Welland in the News
Holiday Inn Express in Welland to open late this month
August 4, 2021
Holiday Inn Express in Welland to open late this month
The 80-room Holiday Inn Express in Welland is expected to be open in late August. KRIS DUBE / TORSTAR
An 80-room Holiday Inn Express in Welland with a construction value of about $15 million is 85 per cent complete and is expected to start welcoming overnight guests in late August.
The structure at 224 Power Dr., behind Walmart and Canadian Tire northeast of Woodlawn Road and Primeway Drive is finished, but furniture, carpeting and other features are in the midst of being installed, said Amit Fogat, spokesperson for the hotel’s management staff.
Work began two years ago. Last August, it was planned that the hotel would open this past March, but pandemic-related delays and lockdowns pushed it back, Fogat said in an interview outside the hotel Wednesday.
But “everything is progressing really well” now, and 10 to 12 people, all from Welland, have been hired to work at what is considered the city’s largest hotel.
More staff will be recruited “based on how many people come in,” said Fogat, noting a projection from last year that said more than 30 people would be employed on opening day has also been impacted by the pandemic.
Construction costs have increased slightly due to the health crisis, as well as the availability of contractors.
“Everything is expensive now,” he said.