An Okanagan company has purchased the Ramada Hotel and Conference Centre in Kelowna.
The sale from owners Craig and David Prstay to Gurjit Jhajj, with Durali Properties Ltd., was announced to staff on Tuesday.
Durali has multiple hospitality holdings in its portfolio, including the Sunset Ranch and Tower Ranch golf courses and the Okanagan Seasons motel at the corner of Harvey and Highway 33.
While the sale price has not been disclosed, the deal was effective as of Wednesday.
Jennifer Stier, general manager of the Ramada, said in the staff memo there will be no immediate changes in policy or rules of the hotel going forward.
“There are no changes to employment, everyone has secured their current positions…we will continue to bring the same passion, hard work, and dedication as always,” said Stier.
Stier noted the Prstays purchased the hotel in 1997 and initiated a transition to the hotel’s current status today as a hotel and conference centre.
“It is bittersweet to say goodbye after 26 years, but we thank the RPB families for all the opportunities, guidance and generosity. Good luck on your next adventure, you will be greatly missed,” Stier said.
The hotel has a long history in Kelowna at what has become an iconic business corner in the city at Dilworth and Harvey, across from Orchard Park Shopping Centre.
Originally the site of the city public works yard, the Lodge Motor Inn was originally built on the site by Kelowna owners Terry and Clarence Rempel in 1981.
It transitioned to the Lodge Hotel, then the Ramada Lodge Hotel and then its current incarnation as the Ramada Lodge and Conference Centre.
During that period, the Rempels sold the hotel to RPB, the company owned by the Prystays.
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