The Hyatt hotel chain has pulled all affiliation with a downtown Edmonton hotel that was ordered by Alberta Health Services to clean up leaks and venting issues tied to pigeon feces.
The company confirmed Thursday that as of Sept. 4, the Hyatt Place Hotel – located on Jasper Avenue and 95 Street – was “no longer a Hyatt-branded or a Hyatt-affiliated property.”
The luxury hotel chain did not say why the branding was pulled or whether the move was linked to the health order issued by AHS last month.
An inspection done in late August found nine HVAC units on the roof were pulling in fresh air from an area contaminated with pigeons and pigeon feces.
The inspection also found the heating and ventilation system in the hotel was not in good working order. Issues included broken fans in the laundry room and carbon monoxide detectors in the parkade that were not calibrated.
Other issues pointed out during the inspection included extensive water staining on the ceiling tiles, light fixtures and walls throughout the lower level hallways.
In its statement Thursday, Hyatt Hotels said it is in the process of reaching out to guests with upcoming reservations. Guests with questions can contact Hyatt’s Global Reservations Center at 1-888-848-9496.
The hotel in Edmonton’s Quarters district was designed by local architect Gene Dub at a cost of $60 million. The 13-storey hotel has 258 rooms and 11,000 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor.
The hotel began operating in October 2016 and during the official grand opening in January 2017, was dubbed a significant milestone in the redevelopment of The Quarters.
“We wanted to create something very beautiful,” Prem Singhmar, owner of Hyatt Place Edmonton/Downtown, said at the time. “We wanted it to reflect the vision for the future of downtown and the Quarters.”
Area Councillor Scott McKeen said he didn’t know why the decision was made or what the impact on the area might be. Generally speaking, though, he said there hasn’t been enough progress in The Quarters for his liking.
“I think the area has a ton of potential but I think developers have been a little skittish because it was close to areas of the city where there was social disorder and homelessness,” he said.
The Hyatt Place was the first new hotel to open in the city’s core since 1978.
Global News has reached out to Prem Singhmar for comment on the branding loss but did not hear back by the time this story was published. It will be updated if/when we hear back.
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