New Hilton hotel to serve niche market: hotel development slated for Thunder Bay airport.

• Author: Petersen, Brigitte
• Position: BUSINESS TRAVEL

Thunder Bay may soon be home to one of the latest additions to the Hilton Hotels chain.

A group made up of several Northern Ontario investment companies is currently working through the approval process with the City of Thunder Bay to construct a 50,388-square-foot Hilton Hampton Inn near the Thunder Bay International Airport. Construction of the $9-million project is slated to begin this summer and wrap up within a year.

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The 75-room, four-storey hotel, designed for corporate travellers, is proposed to be built on 2,2 acres of land west of the Landale Garden Centre on Arthur Street. On airport-owned land, the hotel is being developed by the Thunder Bay Hotel Partnership Group and will be run by Hilton Hotels.

Jeffrey Crocco, managing partner of the partnership group, said their main interest is to build and operate hotels in Northern Ontario. The group is currently working on three projects in the region, including the Thunder Bay Hilton.

"We clearly saw a gap in the Thunder Bay marketplace for a hotel of this type, and it was a natural fit as the group's interest is in investing in the Northern Ontario marketplace," said Crocco.

Born in Timmins, Crocco previously lived in Thunder Bay for about 20 years and was employed as executive assistant manager of the Valhalla Inn. He currently lives in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Crocco said the proposed Hilton Hampton Inn is a "perfect fit" for Thunder Bay.

"The target market is mid-luxury, mid-market corporate travellers," said Crocco.

Hotel prices will be "significantly higher" than existing hotel prices and will likely cost guests between $150 to $175 a night.

The hotel is to be built-in the latest Hilton design with a Northern Ontario flair in terms of design, including its exterior finishing. It is to include features such as a community breakfast table for business travellers, a state-of-the-art business centre, and guest rooms fitted with the latest technology.

A public open house was held in November at Thunder Bay's West Arthur Community Centre to present the proposed hotel to local residents and business owners. About 25 people attended, including local residents, local hotel employees and media.

The proposed hotel plan does not include an on-site restaurant, meeting or convention space, which will result in a lower impact on existing hotels and may lead to increased revenues for neighbouring restaurants, according to Crocco.

"The hotel is really filling a gap in the...