After sitting vacant for more than a decade, the former Myron’s nightclub building in downtown Charlottetown has been sold with plans to turn it into a 105-room hotel.
The new owner, Richard Homburg, CEO and chairman of Homburg Atlantic Inc. (and CEO of Dyne Holdings Ltd. in Charlottetown), said the deal was finalized on Friday.
The new Arts Hotel on Kent Street (next to Hopyard) is expected to be opened in May 2020.
“I think there is a market for it,” Homburg said on Tuesday.
Renovations, including some demolition, are going to begin immediately. That work will involve raising the building by two storeys, he said.
Homburg said the project is still in the planning stages and has to go through zoning and permit applications. Even so, he added that the final plan could include suites and more than 105 rooms.
Homburg explained the rooms would be clean and modern with their own bathroom and shower but smaller and less expensive than a normal sized hotel room. People staying at the hotel will “self check-in,” said Homburg. Unlike the company’s other high-end hotels, such as the Holman Grand Hotel, the new project is going to be a “no star” hotel.
The 8,000 square-foot first floor will be renovated for a lobby, common seating area with internet connectivity, a cafeteria-styled restaurant and artwork on display, including a collection of Salvador Dalí paintings, as well as a café named after the artist. There will also be a recreation area in the basement with pool tables and ping-pong tables.
The hotel is going to be more in line with bed and breakfast establishments rather than high-end hotels, he said.
Dyne Holdings Ltd. is going to be responsible for managing the hotel. John Cudmore, Dyne’s president, said the company is negotiating with the City of Charlottetown about providing parking for the hotel guests, which could include spaces at the Fitzroy parkade or at street metres.
Cudmore added that the rooms are expected to be priced between $99 and $159 a night, depending on the size of the room and the time of year. As well, monthly rates will be available for students during the winter.
“We can provide affordable rooms in a downtown location, it’s going to be hard to beat,” he said. “Minimally furnished, the basic standards people expect.”
Homburg said he has been discussing the building’s availability with former owner Wendell MacEachern for several years.
Myron’s closed for the first time in March of 2005. MacEachern acquired the building and re-opened the nightclub in August of that year. But in 2006, it closed again for the final time.
“Homburg is going to totally improve the look of the downtown core,” said MacEachern on Tuesday.
“Everything is good ... But I don’t have any free parking in the downtown core now.”
Both MacEachern and Homburg declined to say how much the building cost.
For Gordie Kirkpatrick, Homburg’s project manager, reviving the former Myron’s building is important for another reason. Kirkpatrick was the night bar manager at Myron’s in the 1990s.
“It’s been sad to see the demise of it. So, I’m looking forward to seeing the business successful again,” he said.
