Puvirnituq hotel ready to welcome the world

PUVIRNITUQ — While Kuujjuaq is noted for “the Forum,” its state-of-art hockey arena, Puvirnituq is putting itself on the map with a new hotel that some guests have already nick-named “the Hilton.”

Puvirnituq’s new 26-room hotel features such perks as plush, colour-coordinated furnishings, private phones, televisions and luxurious bathrooms. There’s also an apartment for long-term visitors, a huge, well-equipped commercial kitchen, a dining hall, and conference room.

This weekend Puvirnituq’s cooperative association plans to welcome officials from the federal and provincial governments, Nunavik, tourism companies and the southern press to the hotel’s official opening.

This event also marks the launching of the $3.7 million hotel as a tool for economic development in Puvirnituq. The locally-run coop is already a major economic force in the community, generating millions of dollars every year through its retail businesses and revenue-producing real estate.

But now, through its new hotel, the co-op association wants to attract fresh, outside money into the community.

During his term as president of the Fédération des coopératives du Nouveau-Québec and the Puvirnituq coop, Aliva Tulugak spearheaded the hotel project. For Tulugak, the hotel is a monument to the co-op movement’s 30 years of success in his community.

“The only thing I’d like to add is a plaque with the names of the original directors of Puvirnituq’s co-op association,” said Tulugak.

The hotel is, in fact, the third one, within memory, for the co-op and the community. The first modest transient building burned down, while the second hotel has now been transformed into an office building for the town.

“And I expect that when I’m old, this one will become something different, too,” reflected Tulugak.

Quebec’s traveling court will help fill the hotel several weeks during the year, but plans are also in the works to offer special packages to tourists and meeting organizers. Noted photographer Sherman Hines recently visited the hotel to take photos for a promotional brochure.

Yet clearly, the challenge for this new hotel will be not just to look great, but also to fill its rooms to capacity.

“We have the hotel,” said Tulugak. “Now, we have to bring people to it.”