In the early 20th century, Summerland had a hotel near Okanagan Lake.
The Summerland Hotel was one of the initiatives in 1902, when Sir Thomas Shaughnessy and J.M. Robinson formed a land company called the Summerland Syndicate.
The budget for constructing and insuring the hotel was $8,000. The site of the hotel was the lot across the street from the present-day location of the Summerland Trout Hatchery and Visitor Centre on Lakeshore Drive South.
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The area, in Summerland’s Lowertown, was once the hub of the community until fires devastated the area.
A fire on March 13, 1922 spread throughout the area, resulting in losses of $70,000 to $80,000 At the time, fire equipment in Summerland was minimal.
The Summerland Hotel was destroyed by fire around midnight on Nov. 14, 1925.
While the Summerland Hotel is no longer part of the lakefront area, the Summerland Waterfront Resort provides visitor accommodations in the area. This hotel was constructed in the early 2000s. The first phase of this resort hotel was created in 2000 and the second phase was constructed in 2004.
The provides 18,000 room-nights of accommodation a year and has an economic impact estimated at $1.66 million a year.
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