From the traditional pub fare to house-made burgers, AAA-grade steaks to fresh seafood, Reid Hotel has seen it all. The famous Vanderhoof hotel was closed temporarily due to renovations, and is going to be re-opening later this summer to the public.
While talking to the Express, Annette Read, owner of Reid Hotel, expressed her excitement for the reopening.
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The Reid hotel has been in Vanderhoof for years. Would love for you to shed some light about the history of the hotel.
What is now the Reid Hotel was originally the Egan and was built in 1916. It was later renamed the Mayo. It’s original location was where the village now stores its equipment. It was moved twice by teams of horses - the final move (in the 1930s) was across the tracks to our current location. It was later named ‘The Reid Hotel’ by Bob Reid. In the 1960s, my father, Frank Read purchased the hotel and ran it until 2003 when my partner and I purchased it. Our friend and a long time supporter of the Reid, Barb Penner, has spent countless hours researching our hotel. We intend to use the photos and information she has gathered so that our patrons can enjoy a more detailed history when they visit the historic Reid Hotel.
Where did the idea of renovating the hotel come from? What all are you renovating within the hotel?
Our vision when we began our renovation was to simply upgrade our hotel rooms. This plan changed as we began to understand the scope of the structural improvements required. What we have ended up with is a totally restored building. This has allowed us to create a luxury boutique hotel. The rooms will offer all of the latest technologies, luxury beds and linens, custom rain showers with heated floors in the bathrooms as well as other premium amenities. Although the rooms will be small in size they will be huge in luxury.
It was not our intent to change the bar/restaurant area but structural issues forced us to gut the entire place including the old foundation. During this phase, we found many old drawings and paintings behind layers of drywall. These pieces will be restored and placed in the new restaurant. The design of the restaurant has been altered considerably and our customers will need to find their new favourite seats, however, the food and the service will be familiar.
Anything else you would like to say about the hotel, and the excitement you have in showcasing an updated Reid Hotel to residents and visitors?
We are really excited to offer an upscale hotel in northern British Columbia. We have worked hard to come up with a design that reuses some of the old art and reclaimed wood in a sleek and modern way. In the coming weeks, you can expect to see our exterior renovations nearing completion. We are thankful to have so many people interested in our project and we will try to post progress reports on our Facebook page in the coming months.
Sarabjit Kaur
Multimedia Journalist - Vanderhoof Omineca Express, Caledonia Courier
sarabjit.kaur@ominecaexpress.com
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