Award

50 | AUGUST 2018 Holiday Inn Express & Staybridge Suites Niagara-on-the-Lake Led by Vranich, there was a shared desire by ownership and the design teams to create a heightened, modern approach to enhance the specified pro- totypes for both brands. The Holiday Inn Express Niagara-on-the-Lake features the brand's newest design solution, Formula Blue, a combination of energetic and engaging elements that create a distinctive style. "The Express ambiance as well as function appeals very much to millennials," says Lukus. "The furniture was chosen to be multi-functional, and the public areas were designed as minimalist with very strong punches of colour." Staybridge Suites is an innovative, all-suite hotel brand designed to meet the needs of extended-stay guests seeking a warm sense of community in a home-like environment ideal for busi- ness, relocation, and vacations. This Staybridge was the first in Canada to introduce elements of the new Flora Design scheme. "In contrast to the Holiday Inn Express, the furnishings were more cozy, but as with Express we also used a neutral colour scheme with punches of primary colours," says Lukus. In addition to the hotel rooms, a total of five flexible meeting rooms with 2,800 square feet of space filled with natural light were designed for smart, small meetings as well as events for up to 120 guests. Champlain Development, a wholly owned subsidiary of Vrancor Group Inc., commenced construction in April of 2017. Linas Saplys, who is also CEO and owner of API Development Consultants Inc., says of the overall building design, "Precast was used throughout, and we tried to lighten up the buildings with a light and airy look, sophisticated and eye-catching." He adds that all aspects of the design, as well as operational programming, were approved by IHG. As for challenges, "The project was restricted by space and program, and during construction there were also materials and layout challenges, but they were overcome with good brand input as well as construction exper- tise," says Saplys. Vranich adds, "While there were certainly efficiencies gained by developing a dual-brand property, navigating some of the technology opportunities required forward think- ing. One example would be integrating the two separate property manage- ment systems, along with telephone and electronic door locks." Holiday Inn Express & Staybridge Suites Niagara-on-the-Lake officially opened on April 10, 2018, and despite the tight timelines and other chal- lenges, Vrancor points out that "both Holiday Inn Express and Staybridge Suites are globally recognized brands that are extremely popular with value-conscious guests who seek a con- temporary, fresh hotel experience." He added by way of conclusion, "There is considerable buzz regarding this development. More importantly, we are already extremely busy and have received outstanding feedback from guests – the two best indicators of all that we have built a great hotel that guests love." A LOCATION 524 York Road, Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario OWNER/DEVELOPER Niagara York Road Inc. (owner) Vrancor Hospitality Corporation (manager) / Vrancor Group Inc. companies ARCHITECT Saplys Architects Inc. GENERAL CONTRACTOR Champlain Development Corporation DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANT API Development Consultants Inc. CONSTRUCTION MANAGER M2 Construction Management STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT M.A. Steelcon Engineering Ltd. MECHANICAL/ ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Millennium Engineering Inc. INTERIOR DESIGN CONSULTANT Royal Design Inc. PLANNING & DESIGN CONSULTANT Bellacor Design TOTAL SIZE 127,728 square feet TOTAL COST Undisclosed PHOTOGRAPHY BY CAROLE & ROY TIMM PHOTOGRAPHY/COURTESY VRANCOR GROUP INC. Congratulations to M2 Construction Management & Vrancor Group on a successful project – Holiday Inn Express & Staybridge Suites Niagara-on-the-Lake. Norjohn.indd 1 2018-07-25 10:01 AM Saplys.indd 1 2018-07-13 10:07 Medcon.indd 1 2018-07-26 7:53 Earthdance.indd 1 2018-07-20 2:23

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