CALGARY - MasterBUILT Hotels, Canada's leader in the development and management of select-service hotels, continues to expand its investment in First Nations communities with new properties in Alberta, Manitoba, British Columbia and Quebec.
Recognized as one of Canada's Best Managed companies by Deloitte since 2015 for its innovative, best-in-class business practices, MasterBUILT has a long history of successful partnerships with First Nations communities.
One of its most enduring relationships is with the Mikisew Cree First Nation based in Fort Chipewyan, Alta. The partners opened a 139-room Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham hotel in Fort McMurray, Alta. in October 2017. A 95-unit Marriott TownePlace Suites is scheduled to open next to the Microtel in January 2019, replacing the Super 8 destroyed during the wildfires that ravaged Fort McMurray in 2016.
"We are very proud of our 25+ year partnership with the Mikisew Cree First Nation and the work we've done together to help rebuild Fort McMurray," said Eric Watson, President of MasterBUILT Hotels.
The Calgary-based company also recently announced a partnership with the Long Plain First Nation and Arrowhead Development Corporation to develop Manitoba's first Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham. Located on the traditional land of the Long Plain First Nation in Portage la Prairie, the 75-room hotel is slated to open in fall 2019.
"The Portage la Prairie Microtel is the first of several locations we plan to build in Manitoba. It will raise the level of accommodation for both business and leisure travellers in the market, and more importantly, it will support economic growth in the local community and Long Plain First Nation for decades to come," said Watson at the ground-breaking ceremony.
"We're excited to partner with an industry leader like MasterBUILT to develop Microtel on our traditional lands," said Chief Dennis Meeches of the Long Plain First Nation. "Partnerships like this create significant employment opportunities and sustainable economic ventures for our people."
In B.C., MasterBUILT partnered with the Stz'uminus First Nation and Coast Salish Development Corp. on the development of the 81-room Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham Oyster Bay Village, a short drive from the Nanaimo airport. The newest hotel to be built on central Vancouver Island in over a decade, the Microtel opened May 2018 and is expected to play a key role in developing a strong residential, commercial and recreational hub in the region on traditional lands.
In Quebec, MasterBUILT has teamed up with the Wemindji Cree First Nation, the Tawich Development Corp. and James Bay Eeyou on the 84-room Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham Val-d'Or. Opened in June, the hotel is the first of 10 Microtels planned for construction in Quebec in the next five years.
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