11-04-2015, 09:22 AM
(11-04-2015, 12:41 AM)tomh009 Wrote: They had a very strong position in the Waterloo hotel market for a long time, with the St Jacobs Best Western the only real competition. And they bought the adjacent land from the former B-K Volvo dealership, so they had opportunity to expand and upgrade.
But they did not move on this, and they did not sign up with any of the major chains (who probably would have required an upgrade as well).
Waterloo Inn had a huge window of opportunity. The owners didn't take advantage of it, but it really was their business decision -- they decided to cash in on the land value rather than invest in the hotel.
This. They could have developed the lands, not only making the hotel nicer but also adding a tower with mixed commercial use at the bottom including shops and restaurants so that there is something for the guests to do when in the hotel. This would also have brought more people to their in-house restaurant.