Community to Celebrate Grand Opening of Courtyard by Marriott Nanaimo
Adjacent to the Vancouver Island Conference Centre, the highly anticipated 172-key business-class hotel positions Nanaimo for further growth while inviting guests to experience Snuneymuxw First Nation art and culture.
SNUNEYMUXW TERRITORY – PEG Companiesand Snuneymuxw First Nation will gather with the Nanaimo community, next week, to celebrate the grand opening of the Courtyard by Marriott Nanaimo at a ceremonial ribbon-cutting ceremony May 31 at 4 p.m.
Located at 100 Gordon Street adjacent to the Vancouver Island Conference Centre, the172-key Courtyard by Marriott Nanaimorepresents a significant collaborative effort between PEG, the Snuneymuxw First Nation, the City of Nanaimo, and other project partners including Omicron Construction, Nexxi Building Solutions, and more.
“As the majority owner of the hotel, we celebrate the opportunity to share Snuneymuxw culture with visitors from all over the world while supporting the economic growth of our Nation and the local community,” says Chief Mike Wyse. “By investing in Nanaimo’s hospitality industry, we have created local jobs and established essential infrastructure that benefits a growing tourism sector.”
“It’s only been three years since we saw the ground break on this project, but for the citizens of Nanaimo, a hotel next to our Vancouver Island Conference Centre has been more than a decade in the making. The City appreciates the confidence PEG and Snuneymuxw First Nation are showing in our economy. With excitement, we welcome the very impressiveCourtyard by Marriott; we know this hotel will help us grow our leisure and business tourism markets in a big way,” said Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog.
PEG was selected to develop the hotel in 2017. The Utah-based firm broke ground in February 2020 just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit which later created many hurdles for the company to overcome including labor shortages, elevated construction costs, and travel restrictions. Through diligence and creativity, PEG ultimately pushed through those challenges and is now delivering the upscale hotel they promised.
“Here at PEG, our word is our bond,” said Chief Investment Officer Robert Schmidt who oversaw the entire development and construction process. “We appreciate the great trust the community of Nanaimo placed in us as its development partner of choice, and we learned a lot while persevering through the challenging market conditions and exercising our value engineering capabilities,” he explained.
The hotel has the benefit of being located on culturally significant land where the beloved, and now extinct, Wool Dogs were cared for by the Snuneymuxw people. In recognition of this, the hotel has integrated site-specific Snuneymuxw art throughout its design including in its guest rooms and public spaces. Ay Lelum The Good House of Design was selected for the project and worked in conjunction with the PEG and Marriott team. Featured Snuneymuxw artists include Joel Good, Dr. William Good, Sandra Moorhouse-Good, Aunalee Boyd-Good, Sophia Seward-Good, and Thea Harris.
“Our goal was to create an immersive and one-of-a-kind experience that celebrates Snuneymuxw culture and the unique history of the land on which the hotel is located,” says Aunalee Boyd-Good. “Our family of artists is honored to share the profound connection between art, place and history with hotel guests.”
To construct the nine-story building, PEG partnered with Vancouver-based Nexxi Building Solutions Inc. [“Nexxi”]. Nexxi’s low-carbon, concrete alternative panels for the exterior sped up construction time and reduced the climate impact, nearly diminishing the on-site construction waste that traditional builds typically produce.
Hotel Equities, which manages a portfolio of 250-plus hotels and resorts throughout the U.S. andCanada, now operates the property with hospitality veteran Paul Dodds serving as General Manager. So far, 55 people have been hired to work in the hotel, many of whom are members of Snuneymuxw First Nation. With several convention center-related bookings in place, hotel operations are off to a strong start.
As they honor the project's rich history and celebrate the new opportunities it creates, project leaders invite stakeholders and news media to join them for a press conference, ceremonial ribbon cutting ceremony, tours, a charitable donation, and more. Please RSVP to amonsen@pegcompanies.comto access a complete media kit in advance of the event.