The City of Kelowna has revealed new details about a hotel planned for the airport.
The six-storey Sutton Place Hotel will include a parkade and will be built on the property adjacent to the terminal.
The city held an event Wednesday at the Laurel Packinghouse to show off the plans.
“The airport is going from over two million passengers (annually) now, which we’ve just passed, to up to and working towards 3.5 million. So to be able to accommodate those individuals who come into not only Kelowna but the Okanagan Valley — we believe this to be a very big deal,” said Kelowna Mayor Tom Dyas.
When completed, the hotel will bring a whole new accommodation option to travellers while also adding nearly 1,000 additional parking spots at the airport, jumping from 2,400 to 3,400.
“We’re offering a much wider range of services. So if you look at the parking for example, we have valet parking today. But now you’ll have covered parking and an array of amenities of different parking products. And again, as we continue to grow as an airport, those are the kinds of amenities that some people will want to use," said airport director Sam Samaddar.
The hotel will also include a restaurant, bringing the many great tastes of the Okanagan, including wine and other foods, to the tastebuds of its guests and visitors.
As the population of Kelowna and surrounding area grows, YLW and the city say the hotel project will help boost business and tourism in the Okanagan, while also making travel in and out of the city more convenient.
“The reality is the highest occupancy hotels in Kelowna are actually by the airport, they’re not downtown," said Samaddar.
"It’s about convenience where you have people travelling to the airport. We have a pretty large catchment area. As we continue to grow, our catchment area is going to grow, so if you’re coming from Osoyoos to catch a 6 o’clock flight, you don’t want to be getting up at 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. in the morning, so you’re going to come the night before and you’re going to stay at the airport hotel."
The hotel will come with 245 rooms and will also feature a sixth floor penthouse, business conference facilities, an indoor leisure and fitness centre, full-service valet, bell-hop, concierge and turndown service.
Construction is expected to start on the hotel, which has been many years in the making, in about a year.
