New hotel for Salmon Arm

Photo: Contributed

A new hotel is slated for construction in Salmon Arm.

A $15.5-million Fairfield Inn & Suites hotel is slated for construction in Salmon Arm next year. The project is expected to create 75 construction jobs and up to 30 permanent hotel jobs once the hotel opens.

Marriott International has approved plans to build the hotel on its property along the Trans-Canada Highway. It will be constructed and owned by Hollypark Hotels Corporation, and operated under a franchise agreement with Marriott.

"We’re excited to invest in a growing community like Salmon Arm," said Sam Dhillon, Hollypark's chief executive officer. “Tourism in the region is thriving and there’s a real sense of optimism about the future of this city.

“We hope that our investment and confidence in the market will attract further investment to the area.”

The planned six-storey, 95-room hotel will be located at the corner of 6th Avenue NE and 16th Street NE, across from Salmon Arm Secondary School.

Additional hotel amenities will include an indoor swimming pool, hot tub, waterslide, fitness room, outdoor patio area and business lounge. There will also be 2,100 sq. ft. of meeting space to accommodate functions of up to 100 people.

The project is expected to contribute upwards of $175,000 of additional tax revenue to the city every year.

“Staff at the city and the Economic Development Society have been incredibly supportive of the project, which is one of the reasons we’ve decided to break ground in 2018, pushing it ahead of some of our other projects," said Clint Gavel, Hollypark's director of design and construction.

“We strongly believe in supporting the communities we operate in by utilizing local contractors and suppliers for our hotels where possible, and we fully expect to do the same in Salmon Arm,” added Dhillon.

The hotel will be built on land that once formed part of the 70-acre Turner family orchard established in 1896.