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The new owners of a Winnipeg hotel that’s been the site of several violent incidents hope to rehabilitate its seedy reputation.
The New Lodge Hotel — formerly known as the Maryland Hotel — as well as the beer vendor and bar across its parking lot have been sold to a company called TriCan Advisory Inc., Winnipeg real estate broker ICI Properties says.
ICIP realtor Jane Arnot, who represented TriCan in the purchase, says the company plans to make a “significant investment” to renovate the Notre Dame Avenue facility and turn it into a safe, family-oriented hotel.
“This is an area … the purchaser has intended to invest in making a safe, happy place for people to come,” Arnot said Friday.
The realtor saysTriCan is looking for additional investors, but that the new ownership is aiming to replace the beer vendor with a restaurant that will not serve any alcohol.
A west end hotel in an area with a reputation for violence has been sold to new owners who have big plans. They’re hoping to be part of the revitalization of the area and create a safe space for people who live and stay in the area.
The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba said in a statement it cancelled the beer vendor’s licence to sell alcohol on Thursday.
The notorious inner-city hotel — formerly known as the Maryland Hotel — is located in neighbourhood with a very high crime rate. Police have responded to several stabbings, shootings and robberies outside it over the years.
“You definitely get the consistent flashing lights, police hovering around,” said Wayne Fabin, who grew up in the area and currently rents out a house beside the beer vendor.
“Even just within the last few years, a lot of incidents and everything … around the neighbourhood.”
Fabin says he hopes the development brings change to the area.
Multi-million budget for renovations
Arnot would not disclose how much the company spent to buy the property.
TriCan has budgeted up to $4 million budget for renovations such as improving the building’s ventilation system and getting new furniture, Arnot says.
With the Health Sciences Centre campus nearby, Arnot says, TriCan plans to target people in town for medical stays.
“Maybe [they] don’t have forms of transportation and want to be able to have their children go for a meal in the restaurant [or] be able to stay close by to family members that may be in the hospital for treatment, for example,” she said.
Former owner Amarjeet Warraich, who purchased the Maryland Hotel in 2003, said in a statement it felt like the right time to retire after more than 20 years in the community, and that he’s happy for the new owners and their plans to revitalize the area.
Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/maryland-hotel-sold-trican-health-sciences-centre-9.7069266?cmp=rss
