by Alicia McCutcheon
LITTLE CURRENT—During the joint Manitoulin Tourism Association and Great Spirit Circle Trail (GSCT) familiarization bus tour held over the course of two days last week (an opportunity for both organizations to showcase Manitoulin’s many offerings and for tourism volunteers to reacquaint themselves with the sights) the group had the opportunity to learn about the GSCT hotel, which is quickly growing, just past the bridge in Little Current.
Kevin Eshkawkogan, GSCT manager, explained that the hotel is a partnership with his organization and seven First Nations partners with the purpose of catering to First Nations meeting groups and conferences, as well as independent travellers and groups.
“The restaurant space will be 1,500-2,000 square feet and in front, overlooking the North Channel, will be one large deck, which can accommodate 150 people,” he explained. “On the opposite side sits the conference space, which can accommodate 350 people. There are cultural elements within the space too.”
The hotel will consist of 58 rooms and four suites “all about making the North Channel and the LaCloche Mountains the focal point,” Mr. Eshkawkogan added. “There will be a ton of glass in the front,” he said, referring to the area fronting the North Channel.
The heated pool will be open all year, he added.
While contractors guess that the hotel will be finished by late October, the GSCT manager said a more realistic guess is early December.
“It’s an $11.5 million project with two goals: time and money,” he said. “Time is out the window and the budget’s looking fantastic.”
