town profiles


City of Brooks


◗ Population (2016): 14,451 ◗ Land Area: 18.59 km2 ◗ Major Industries: Oil and Gas ◗ Largest Employer: Grasslands Public Schools ◗ Mayor: Barry Morishita ◗ Incorporated: 2005


◗ Major Tourist Attractions: Brooks Aqueduct, Brooks & District Museum, Brooks Golf Course.


◗ Motto: “Alberta’s Centennial City”


Hotel development in Medicine Hat:


TONYA LAMBERT


The economy may be in a downturn but hotel development in Medicine Hat is on an upswing. When the Canalta Hotels’ Hampton Inn & Suites opened in Box Springs in January 2016, it was the first new hotel to be built in the city in a decade. At present, there are three more hotels in various stages of the planning process with at least two expected to break ground before the year is done. In addition, several local hotels have either been recently renovated or are currently undergoing renovations.


In the Planning Stages


Cerrie Bruce, the general manager of the Comfort Inn, sits in the newly renovated breakfast bar. More renovations will begin in the spring, including upgrades to the pool area.


The second hotel which Drumheller-based Canalta Hotels has planned for Box Springs is a Home2 by Hilton. A new brand, this extended-stay hotel will have a hip and modern design with 120 rooms. Construction is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2017.


In November, city council unanimously approved the offer made by Canalta Real Estate Services, the land management wing of Canalta Hotels, to purchase eight acres on Strachan Road for $2.9 million by August 2017 with an option to purchase the remaining nine acres at the same rate ($360,000 per acre) within six months. Canalta is planning to build a new hotel, restaurant and retail space there.


Sandra Jamieson, guest services, works at the front reception at the Comfort Inn.


Further east off Strachan Road on Stober Bay, the Kelowna-based Braemar Group has plans to open a


Constructing the future


110-room, four-storey TownePlace Suites by Marriott. The hotel will have both rooms and suites with kitchenettes and will feature a large indoor swimming pool, waterslide and children’s play area. The hotel is expected to take 18 months to complete with construction beginning this spring. The estimated cost is $15 million. In the development plans submitted last June, two acres were left undeveloped to allow for the possibility of building a stand-alone restaurant next to the hotel. The Braemar Group is owned by former Medicine Hat resident Rod Hazard.


Rebuilding & Rebranding


In addition to new hotels being built, several existing ones are in various stages of renovating. Over the past two years, the Braemar Group spent $1 million upgrading the Comfort Inn on the Trans Canada Way S.E. Renovations on the 20-year hotel were extensive and included updating the rooms, hallways and lobby, and re-doing the exterior and roof. The Coast Hotel (soon to become a Baymont Inn and Suites) is also undergoing major changes.


Another hotel that recently underwent major renovations was the Clarion Hotel (formerly Callaghan Inn).


“About two years ago, we renovated the restaurant, all the rooms, the lobby, banquet room,” said general manager Robyn Ostrander. “It’s pretty much a brand new hotel.”


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Elisha Ammann is the executive director at Medicine Hat Accomodation Association.


Mel Barron with guest services makes up a bed at the Home Inn


A giant Scrabble board is available for guests to enjoy in the lobby at the Home Inn.


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