Just before 1 o’clock on Thursday afternoon, the first guest checked into the new Fairfield By Marriott hotel on 8 Mulcahy Ct. in west Orillia.
The 92-room hotel includes 50 rooms with queen-sized beds and 42 rooms with king-sized beds.
The hotel is home to four executive suites, and 11 accessible rooms powered with automatic doors, blinds, drapery, and hearing-impaired doorbells.
The hotel is powered by state-of-the-art technology featuring mobile check-ins and room keys, as well as two electric car charging stations.
Guests are also able to enjoy the indoor pool, a fitness room, breakfast room, and conference meeting space. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the hotel will have to restrict access to some areas of the building.
The breakfast room will currently only be able to offer grab-and-go options, the pool and fitness centre have limited access, and masks must be worn in common areas.
During the pandemic, the hotel industry has been taking a major hit, but that didn’t stop Fairfield staff from wanting to open the new facility.
“We still wanted to push through, we want to show people that there is still business out there ... We are getting a ton of calls from people inquiring about the hotel,” says general manager Michelle Weber.
“We have the Rotary Place down the street, we are off the highway, this is a great area to be in, and we are doing OK with the reservations so far,” she said.
The hotel has high expectations for its success even with very little to no current local tourism industry. The hotel believes its team of 18 employees can still give guests a unique and enjoyable stay.
“We figure we are still going to do well in this market because we are a new product,” Weber said.
“I have a really good team that has a lot of hotel experience, so I think we will still do very well for our first year.”
The hotel has already taken multiple bookings for weddings this summer, leaving staff optimistic for busier times ahead.
“It’s not going to be what we want it to be in the beginning, but nobody could expect that at this point,” Weber said.
The hotel is offering a grand opening special from March 25 to June 30. The traditional room stays will be $89 Sunday through Thursdays, and $99 Friday through Saturday.
“We welcome people to come and check us out. If people want to stop by and say hello and take a look around, we would be more than happy to accommodate them,” Weber said.
