A feather in his Crowne
The bar is raised as former Ramada gets a major makeover
April 16, 2008
Meredith Macleod
The Hamilton Spectator
Hotelier Oscar Kichi unveiled what $7 million and 15 months of planning and renovations could do for his downtown Hamilton hotel yesterday.
It buys all new furniture and plasma flat screens for 216 rooms, plush carpeting and bedding, bathrooms with marble tile, raised sinks and glassed-in showers, a sleek new lobby with a stone wall and fireplace, a new restaurant and wine bar.
It also buys the less glamorous items like new plumbing, wiring, and heating and cooling systems.
The Ramada Plaza hotel on King Street East near Catharine, once tired and outdated, will be rebranded as an upscale Crowne Plaza in about a month. Standard rooms will rent for $139 a night, while five suites, some featuring Jacuzzi tubs, kitchenettes and fireplaces, will go for $249.
Sometime in June, Kichi's plan to open a conference and meeting centre next door will finally be realized. Yesterday, workers were mudding drywall amid a maze of scaffolding, pallets of wood and brick, and bags of concrete.
A former Odeon theatre will open as the Lincoln Alexander Conference Centre, featuring 33,000 square feet of convention floor space, a 400-seat lecture theatre and executive meeting rooms.
Kichi says he sought out the Crowne Plaza flag for his newest venture because the chain focuses on meeting the needs of business clients and attracting conferences.
"This city needs one-stop shopping for conferences and conventions."
The theatre's stage was extended to accommodate live shows and concerts. The space can also play movies, said Kichi.
The hotel's new restaurant, Coco's Mediterranean Restaurant and Wine Bar, will feature mixed cuisine and Ontario wines, under the direction of executive chef Sean Tweten.
Niagara-on-the-Lake designer Wendy Edwards has planned everything in the hotel and conference centre, from the public washrooms to the lobby and guest rooms.
InterContinental Hotels Group, which owns the Crowne Plaza, InterContinental, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels, has approved every choice, from wall colours to fabrics, said Edwards.
The chain's representatives will be doing an inspection of the site in the next few days, she said.
Existing hotel amenities include an indoor pool, a full-service spa and a fitness room. A hallmark of the Crowne Plaza is its Sleep Advantage: seven layers of comfort bedding and a sleep package for guests that includes a CD with sleep tips, an eye mask, ear plugs, lavender spray and a night light.
Kichi, who built the Marriott Courtyard on Upper James and has signalled his intention to build a hotel or even two at the McMaster Innovation Park, says his downtown conference centre plan was in place five years ago. But he couldn't secure financing until Effort Trust, which owns the building, stepped in to help land the funding.
The Iranian immigrant once made a fortune selling cars but was devastated by an economic slowdown and landed in prison after turning to fraud to pay his debts. He built a new life after revitalizing a bankrupt hotel on Upper James and bought the Ramada in 1998.
"I love old buildings and to bring something alive that is old," said Kichi. "This shows that you can do something great in the downtown."
Kichi has no shortage of ideas. He's dreamt of being part of a consortium that could save the storied Royal Connaught and he had visions of bringing an ambitious harbourfront development to Hamilton, including the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
Duncan Gillespie, CEO of Hamilton Entertainment and Conference Facilities Inc., was clearly impressed by Kichi's project yesterday.
"What I see today is extremely encouraging. This raised the bar for existing and new hotels to meet and exceed the standard Oscar has set here with this one."
Gillespie hopes the hotel's revitalization triggers some momentum that can help the city land important events. For instance, he said HECFI has been courting the Canadian Country Music Association awards for a number of years.
"The stumbling block all along has been the lack of hotel rooms."
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