Award

AUGUST 2018 | 85 Pomeroy Inn & Suites RENDERINGS COURTESY TURNER FLEISCHER ARCHITECTS INC. Pomeroy Inn & Suites by ROBIN BRUNET P omeroy Lodging has been making its name as an hotelier in Western Canada since 1941, when Ralph Pomeroy opened his first venue in Fort St. John; and as such, it knows the regional market as good as, if not better than any- one. So when it came time to develop new properties, the company seized the opportunity to build in Prince George. Intended as the first of two accom- modations facilities, the new Pomeroy Inn & Suites is located at the inter- section of that city's two main thoroughfares, on the west side of Highway 16. Scheduled for opening in October, the 126-room, five-sto- rey hotel also represents a rethinking of the Pomeroy Inn & Suites brand, augmented by a different colour and material selection as well as a spectac- ular new feature: a 6,000-square-foot indoor water park with water slides, a splash pad, and hot tub. The hotel also features meeting space, a fitness room, plus extended stay suites with full kitchens. "We really wanted to create something special, in part because opening a Pomeroy Inn & Suites in Prince George has been a long-time goal," says Jackie Clayton, the company's VP public relations and partnerships. In the last 10 years, Pomeroy Lodging has completed more than $375 million in new projects, and the com- pany selected Prince George due to its strong economy and sense of commu- nity. "Plus, it serves many industries and enjoys steady growth, which made it ideal for a hotel that would attract a mix of business travellers, tourists, families and sport teams," says Clayton. In 2015, city council approved a rezoning application that allowed Pomeroy to develop property on Highway 16 next to the Prince George Playhouse; previously, an old driving range occupied the 5.2-acre site, around which other projects were taking shape. "We subdivided our acre- age to allow a Montana's with a mix of retail to open, there were already sev- eral car dealerships located close by," says Nick Cheveldave, director of con- struction Pomeroy Lodging. Turner Fleischer Architects Ltd., which had worked with Pomeroy in the past (it had designed the hotelier's Alberta-based corporate office) was crucial to the success of the project. "We had not revitalized our Pomeroy Inn & Suites brand up until now, and the time was right," says Clayton. "As a result, the Prince George facility could, depending on the market, be a template for other new projects moving forward." Turner Fleischer principal Russell Fleischer points out that his firm designed both Pomeroy hotels simul- taneously for efficiency and also to fine-tune the similarities as well as the differences between the two buildings. "Essentially the second hotel will have smaller area elements and facade pro- portions, plus slightly different colours and materials," he says. Fleischer adds, "Our goal was to create a more contemporary guest experience without obliterating the design heritage that had made Pomeroy a success." Indeed, it was decided early on that the guest suite layouts and their décor would remain largely unchanged. The desire to achieve affordabil- ity wherever possible led to the use of polystyrene stone and polystyrene panelling for the exterior. "In the past we used cultured stone for architec- tural appeal, but polystyrene was not only more affordable, it was a lot eas- ier to install and could be done in all weather conditions," says Cheveldave. "The panels were ideal for our water- park as well as an augmentation of the aluminum composite blue and grey pan- els we had chosen for the front facade of the hotel. These items alone were a significant departure from Pomeroy's traditional use of cultured stone and stucco, but entirely in keeping with the modern esthetic we were aiming for." Traditionally, Pomeroy porticos have been constructed of wood, but Fleischer designed the two-storey Prince George portico to have a structural steel frame, adorned by a metal roof and studded with pot lights. "It became a grand entrance, with a wonderful flow into the lobby, which is more like a grand room outfitted with wood ceiling fixtures and chandeliers, a large seating area with flat screens and plug ins, and everything designed to create a modern rustic esthetic," says Cheveldave. As for the waterpark with its two slides, play features and a 30-foot by 20-foot pool, it was designed to accom- modate plenty of natural light: one side of the structure contains 11 10-foot by 10-foot windows. More importantly, the structure and its two distinctive towers (to accommodate the slides) will eventually serve as a connection between the two Pomeroy hotels. "It was a significant addition to our bud- get, but we think it will attract a lot of business," says Cheveldave. Pomeroy's construction division broke ground in the summer of 2017, and by winter the biggest challenge proved to be weather. "The winter in Prince George turned out to be severe, right when we were doing the bulk of our framing," says Cheveldave. "However, we had a great group of sub- contractors on our team, so we managed to meet a very tight series of deadlines." Programming changes resulted in opportunities to utilize extra hotel space in the future. "We originally built a big penthouse to house our mechani- cal rooms but ultimately decided to put the mechanics on the main floor," says Cheveldave. "So we drywalled the penthouse, installed sprinklers, and left it ready for whatever needs come down the turnpike." Even though the hotel won't open until October and it's not yet clear when ground will break on the second facility (which will result in the entire devel- opment totalling 243 rooms), Pomeroy Lodging already considers their Prince George property to be a success, "both as a branding update opportunity as well as an extremely attractive venue in its own right," says Clayton. Fleischer agrees. "It helps consider- ably when the owners and the design team have collaborated on past proj- ects," he says. "The Pomeroy Lodging people are so easy to work with and they know what they want, so there's no endless going back and forth and no wasted time. We're very happy with how Prince George is turning out." A LOCATION 2700 Recplace Drive, Prince George, B.C. OWNER/DEVELOPER Pomeroy Lodging ARCHITECT Turner Fleischer Architects Inc. GENERAL CONTRACTOR 1902518 Alberta Ltd. (Pomeroy construction wing) STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Scouten Engineering MECHANICAL CONSULTANT Mirkwood Engineering BC Ltd. ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT NRS Engineering Ltd. TOTAL SIZE 79,806 square feet TOTAL COST $20 million (first hotel) 8:40 AM 1:17 PM

• Cover