THE WANDERER
JANUARY 2022
It Started With A Simple Weekend Trip
By Matt Crowley
I convinced two friends (Jamie and Doug) that we should stay at the old Motel6 in Revy for a 3-day ski trip. Little did I know that would be the start of it all. This impromptu trip marked the beginning of our first VRGE hotels acquisition. I’d stayed in Revy several times in the summer and knew of its winter reputation, but it was my very first time on the mountain, and I loved it (I’m the guy with the helmet hair on the left).
These images capturing the snow clinging to the trees in Revy like a suspended snow globe, are authentic. It’s unlike anything I’ve witnessed before – breathtaking.
I was not prepared for how beautifully gladded the trees were for snowboarding. Most of my snowboarding has been at Sunshine Village Ski Resort where the National Park dictates that you generally can’t glade. Revy was truly exceptional.
I convinced two friends (Jamie and Doug) that we should stay at the old Motel6 in Revy for a 3-day ski trip. Little did I know that would be the start of it all. This impromptu trip marked the beginning of our first VRGE hotels acquisition. I’d stayed in Revy several times in the summer and knew of its winter reputation, but it was my very first time on the mountain, and I loved it (I’m the guy with the helmet hair on the left).
These images capturing the snow clinging to the trees in Revy like a suspended snow globe, are authentic. It’s unlike anything I’ve witnessed before – breathtaking.
I was not prepared for how beautifully gladded the trees were for snowboarding. Most of my snowboarding has been at Sunshine Village Ski Resort where the National Park dictates that you generally can’t glade. Revy was truly exceptional.
Of course, the other part of the trip was the stay at the former Motel6. It was habitable but gross in a lot of ways: grubby bathrooms, stiff towels, dirty sheets… As one small example, there was a questionable hot tub maintenance program in place. The foam was about one foot thick after we spent about 20 minutes in the hot tub… not something you want to see.
I knew the hotel was on the market for sale and was feeling it out. For some time, John Courtliff and I had been wanting to create an adventurer hotel concept in the Canadian mountains. Revy seemed like the perfect location, but I was unsure about this hotel.
What instantly caught my interest was the chance to transform it into a unique boutique hotel experience for adventurers in the mountains. Like many small-town motels, it had been added onto over the years in segments. The picture below shows how it looked in the 1960s when it was first built. We even have a box of old keychains from that time somewhere.
I knew the hotel was on the market for sale and was feeling it out. For some time, John Courtliff and I had been wanting to create an adventurer hotel concept in the Canadian mountains. Revy seemed like the perfect location, but I was unsure about this hotel.
What instantly caught my interest was the chance to transform it into a unique boutique hotel experience for adventurers in the mountains. Like many small-town motels, it had been added onto over the years in segments. The picture below shows how it looked in the 1960s when it was first built. We even have a box of old keychains from that time somewhere.
The lobby was tired and small. The owner was nice enough to offer a simple continental breakfast, but it wasn’t a place that made me eager to hang around for long.
Part of the excitement of acquiring the hotel was thinking through how to reenergize it. The hotel had this oddly sized porte cochere (photo from my follow-up trip in April 2022, sorry, I never take enough photos). It didn’t work for cars to drive under and there was no way to properly use it. So, I had the idea to enclose it and put a fireplace to make it a cozy space. Then, I planned to open the lobby to the back of the property, creating easy access for guests to rent local gear. The goal was to make check-in easier with technology and let the hotel staff spend more time talking to guests, having meaningful conversations and sharing their outdoor passions. The owner had something of a pension for what could politely be called “cost efficiencies”. One such measure was shredding paper to use as mulch in the tree beds. Resourceful!
We discovered some hidden gems we had to upcycle as well. The office sign was repurposed for the GM’s office. A few photos back, you’ll see the Greek goddesses that used to be outside the hot tub room. Apparently, someone showed up at the property with a ladder and took them away, so maybe they are somewhere in Revy right now? You can have them…but I’d still like to know where they are some day.
Long story short, the opportunity to buy the hotel was too compelling to pass up. There was something very exciting about renovating a rather dilapidated property and working through the layout to create something special and lively.
Part of the excitement of acquiring the hotel was thinking through how to reenergize it. The hotel had this oddly sized porte cochere (photo from my follow-up trip in April 2022, sorry, I never take enough photos). It didn’t work for cars to drive under and there was no way to properly use it. So, I had the idea to enclose it and put a fireplace to make it a cozy space. Then, I planned to open the lobby to the back of the property, creating easy access for guests to rent local gear. The goal was to make check-in easier with technology and let the hotel staff spend more time talking to guests, having meaningful conversations and sharing their outdoor passions. The owner had something of a pension for what could politely be called “cost efficiencies”. One such measure was shredding paper to use as mulch in the tree beds. Resourceful!
We discovered some hidden gems we had to upcycle as well. The office sign was repurposed for the GM’s office. A few photos back, you’ll see the Greek goddesses that used to be outside the hot tub room. Apparently, someone showed up at the property with a ladder and took them away, so maybe they are somewhere in Revy right now? You can have them…but I’d still like to know where they are some day.
Long story short, the opportunity to buy the hotel was too compelling to pass up. There was something very exciting about renovating a rather dilapidated property and working through the layout to create something special and lively.
We found this Art Deco style fridge in the old staff accomodation and knew we had to find a way to upcycle. The challenge was the insides of the fridge were all obsolete and there was a permanent smell that was not particularly inviting.
We decided the best part of the fridge was the steel door and took it off its hinges and installed in our hot tub / spa area. Now, its a laundry chute for the VRGE housekeeping team.
I’m so excited to welcome our first guests to the hotel this summer (2024) and hope they love their stay and experience everything that Revy has to offer.
We decided the best part of the fridge was the steel door and took it off its hinges and installed in our hot tub / spa area. Now, its a laundry chute for the VRGE housekeeping team.
I’m so excited to welcome our first guests to the hotel this summer (2024) and hope they love their stay and experience everything that Revy has to offer.