The race to find a place to stay for the 2010 Olympics is underway. Although Executive Suites Hotel at Garibaldi Springs Golf Resort is months away from opening, owners are already in discussions to rent the entire 111-suite building out for four months during the Games.
David MacKenzie, area general manager for Atlific Hotels and Resorts, said individual reservations from spectators are not nearly as attractive as long-term group bookings. For this reason, his company has been working with the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games for approval to accommodate supporting staff.
"All of our hotels have been ringing off the hooks," said MacKenzie of the Olympic buzz.
Atlific Hotels and Resorts will be managing Executive Suites in Squamish. The company also manages sister hotels in Pemberton, Whistler and Vancouver.Currently, the going rate for a room at hotels across the Sea to Sky Corridor during the Games is $180, he said, adding that when the time comes, leftover rooms will be renting "in the thousands of dollars."
The four-month deal now being considered would cut Executive Suites out of this last-minute rat race, but the arrangement would likely yield better profits over the winter season.
Since Executive Suites is a strata operation, the owners of individual units will ultimately make or break the plan. The strata approach to hotel management means that different people own all 111 suites. People can use their suite for 70 days a year. If many choose to use their suites during the Olympics, the deal could fall through.
However, owners share hotel profits when their room is open to guests. MacKenzie said this arrangement would make it an easy decision.
"We can't limit when they stay, but when we tell them the piece of business we have, we won't be turned away."
Guy Young, president of Garibaldi Springs Golf Resort said he expects the event to propel the hotel past any opening lull it may endure.
"Olympic-related business makes the ramp up time shorter," he said.
Not every hotel in Squamish will be as well suited to accommodate supporting staff for the Games. At a hardhat tour of the building on Thursday (Oct. 11), construction workers showed a group of about 20 people some of the hotel's stand out features.In Executive Suites, every room has a full-size kitchen. The one and two-bedroom units also have a washer and dryer. While the unpainted suites are still waiting for granite countertops and appliances, once finished, they will each have a fridge, stove and dishwasher.
Young said this set-up makes the hotel ideal for longer stays. He added that it would likely be the most upscale hotel in Squamish.
Aside from the Olympics, Young said the hotel will appeal to three groups of people: those coming to Squamish for outdoor recreation, those visiting for business or family, and those needing to stop on their way to Whistler.
"On average, it will absolutely be more affordable than a lot of hotels in Whistler," he said.
He estimated that when the hotel opens, a studio will rent for about $99 a night. The hotel is slated to open in January 2008.
