Great Blue Heron Hotel – Port Perry’s first – now open in Scugog
Published November 3, 2021 at 10:30 am
The grand opening of the Great Blue Heron Casino Hotel may have been pushed forward a year or so but pandemic’s going to pandemic and delays happen.
The important thing for casino General Manager Christine Pickard is the hotel is finally open and casino guests now have a place to stay the night.
“The world changed in March 2020,” she said. “We were a couple of months away (from opening) but the whole hotel project was put on pause.”
On Monday the 116-room hotel got its grand opening and Pickard and her team – as well as landowners the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation – got to show off their new project.
Built by Matheson Constructors of Aurora, the four-storey, 67,500 square-foot mostly wood structure incorporates many of the design features of the casino while providing the level of comfort expected of a first-class hotel, including a fitness centre and a business centre.
Hoops dancer Niemke Osqwamick performs at the grand opening of the Great Blue Heron Hotel
The casino opened in 1997 and Pickard said opening a hotel on site became a priority after Great Canadian Gaming and Brookfield Properties took over the day-to-day gaming operations of the ‘GTA Bundle’ (Great Blue Heron, Ajax, Woodbine and now Pickering as well) in 2018.
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“We saw an opportunity to invest, but it’s a bit of a destination up here, so it’s a great spot for a hotel, Pickard said. “And not just for gamblers, but for others visiting Scugog for a weekend getaway.”
“It’s the first hotel in Port Perry. We’re very excited.”
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