Excitement in downtown Windsor after the announcement of a new boutique hotel.
On Thursday, Rob Myers owner of Chatham's Retro Suites and RM Auto Restoration made it official that he'll be taking over the Paul Martin Building on Ouellette Avenue and transforming it into a hotel.
The $30-million investment will include 80 to 100 suites, a restaurant, cafe, and possibly a gym and a library lounge.
DWBIA chair Chris MacLeod says it's an incredible announcement for the area, because a lot of what ails downtown is the need for more people.
"So you bring more people downtown, which then brings more businesses, which brings even more people downtown. I suspect that this announcement will start to bring announcements of activation around this property. Because bringing people here on a regular basis, then you'll need shops, cafes and retail to support that," he said.
MacLeod says there are buildings in the surrounding area that are prime for redevelopment to support what Myers is doing with the Paul Martin Building.
He says the more of these types of announcements, the more it gives people confidence that they can safely invest their money downtown.
"I think that the early investors were the ones who kind of looked at this, and were willing to take on a little bit bigger risk," MacLeod continued. "With each of these investments, that risk profile comes down and so it just makes it easier and easier for businesses to make a decision to locate downtown."
Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island CEO Gordon Orr says adding another hotel downtown is welcome, as occupancy is up year over year about 16 per cent.
He says they're tracking faster than they thought post-pandemic, and there are about 1,800 hotel rooms in the downtown core.
"There have been a number of times, and the media has recognized that, throughout the year where we've had challenges in meeting room demand. So adding an additional hotel to the downtown core, another offering, is very positive. Our occupancy levels are stronger, and we're very optimistic for 2024 to even gain more traction," Orr said.
Orr says once it's up and running, they'll have nine hotels in the downtown area and it will bring their room complement over 1,900 rooms.
"Having another accommodation option that is unique, it's a boutique hotel unlike anything we have in the area, provides our visitors with another option to choose from. And more importantly helps meet the demand for peak occupancy periods, and they increase foot traffic that'll be generated because of it [which] supports the downtown businesses and community."
The new boutique hotel is slated to open in downtown Windsor in the spring of 2026.
- with files from AM800's Rob Hindi