Nellie Robin is visibly delighted with the opening of a second hotel in District 55 in Trois-Rivières. The president of the Robin Group announced in June 2023 the construction of a Candlewood Suites in addition to the Holiday Inn Express.
Some $20 million invested and 12 months later, the 111-room hotel opened its doors at the end of May, allowing the resort to offer 222 rooms, making the venue the second-largest property of rooms in Trois-Rivières.
The Candlewood Suites is built opposite the Holiday Inn Express and the two hotels are connected by a building serving as a shared reception. The new hotel is intended for customers who stay several days, even several weeks or several months. That’s why the rooms offer a stove, a refrigerator, a dishwasher. Guests also have access to an outdoor terrace equipped with BBQ and a laundry room.
“I get the reports every day and rooms are being rented at Candlewood Suites. We welcomed our first customers last Thursday [le 30 mai].”
— Nellie Robin, president of the Robin Group
The decision to invest in this second hotel was based, among other things, on the desire to welcome workers sent to the region to work on the various factory projects in the Energy Transition Valley. A year later, Nellie Robin says she feels the impact of the economic boom, particularly with the construction started in the Bécancour industrial and port park.
“The Ford plant has started again. We welcomed engineers. It’s a great clientele.”
According to Nellie Robin, the Holiday Inn Express hotel has an occupancy rate above 80%. She would be very happy if the Candlewood Suites had a 30% occupancy rate in its first year, because it takes a few years for a hotel to reach cruising speed.
The president of Groupe Robin is so satisfied with her second hotel in Trois-Rivières that she plans to build a similar one in Estrie. The group’s fifth hotel will be built in 2025 for an opening in 2026. It is currently refusing to reveal the name of the city which will host this hotel.
Residential construction is going well
Some 230 housing units were built in 2023 by the Robin Group, as planned. In 2024, this number will vary between 150 and 200.
This real estate park is reserved for rental. According to Ms. Robin, of the 230 units built, there are around twenty left to rent.
“We have everything as tenants: people from Trois-Rivières, people who come to Trois-Rivières because they are transferred here for work. Companies from the Energy Transition Valley bring us foreign employees who settle here with three-year leases. I want to keep them with us!”
