Come, take a virtual tour of the new Best Western

The new Best Western was just about ready to open its doors on Tuesday. People seemed to be everywhere, vacuuming, working on new technological systems and generally making sure that the city's newest hotel would be ready for its planned "soft opening" this Thursday. David F. Rooney photo

By David F. Rooney

The new Best Western was just about ready to open its doors on Tuesday. People seemed to be everywhere, vacuuming, working on new technological systems and generally making sure that the city’s newest hotel would be ready for its planned “soft opening” this Thursday.

“We’ll probably have a grand opening in the spring but for now we’ll have a soft opening on Thursday and then we’ll be ready for business,” said General Manager Brady Beruschi.

The hotel has a nice clean design and was built with a lot of local stone and wood by largely (98 per cent) craftsmen and subcontractors, he said.

“It was built on budget but we’re a month behind schedule,” Beruschi said. “The wind storm (that damaged work on the upper floors last year) set us back a bit and so did some of the road closures.”

But it’s almost ready to open now — just in time for the Family Day long weekend in Alberta and the President’s Day long weekend in the United States.

Located at 1925 Laforme Boulevard with 87 rooms ($199 a night), 11 of them with handicap access and two executive suites (at $229 a night) this newest member of the Best Western chain boasts a lot of local art — much of it comprised of Rob Buchanan’s distinctive photography and prints. There is a work out room, saunas, two outdoor hot tubs and a pool, a breakfast room and lounge. Although a very limited menu will be available in the evening, guests who’d prefer to dine in style will be shuttled to the 112 Restaurant at the Regent or any other restaurant of their choice, Beruschi said.

If you’d like to reserve a room at this lovely new hotel please call 250-837-2043 or send an e-mail to info@revelstokebestwestern.com or visit the hotel’s website. In the meantime, here is a selection of photos from The Revelstoke Current’s exclusive tour on Tuesday afternoon:

Esther Carey, Angela Thompson and Lorraine Beruschi were working on the front desk technology on Tuesday afternoon. David F. Rooney photo
This is the lobby of the new Best Western. All of that stone is local. And there's lots of it inside and out. David F. Rooney photo
And so is all of the lovely cedar used throughout the hotel. David F. Rooney photo
Construction Superintendent Tyler Hannah looks over a set of blue prints in the breakfast room on the ground floor. David F. Rooney photo
The hotel has 87 rooms including 11 handicapped rooms with extra-wide doorways and two spacious executive suites on the top floor with airy views of the mountains. David F. Rooney photo
There is a lot of local art, including these prints and many, many photographs by Rob Buchanan. David F. Rooney photo
This is one of the suites featuring king-sized beds. David F. Rooney photo
And these, of course, are queen-sized beds. The colour scheme throughout the hotel is a series of browns ranging from dark chocolate through to clay and beige. David F. Rooney photo
This is the view from one of the executive suites. David F. Rooney photo
And this is the bed in the executive suite. Looks comfy, doesn't it? David F. Rooney photo
Chelsea Lamont (left) chats with Michael Hoffman of MKI Development Management Inc. who oversaw construction of the hotel, and General Manager Brady Beruschi in the lobby. David F. Rooney photo
Revelstoke — that should say it all. David F. Rooney photo