(rdnewsNOW/Troy Gillard)

By Troy Gillard

First Nations group takes over

Red Deer’s Cambridge hotel under new ownership

Dec 7, 2020 | 1:13 PM

The Red Deer Cambridge Hotel and Conference Centre is under new ownership.

O’Chiese Hospitality Limited Partnership assumed ownership and operations of the business on Nov. 2 from Temple Hotels Inc.

General Manager Gil Vallee is excited to have local ownership take over.

“This is an iconic hotel that has been a cornerstone of the community for a number of years, and I really am excited that we have local ownership that is interested in seeing progression, making an investment in this hotel, making some changes in the physical layout of the hotel over the next few years. We’ll have some pride in ownership, for sure.”

Vallee says there will be no major operating changes made at the Cambridge, which will retain its current name under the new ownership, until the COVID-19 pandemic has passed.

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“Their motto has been ‘business as usual.’ They bought the business because of the type of hotel that it is and the success it has had. They don’t want that to be altered.”

Vallee shared that the new ownership group wants to see the Cambridge become a hub for Indigenous business.

“We have quite a few First Nations communities throughout central Alberta. So to have this become a hub and a meeting place for them, it makes complete sense. That’s part of their longer-term vision.”

Given how the COVID-19 pandemic has “decimated” the hospitality industry, as he puts it, Vallee says the ownership change comes at an opportune time.

“It made the transition a little bit easier because we’re not in the middle of (hosting) a bunch of conferences during the middle of a sale as there’s a lot of work that has to be done,” he explained. “We’re still running on skeleton staffing right now, so for those still working it took a lot of work to see it through.”

About 250 of the facility’s staff remains laid off due to the pandemic. A bright spot has come with Hockey Canada using the Cambridge as its hub for its World Junior Hockey Championship Selection Camp, which Vallee says allowed about 60 staff members to be hired back on.

“It’s been fantastic for us. There have been a few struggles as we’ve gone through it. But in all of our conversations with Hockey Canada they’ve been very pleased with everything with our hospitality and providing space for them.”

The history of the Cambridge Hotel and Conference Centre located at the corner of 32 Street and Gaetz Avenue dates back to 1961 with the building of the Capri Motel Inn. Al Pasutto bought it three years later.

The building has undergone several name changes over the years and was most recently rebranded in 2019 from Sheraton Red Deer to the Cambridge Red Deer Hotel & Conference Centre under the ownership of Temple Hotels Inc. and managed by Atlific Hotels.

The O’Chiese First Nation purchased Jackpot Casino in downtown Red Deer in Nov. 2017.