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UVic seeks new operator, new look for Swans Hotel

Swans Hotel and Brewpub might get more than just a new operator when the University of Victoria completes its search for a new partner to manage the property. The 28-year-old hotel downtown at Store Street and Pandora Avenue may also get a new look.
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Swans Hotel & Brewpub in downtown Victoria.

Swans Hotel and Brewpub might get more than just a new operator when the University of Victoria completes its search for a new partner to manage the property.

The 28-year-old hotel downtown at Store Street and Pandora Avenue may also get a new look.

Peter Kuran, president and chief executive of UVic Properties, which manages the hotel, said the new operator will have some freedom to make changes and renovate the space when they take over.

“We do want a partner to come in with the ability to fund a renovation to keep up that area and to be relevant and current and still pay homage to what has been there,” Kuran said. “The last time we had a substantial reno was 30 years ago.”

Kuran said UVic will retain ownership of the building. The hope is a new operator will breathe new life into the space, which was bequeathed to the university by businessman and philanthropist Michael Williams, who died in 2000.

“It is a very exciting time for this area of Victoria and we look forward to being a part of it, with the Swans property, for a long time,” Kuran said.

In the past few years, the area has seen the Janion property converted to condominiums and commercial space, Pandora Avenue adding condominiums and a new traffic pattern with separated bike lane, and the first phases of construction on the Johnson Street Bridge.

On Friday, UVic Properties issued a request for expressions of interest to operate the 29-room hotel, pub, brewery and liquor store. Kuran said they need an operator with more experience in the hospitality industry.

“We have been managing it in-house, which is what led us to this point. We are a real estate asset-management company that manages these assets for the university. We don’t have depth in our group on the hospitality side,” Kuran said. “So we are looking for a partner to deliver on that depth where hospitality is their core business.”

Kuran said asking for proposals will give them a good idea of what may be possible in the marketplace. “We really wanted to see who is out there. We are hoping to reach a wide market to hopefully get the best possible partnership,” he said.

Kuran said they consulted with several local firms over the past year to get ideas for what UVic should be doing with Swans as the neighbourhood around changed.

That led to rumours that some local brewers were poised to take over Swans.

That didn’t happen, but Kuran said he would not be surprised if some of the parties he met with offer proposals.

“We talked to quite a few different folks so hopefully we do get some interest from them,” he said, noting he believes experience on the brewing and pub side of things will be the biggest asset for a new operator.

“The hotel is quite small in the mix of things, so if you have knowledge of brewing or a brewpub and understand the craft-beer market, that’s a strong skill set to have,” he said.

UVic expects to have a short list of interested parties by mid-March and perhaps a partner identified by July, though Kuran does not expect the new operator to be fully hands-on until the fall.

UVic has also made it clear it wants a partner that will deliver continuous employment for the 64 people who work at the site.

Employees will be offered incentives to stay with Swans as it heads into a possible transition, a UVic statement said.

aduffy@timescolonist.com