New ownership takes over at once-notorious Winnipeg hotel
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WINNIPEG — New owners took over Winnipeg’s former Maryland Hotel on Thursday, with a multimillion-dollar renovation and a new restaurant planned to capitalize on its close proximity to Health Sciences Centre.
TriCan Advisory Inc., a new entry in the hospitality sector, bought the once-notorious inner-city hotel, bar and beer vendor from businessman Amarjeet Warraich, who recently operated it as the New Lodge.
“The vision for the owners is they want to turn the New Lodge into another hotel, but really offer an affordable, safe place for whether it’s medical patients or locals or out-of-towners to utilize when they’re visiting Winnipeg or if they’re trying to access the hospital services,” said Richard Tu, a spokesman for the ownership group.
The 60-room hotel, across from HSC’s campus, is closed for now. Tu said the owners are hoping to put at least $3 million to $4 million into renovations and upgrades, which are expected to take about three to four months to complete.
The bar and beer vendor — located in a separate building on the other side of the hotel’s parking lot at Maryland Street and Notre Dame Avenue — are closed and will not reopen. Once renovated, the space will have a restaurant that doesn’t serve alcohol, Tu said.
The goal is to create something like a gathering place for local residents, hotel guests and people who work nearby.
“We want to be a solution to the community. We don’t want to put up barriers,” Tu said.
The hotel building will also have a restaurant that doesn’t serve alcohol, he said.
The West End property is in an area with higher rates of poverty and crime. Police investigated several violent incidents, including shootings, stabbings and robberies, outside the bar and beer vendor alone over the years.
The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba confirmed the property’s retail beer vendor and age-restricted liquor service licences were no longer active.
» Winnipeg Free Press
Warraich, who plans to retire, bought the hotel in 2003. It was known as the Maryland Motor Hotel and Maryland Hotel for decades before it was rebranded around 2012, first under the Econo Lodge brand.
The hotel’s sale price was not disclosed.
» Winnipeg Free Press
Tu said the new owners have not yet chosen a name for the hotel. They are open to it becoming a branded hotel.
The owners are also open to partnering with northern communities or agencies on long-term leases of rooms for people who visit Winnipeg for medical appointments or other reasons, Tu added.
» Winnipeg Free Press