THUNDER BAY — A refurbished Cumberland Street hotel will remain part of the Best Western group but the temporary name it's been operating under — Superior Shores Hotel—– is now permanent.
The former Shoreline Motor Hotel was purchased in 2021 and completely renovated by Mississauga-based Sam Mushtaq's Skylight Hotels Group.
Original plans called for it to be branded and marketed as an Aiden by Best Western, a unique brand that requires a hotel to have an operating restaurant and bar.
The Aiden sign went up on the building, but a delay in opening a restaurant forced Mushtaq to cover it with a tarp earlier this year and market it as Superior Shores Hotel.
That tarp has now been removed, and a new sign has been mounted on the front of the building.
In an interview Monday, Mushtaq said the hotel is still part of Best Western, but will now be marketed as a BW Signature Collection property.
"That's also a high-end brand of Best Western, and it won't affect us anywhere in the rates for rooms. A lot of people are thinking we are not Best Western anymore, but if you go to bestwestern.com, you can see that we are ... Usually they give Signature Collection to those hotels that are boutique but they have to keep their own name. We get the same reservation system."
Skylight Hotels Group initially faced challenges finding a local operator for a restaurant.
According to Mushtaq, he's heard from interested parties, but now there's a new delay related to the need for changes to the HVAC system in the restaurant area, something he hopes will be completed in a few months.
In the meantime, the hotel is offering its guests a continental breakfast.
Mushtaq said business this summer and through October was strong.
