$45 million Marriott hotel planned for Ontario beachfront town

One of Ontario’s best-known beach towns will get a $45 million Marriott hotel.

The Town of Wasaga Beach, a popular summer hotspot at the southern end of Georgian Bay, announced Sunray Group will now move forward with plans to build an approximately 120-room Marriott hotel.

The hotelier will build on town-owned land near Beach Area 1–a 5.18-acre portion of waterfront land between 1st Street and 3rd Street.

The Marriott hotel will include a year-round, high-quality restaurant, convention facilities, a fitness, spa or pool area, commercial shops and wedding facilities, the Town of Wasaga Beach said in the announcement.

“Sunray Group of Hotels is proud to be investing in the community of Wasaga Beach – the longest freshwater beach in the world,” said Ray Gupta, president and CEO, Sunray Group of Hotels.

Gupta’s family operated a seasonal business, Beach Bazaar, on the main boardwalk in the 1970s.

“I have a strong connection to this beautiful community and to Beach Area 1,” Gupta said. “This is where I spent a lot of time as a youth – I have amazing memories of family vacations spent enjoying the beach and the sun and all of the fun activities.”

The hotel is phase one of what will be a four-phase project near the town’s iconic beachfront, the town said.

Sunray Group will invest over $45 million to build the Marriott hotel and will pay full development charges for all four phases of the project, the town added.

The company will also invest $1.5 million to design and build a “Festival Square” next to the hotel, near the beachfront, which will be used by the municipality for outdoor entertainment and special events.

The town and Sunray have also entered into a joint profit-sharing agreement for three additional phases of development, which are expected to include additional amenities and homes near Beach Area 1.

The residential development could be similar to a model used for the Village at Blue Mountain where homeowners can place their units into a rental pool.

Wasaga Beach is also undergoing a transformation with $38 million in provincial funding for roads and Nancy Island Historic Site.

With files from Ashley Newport

Lead rendering of of planned Marriott hotel: Town of Wasaga Beach