First hotel of two to break ground on former Tournament Inn site in East Kamloops

Hotel to break ground soon

Photo: Roger Dhesa

A Comfort Inn and Suites is planned for a site in Valleyview.

Revised development plans will see a pair of hotels rise from a Valleyview site, with a groundbreaking set in the spring.

Property owner Roger Dhesa said the first hotel to be built at 1893 East Trans Canada Hwy. will include 72 hotel rooms, a pool and a hot tub.

The hotel will be under the Comfort Inn and Suites brand, and is planned to include a 200-space conference and banquet centre.

“That’s going to be our flagship,” Dhesa said.

The second hotel building on the estimated $13- to $14-million development will incorporate a restaurant. Dhesa said he’s hoping to attract a Boston Pizza or Ricky’s type establishment inside.

Initially, the developers were envisioning a restaurant as part of a commercial strip on site, but new plans will have the facility incorporated into the second hotel building.

Dhesa said the first hotel will start breaking ground in the spring, and they are expecting construction will take 18 to 20 months.

“The other [hotel] is going to be a secondary one down the road — next five, seven years. That will be an extended stay product,” he said, adding this will involve larger rooms with kitchenettes for families or others who intend to book a room for longer visits.

He said the development is sharpening its focus to offer hotels as this part of town isn’t seeing any new commercial accommodations being developed — and the location near the highway offers a prime opportunity for this type of business.

“The east part of town, East Kamloops, is growing rapidly. There's no hotel services in that area. There's no banquet space in the area,” Dhesa said. “And there’s lots of residential units coming up.”

This property was once the site of the well-known Tournament Inn.

Photo: Roger Dhesa

A rendering of a Comfort Inn and Suites is planned for a site in Valleyview.