SPRINGDALE, NL — Springdale’s primary hotel for the past 40-plus years is under new ownership and undergoing significant changes.
Keith Noble, well known in the Springdale business community as a partner in the Noble Group of Companies, has expanded his involvement in the local economy to include hotelier. He purchased Pelley Inn in October from longtime owner Cog Pelley, whose family erected the hotel in the 1970s.
“I think it is exciting,” Noble said of the business venture, now called Springdale Inn and Suites.
He has big plans for the hotel, including renovations to the bar and lobby that have already been completed or are ongoing.
Along with the Royal Canadian Legion, Top Shelf Bar and Games Room – as the hotel’s bar is now known — is the only licensed liquor establishment in Springdale.
“There was nowhere to go in town to watch the hockey game or a UFC fight,” said Noble. “Everybody tries to get together and do a thing at their house or something like that. Now, there is a place to go to sit down and watch it.
“The bar will also try to be a lot of things — a nightclub for a dance some weekends or a sports bar other times. We are not like George Street (St. John’s), where there is a different bar for every occasion. You have to try to be an all-in-one.”
Noble had hoped to give the exterior a facelift before the winter season set in, but that work is now planned for when the weather becomes more suitable for outside renovations.
He also said the 25 rooms will be renovated and upgraded, and they will bring the facility up to wheelchair accessible standards as soon as possible.
“Eventually, it will be a complete overhaul,” he said. “There won’t be anything that was there (before) left. I am in the process of talking with Canada Select to determine what the best star rating would be.”
Perhaps the biggest change at the hotel for the town and area will be the addition of a Wing’n It franchise, which is expected to open sometime in the spring. The new location of the bar will be in the same area as the restaurant.
Noble is excited to bring a new, unique restaurant to Springdale.
“We were considering several, and that was the first one that seemed to be an at-home kind of feel,” he said of the Wing’n It franchise.
“It seems to be popular everywhere and getting bigger. They are constantly expanding their menu, so it seemed like a good time.”
Noble recognizes the importance of a hotel to the town and region. As an athlete and coach, he values the contribution of sports to the region. He said a good hotel is vital to the town’s ability to host sporting events, and a bar and restaurant are attractions during downtime for athletes. The hotel is conveniently located close to the arena and sports fields.
Noble also said it is key to the tourism industry.
“It is not just for Springdale,” he said. “It is better for the whole area.
“If we can get full buses of people to stay in Springdale for a night or two rather than a few hours, the liquor store is going to do better and the gas station is going to do better and the restaurant …
“If they are not just passing through and staying at the hotel for a night or two, they may visit Triton or Robert’s Arm or wherever for the day.”
