Once a major landmark in Squamish, the Chieftain Hotel became a meeting point for drug dealers, failed nightclubs and filth - but now, with new owners and a new general manager, this historic establishment can look to the future while preserving the past.
Raj Gounder is the man behind the 1950s-era hotel's rejuvenation, hired as the GM by owner Bob Nijjar to revamp the building's interior and exterior. He said hotel, when he took over one year ago, was a sad sight.
"It was bad, really bad, like, wow. It was bad," he said. "It was very dirty and there were drug dealers working in front of the pub. When I was first shown the place I wanted to run but I didn't know which way to go."
But Gounder, who describes himself as someone who likes challenges, decided to take on the task of revamping the Chieftain and cleaning up its act.
"The first thing I did was changed was the roof. Then I took the pay phones and public washrooms out of the lobby to stop people coming in off the street," he said. "Then I barred people whose activities I didn't like out of the bar for good."At first, people didn't know me or trust me and they didn't like the changes I was making. I have been threatened and assaulted. But there are no drug dealers here now. And that's what I wanted. I wanted people to feel safe walking at night in front of the Chieftain."
After getting rid of the "unsavory" characters, Gounder then focused his attention to making the building beautiful from the inside out.
"The hotel was completely redone," he said. "We completely redid all of the rooms, new carpet, new paint, new furniture, curtains, paint, washrooms, TVs, everything."
Gounder said the lobby received new tiling, new chandeliers, and a new front desk. He said the lounge was still under renovation but would maintain its authentic mid-twentieth-century bar.
Now Gounder is focusing on the Code Blue nightclub.
"People are begging me to open the nightclub, but one thing at a time," he said. "Right now Code Blue is getting a face lift. We are also looking for good security before we open."
Gounder said the biggest change to the Chieftain pub besides the removal of unwanted clientele was the removal of boards, which had covered the windows for 43 years.
"I wanted to open it up so there was light, and at first some people didn't like it but I thought, 'after six months, I don't have to explain myself,'" he said. "Now I close the bar exactly to the second and remove people from the bar for fighting. I want it to be fun and friendly here and I will not tolerate fighting in my bar."
Gounder said his approach has paid off and he has developed a great relationship with the pub's cliental as well as his staff. "I love the people who come in here, they are some of the best customers in the world. There is something about this place that keeps people loyal," he said. "My staff too, they are great and they love working here. I always say, 'love working here or don't work here.'"
And Gounder isn't the only one who loves the Chieftain, Anne Heche the star of Men in Trees, a series filmed in Squamish that premieres this fall on ABC, was quoted in the Vancouver Province last month as saying she "loved" the Chieftain Pub.
The series rebuilt a model of the bar inside their studio and used it in several of their locally filmed shots.
