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New hotel close to opening in Rankin Darrell Greer Northern News Services Published Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Owner John Hickes decided the time was right to build the impressive hotel after seeing his Nanuq Lodge operate at almost peak capacity for the past 18 months. The Nanuq has built a solid reputation for its nice rooms, pleasant staff and comfortable ambience. Hickes said clients can expect more of the same at Nanuq Suites - and more. "I retired, starting collecting Canada Pension and realized I can't live on that rate of income," said Hickes, only half-jokingly. "It's a business venture and, as with all business ventures, there's risk involved. "But our first effort (Nanuq Lodge) is doing well and we can build upon that. "Nanuq Suites will have a lot to offer our clients, whether they're just in town for a night or two or staying with us for a longer period of time." The new building is impressive, with spacious rooms, a common area looking out over the water, a number of state-of-the-art safety features and a suite designed for physically-challenged clients. Hickes said some in the business community feel he should have expanded earlier, but he sees the present timing of his expansion as ideal. He said he has faith Rankin is going to keep growing and its economy continue improving. "You're going to see more businesspeople staying here for longer periods of time and we're going to have a lot to offer some of these people. "Our other business, Tumi Tours, is also growing and I've been surprised by how much support we've received from the corporate world. "Some of them never thought they'd be somewhere where they could spend time on a dog sled, and it's become a nice break from their work. "They've really been enjoying it, especially those who have their family with them, and they love the fact our dogs are trained well enough for them to drive their own team." Business manager Page Burt said Nanuq Suites will have two-room suites with a small fridge, microwave, coffee and tea pots, toaster, sink and dishes so guests can make simple meals in their rooms and keep things cold. The other rooms will have a coffee and tea pot with access to the common area, which will have a fridge, dishwasher, convection microwave, regular microwave, coffee pot and toasters. The hotel will also have a no-cost laundry facility. "If we have more long-term guests, we may only need to hire one full-time person and another part time," said Burt. "But if it tends to be more overnight guests, where we're changing the beds and completely cleaning the rooms every day, we'd have to have two on full time. "We're also looking for someone to manage the new hotel. "The quality of the building is very high and it's going to be an establishment to be proud of." A tour of the new hotel will be held during the Kivalliq Trade Show in Rankin Inlet from Nov. 7-10. Burt said there will also be a public grand opening when the hotel is ready to go. "We also want to do something special for the people who've worked on it. "We had a significant number of local people work on the building, so we want to have something for them and their families."
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