Black Rock resort takes its design cues from the ocean

UCLUELET, BC—Black rock carved by a local artist for the restaurant’s hostess station. A huge wave curving upward over the bar. Three thousand truckloads of black rock blasted to make way for construction reused to create the access road. Old growth cedar cut down for construction reappearing as cedar panelling on the outside of the building.

Black Rock Resort Oceanfront, currently under construction on the west side of Vancouver Island, at the opposite end of the Long Beach peninsula from the Wickaninnish Inn, takes its décor cues from the natural environment.

Perched on the rugged West Coast of Vancouver Island, Black Rock Oceanfront Resort offers breathtaking views of nature at its finest that can be savoured in each of its 133-suites. It also has a dining room featuring the best of the region, plus a lounge, spa and outdoor pools.

“The communities of Ucluelet and Tofino both relied on commercial fishing and forestry, and the protected back harbour is ideal for those purposes,” says Diane Mombourquette, newly appointed general manager. “On the other side, there are Pacific waves crashing on black rock. There’s an ‘end of the earth’ feeling that a lot of people never have the opportunity to see… next stop, Japan!”

The Wild Pacific Trail winds its way around the property. So far, 14 km have been built, giving hikers access to bluffs, the ocean and bald eagles. Once the final 6 km of trail are completed, the trail will end at Florencia Beach, which has become well known for surfing.

“If you’ve got the right natural conditions, surfers will flock to them,” says Mombourquette. “It snowed a couple of weeks ago – and there were surfers with snow on their surfboards.”

Another major attraction is storm watching, an activity pioneered by the Wickaninnish Inn. “People from Vancouver and Victoria come here a lot [to watch storms] and weekends are pretty busy,” she adds.

The Black Rock Resort aims to provide an innovative restaurant/lounge/spa experience.

Local artists carved the black rock hostess station, entrance signs and other accents around the property. “This area is well known for artisans – it’s an inspiring place with lots of local talent – creating items that we can offer guests from afar.”

The ocean is king. All the rooms in the 70-unit main lodge are front loaded – meaning each has an ocean view.

When guests enter the lobby, they face a four-storey window with the ocean right outside. Up a short staircase from the lobby is a place for guests to relax and check their Internet or read, with Internet stations and a library – naturally lit by the four-storey window.

The décor is black and gray – moody to reflect the ocean in behind. The décor has the clean lines of an urban hotel style, but it is also warm and inviting with a fireplace in the lobby.

The 90-seat, 1,800 square foot restaurant, with the aforementioned black rock hostess station, features two levels of seating, with each table oriented towards the ocean. There’s a patio out front and windows all around. The lounge capacity is 50 people.

Below the lobby is a room called the Wine Grotto, a private dining room seating 20 people. The hotel is built in a U-shape around a surge channel, which ends at the Wine Grotto, making it an ideal place for storm watching. Mombourquette says they are thinking of hosting communal dinners in the Wine Grotto.

The dining experience at Black Rock Resort will be built around an extensive wine list and local cuisine. Andrew Springett, who grew up in the area, will be returning to his roots as executive chef at Black Rock Resort.

In addition, the resort will feature 3,000 square feet of meeting space, suitable for corporate retreats or weddings. “There’s not a lot of meeting space in this area,” says Mombourquette.

There will also be a spa with hydrotherapy treatments, featuring seaweed which is an emerging spa product. Hot tubs on various levels will offer privacy, with the lowest one almost set into the rock by the sea.

The resort has studio, one and twobedroom options. The two-bedroom units include Miele combi ovens, two full baths and dining tables with six chairs. Some of other one-bedrooms have a lock-off area opening into a studio unit. While prices for rooms have not been set, they will be likely be in the $199 to $380 per night range.

So far the team at Black Rock Resort includes Mombourquette, HR manager Karen Osberg, and Springett. At press time, they were seeking a director of operations, a sales manager and a spa manager.

“We’re hoping to attract a strong team,” she says. “It’s a great new property and there’s an opportunity to make a difference as we arrive at decisions day by day on how to optimize our guests’ experiences.

“It’s a great lifestyle for those who are active, and like the outdoors and fresh air!”

A downtown hideaway for theatre, sports fans

VANCOUVER—With an enviable location in downtown Vancouver, close to entertainment at the Vancouver Playhouse and the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, and three blocks from both GM Place and BC Place, L’Hermitage, which opens this month at Robson and Richards Sts. is Boutique Hotels & Resorts’ latest urban hotel.

It’s a 60-suite hotel located on the fifth, sixth and seventh floors of a 30-storey building that features commercial operations below and residences on top.

“Both the guest and public areas are luxurious,” says Michael Duggan, president of Boutique Hotels and Resorts.

“There’s lots of marble in the lobby and the washrooms are all four-fixture washrooms. We use a lot of Boutique Hotels & Resorts products, including Acca Kappa amenities, and Milano coffee from a Vancouver-based company. There are bodums in each room.”

Some signature suites are designed for extended stays, with a full kitchen and two bedrooms.

“It will operate on a very high touch, high service basis – with a large reception area on the fifth floor with quite a few couches and seating areas where we serve complimentary continental breakfast and appetizers after work from a kitchen that is also located on the fifth floor.

“There are lap pools and hot tubs on the fifth floor balcony, plus a very small spa with signature treatments.”

There is a library lounge on thesixth floor with a couple of workstations and places where guests can sit and read the paper.

Gail Chapelsky, who has experience with both the Marriott and Pan Pacific, is the general manager for the property.