ATLANTIC CANADA St. John’s Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott constructed to meet Newfoundland conditions New 148-room hotel designed to chain’s national standards for business and leisure travel Canadian Design and Construction Report staff writer SilverBirch Hotels & Resorts has opened a new Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott in St. John’s Newfoundland. Designed for business and leisure travel, the hotel, one of 20 across Canada, shares the brand’s na- tional quality and standards but construction here had to adapt to the lo- cation’s challenges. The 148-room hotel’s owners say it is ideally situated between the St. John’s Airport and the downtown core, close to business parks, Memo- rial University, and the province’s largest shopping mall. Scott Calvert, vice-president design and construction for SilverBirch Hotels & Resorts, says the hotel is designed to be efficient and comfort- able, to meet business travel needs and accommodate short stay guests. “There is a big open breakfast room, a lot of natural light throughout the lobby and in the rooms. Rooms are equipped with windows that open, which people seem to really appreciate if they’ve been stuck in meetings or boardrooms all day.” Calvert says the site has been designed to accommodate a restaurant on the property. This improvement is being explored now. There are sev- eral restaurants nearby. Spacious guest rooms and suites are equipped with microwaves and refrigerators, free wifi and in-room high-speed internet access, enhanced work desks, ergonomically-designed chairs and complimentary hot breakfast. Five distraction-free meeting rooms and an exercise room will serve business travelers while the pool, complete with a water slide, will appeal to weekend guests and tourists. Newfoundland presents many construction challenges, requiring more detailed co-ordination, logistics and planning than other locations. “We had both people and cargo coming and going by ship and ferry,” 12 – Fall 2013 — The Canadian Design and Construction Report