The city's first four-star hotel is now underway in the downtown.
For weeks, the preparation work has been underway on the new Delta Hotel location beside the city's library. On Monday, dignitaries and hotel officials met at the site to officially welcome the new investment.
The price tag for the local ownership group River City Hotel Management Corp., along with management partner Delta Hotels and Resorts, is pegged at about $35 million.
"This is a significant private investment into the heart of Prince George that speaks volumes to the confidence the proponents have in our city and the region," said spokesman Clint Dahl, who credited Initiatives Prince George with getting the idea rolling in the first place and current municipal officials for guiding the project through the regulatory system.
Delta Hotels president and CEO Ken Greene was on hand to say this new building would be home to the best practices, designs and technologies amassed by the company in their preexisting 11,000 guest rooms at 42 hotels and resorts.
"We look forward to doing our part to drive the economy," said Greene. "Our team at Delta is already is already working hard to encourage national and international visitors to consider Prince George as a location for their meetings, events and stays."
The new hotel will have 170 guest rooms, a 4,000-square foot ballroom, an additional 3,000 square feet of meeting space, an indoor pool, fitness centre, business centre, a restaurant and a lounge.
"The best news is, it will be ready for the 2015 Canada Winter Games," said local MLA Shirley Bond who, as B.C.'s minister of jobs and skills training, pointed out the 120 construction jobs and 100 ongoing operational jobs the project was bringing to the city.
Fellow Prince George MLA Mike Morris said he already knew of former Prince George residents working for the Delta Hotels chain who were petitioning the company for a transfer back home when the facility opened.
Lheidli T'enneh First Nation chief Dominic Frederick was on hand to officially welcome the development on their territory. "I hope you enjoy your stay - permanently," he said.
