Delta Saguenay first of a new breed

Delta’s Hank Stackhouse compares the proposed renovations to the Delta Saguenay with the $6 million redevelopment of the Delta Sault Ste. Marie, ON shown above. That renovation was completed in early 2010.

TORONTO—Delta Hotels and Resorts is expanding into Saguenay, QC, with the purchase of a new property­—touted to be the city’s first four-star hotel—slated to open next spring.

“It’s a great conversion, similar to our property in Sault Ste. Marie,” says company president and CEO Hank Stackhouse. The Delta Sault Ste. Marie Waterfront Hotel and Conference Centre underwent a $6 million renovation, which was completed early last year.

“[Delta Saguenay] is a 10-storey, solid 4-star property, very clean, with an outstanding general manager,” he adds.

The 155-room Delta Saguenay Hotel and Conference Centre will feature redesigned guestrooms, upgraded amenities and a new restaurant and lounge. The lobby and public areas will also be redone, and will include areas to socialize, a business centre and a fitness centre.

“As the only hotel in the region north of Quebec City with a convention centre, the Delta Saguenay further strengthens our ability to attract conferences and group meetings in Quebec, which is a critical part of our growth strategy in the province,” Stackhouse notes.

The hotel boasts 22,000 square feet of meeting space and a 12,000 square foot ballroom.

The property will stay open during the renovations, which should be completed near the end of the first quarter of 2012.

Stackhouse believes this renovation will be a model for other tertiary markets. Its next generation guest room “will position Delta extremely well” he says.

“We are relaunching the brand in terms of a new look and feel. Right now we have as many as six model rooms across the country, and we’re very close to full execution.”

The hotel is operated by Intercontinental Hotel Group under the Holiday Inn brand, and is owned and managed by Saguenay Limited Partnership, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Vista Hospitality Group.

It will be franchised under the Delta brand once the renovations are complete. The hotel’s executive team and employees will stay on during and after the transition.