What was supposed to be a minor renovation left the Reid Hotel shut down for nearly three years.
Now, work on the historic hotel is nearly done and they are eyeing a return to service in early 2024.
“We started in 2020 with what was supposed to be a minor renovation,” Annette Read, a Reid Hotel Partner Owner, told My Nechako Valley Now. “That turned into absolutely every bit of the building needing to be redone – plumbing, electrical, foundation, basically a rebuild… It has been an adventure.”
While understandably stressful, Read said the rebuild was also an exciting opportunity to rebrand.
She said the hotel had just been a restaurant for many years; none of the rooms were in use.
The renovation will change that and usher in a return to hotel service. Read said they will offer nine luxury rooms alongside their restaurant upon the hotel’s return.
Read’s family has owned the hotel since the 1960s. She bought the hotel, alongside her partner, from her father in 2003.
“It is a landmark in Vanderhoof,” she said. “People are really looking forward to having a nice place to come for a nice meal when we reopen, and we are looking forward to being able to offer a nice accommodation.”