As part of renovations to the former Crowne Plaza Hotel, the front-door ramp on Lyon Street will be removed.
A Centretown citizen’s group is excited about proposed changes to the old Crowne Plaza Hotel that was bought by Delta Hotels in December.
The Delta Ottawa City Centre – formerly the Crowne Plaza Hotel – with its giant car ramp at the front entrance was somewhat of an eyesore, but Charles Akben-Marchand, president of the Centretown Citizens Community Association, says having the entrance up the car ramp didn’t make it very accessible for people on foot.
“The Crowne Plaza Hotel is a prime example of a building that turns its back on the pedestrian streetscape, because its main entrance is up the car ramp,” he says. “Any changes to the entrance to make it more accessible to pedestrians would be very welcome by the community.”
For many passers-by, the hotel was easily recognizable by its distinct car ramp that made up a large portion of the building’s façade.
Delta Hotels' new ownership is proposing a $25-million renovation, including getting rid of the imposing car ramp.
“It’s going to be creating a whole new street-level entrance way,” says Sandy Indig, public relations manager for Delta Hotels.
“This is really going to open up the space nicely,” says Indig. “The whole ramp entrance is no longer going to exist. You’ll enter on street level and there will be an escalator that will take guests right up to the front desk and new lobby.”
The hotel sits in the heart of the downtown core at the corner of Lyon and Albert. This will be the second in two blocks, with another Delta Hotel on the corner of Bay and Queen streets.
Guests who were not driving up to the front door had no choice but walk up the ramp alongside the cars.
Meghan Rowberry, who works across street at the Scone Witch, says the change will be a nice one.
“It’s not very pretty right now,” says Rowberry. “It’s a pretty dour block and it would certainly make it more inviting.”
Rowberry says the Scone Witch gets quite a lot of business from guests at the hotel and any change to the exterior will be for the better.
Along with the changes to the façade the new Delta Ottawa City Centre, will be getting a complete overhaul.
According to Indig, all the guest rooms will be updated along with the lobby, meeting rooms, restaurant and fitness centre.
The renovations will begin in June and construction is expected to last until March 2012, with the hotel still taking in guests.