre, MLA for Saskatoon Stonebridge Dakota.
“The resource sector aside there’s so much good news too and that is as well, I mean that will come back.”
As for any concerns from investors and developers, Owens said there really isn’t any.
“There’s been an ebb not so bad in Saskatoon as in other places like Alberta so we can get our way through this and get to the next level and I think in five years time it will look quite a bit different again so we’re optimistic.”
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