Guests are now staying at the new Courtyard by Marriott hotel in downtown Nanaimo, after it opened earlier this week. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

open doors

New downtown Nanaimo Marriott hotel officially opens

Mar 16, 2023 | 8:50 AM

NANAIMO — Bookings are now being taken at the newest hotel on the central Island.

The Courtyard by Marriott Nanaimo was declared officially open this week and is accepting guests, with online rates for a room ranging from $137 to $399 per night over the coming weeks.

Ryan McRae, vice president of business development for owner Hotel Equities, said moving into Nanaimo made a lot of sense.

“The Vancouver Island market has been a focus of ours for quite some time and we look forward to having representation in this highly desirable destination. We expect to continue our growth here and look forward to serving the community and the many visitors who travel here.”

The 172-room hotel is located in the heart of downtown Nanaimo, next to the Vancouver Island Conference Centre.

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Surrounding amenities also include Casino Nanaimo, Commercial St. retail outlets and Port Place Shopping Centre.

Inside the nine-storey hotel, a majority of the rooms have single king beds, while 65 units have two queen beds and 12 rooms are geared toward people with physical disabilities.

Amenities also include a street-level cafe, gym and indoor pool.

An Expedia listing for the Courtyard by Marriott hotel in Nanaimo, with rooms available for Thursday, March 16. (Expedia.com)

Fifty-one people are on staff at the hotel including 35 full time employees.

During a mid-February site tour with NanaimoNewsNOW, hotel general manager Paul Dodds said the property will be a big boost for the downtown.

“This was a vacant area that was underutilized space. I think adding some more foot traffic here and some more people coming down to Commercial St. and the waterfront, it was long overdue.”

Decor inside the hotel is inspired by Snuneymuxw artists, with the First Nation involved in a management agreement with the property.

Erralyn Joseph, president of Snunymuxw First Nation’s economic development arm Petroglyph Development Group, sees a hotel as a vital place to share their history with original art placed throughout the hotel creating “a warm feeling” for everybody.

“It puts Snuneymuxw people out in the open to share a bit of our history and that’s very important,” Joseph said.

Construction began in 2019 in order to comply with a building permit which was nearing expiration.

Prior construction completion estimates were set for both 2021 and last year, however delays related to the pandemic pushed timelines back.

The hotel qualifies for a 10-year municipal property tax exemption; a program which the City enacted in 2012 to encourage investment in local hotel and motel development.

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