Hyatt House hotel open for business
As of Wednesday, Thunder Bay is one of only three Canadian cities with a Hyatt House hotel.
The city’s newest hotel is set up on Oliver Road near Golf Links. An official opening ceremony is planned later in the season once the snow melts.
Regional Manager Brian Lubbers says the hotel has generated a good amount of buzz in the city.
“You can hear the excitement in the community, whether they’re going to be staying here or not,” Lubbers said. “You mention the new hotel and they say ‘I’ve been waiting for that to open!’, I think it’s just something new and nice for the city. When there’s only three Hyatt Houses in Canada and Thunder Bay is one of them, it’s exciting.”
Thunder Bay was a top choice for expansion for Hyatt House’s parent company Genesis Hospitality.
“Thunder Bay is a fantastic market,” Lubbers said. “The northern Ontario market seems to be strong in general. For example, after COVID hit in 2020 Thunder Bay was actually the first market in all of Ontario to fully rebound in terms of occupancy.”
He pointed to Thunder Bay’s position off the Trans‑Canada Highway, along with its prosperous health care and mining sectors, as key drivers of the strong results.
“Average daily rates [in Thunder Bay] are great for anywhere in Ontario right now,” he said. “We could probably see average rates that are competing with the Greater Toronto area and even downtown Toronto specifically.”
According to Lubbers, the Hyatt House isn’t the biggest brand but it is focused on being the best in the market when it comes to cleanliness and guest experience.
The front lobby of the brand-new Hyatt House hotel (Jacob Henriksen-Willis/March 26 2026)
