The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
An entrepreneur from Leaf Rapids is looking at building a new hotel in Flin Flon. Peter Goodwin has commissioned a market study to see whether the idea makes sense and hopes to have the final report within two weeks. "It looks to me like Flin Flon could use another hotel, so I started kicking the idea around and it seemed to look pretty good," said Goodwin, who is in the process of selling his hotel in Leaf Rapids. Goodwin is considering a hotel with 60 to 70 rooms. He would not disclose the potential location and has yet to decide whether the hotel would be independent or part of a chain. The project appeals to Goodwin for a handful of reasons. Not only does he enjoy the hotel business and see a need in Flin Flon, he also believes he has an opportunity to capitalize on the out-of-town traffic generated by the Flintoba Shopping Centre. "I think I can safely say," he said, "with the new business development out there in that section of town and the amount of traffic that's bringing into town, that certainly was a major factor in my consideration of Flin Flon for a new hotel." It's unlikely the market study Goodwin has commissioned will conclusively confirm or refute the case for a new hotel. "It's going to be in the middle, saying, 'This is where we think the financial numbers for a hotel will be if you build one,'" he said. "It will be up to me whether I build one or not." Mayor Dennis Ballard said he saw a need for another hotel even before the Flintoba Shopping Centre opened. "That's just from looking at the numbers and talking to people who have arranged tournaments in town," said the mayor, adding that he welcomes any new development. As for the 38-room Whitewater Inn in Leaf Rapids, Goodwin anticipates it will open under new ownership early next year. "With the hotel here in Leaf Rapids, I decided I wanted to get out of it and move on to something different, but I like the hotel business," he said. The population of Leaf Rapids, located about 160 kilometres northwest of Thompson, has reportedly shrunk to about 400 people since the closure of Ruttan Mine two years ago.
