Amir Hassan [Live Link]
Published on 03, Nov 2022
Hinton, AB, Welcomes Luxury Teaching Hotel and Resort
PAR999 Holdings Inc., an investor in and developer of next-generation concept hotels and resorts has announced plans to break ground on its newest endeavour: the Bliss of Hinton. CEO and founding partner Amir Hassan has recently shared the concept art and proposed plans for a beautiful and serene getaway staffed by a team of service-minded hospitality students.
PAR999 turns communities into destinations by investing in sustainable academic and hospitality projects. The unique teaching model for the Bliss of Hinton will house 600 students yearly, all of who will gain a premium education in the hospitality industry while providing a much-needed service to gorgeous Yellowhead County.
Hassan is personally passionate about the project, as he’s driven through Hinton many times and noticed three key things:
- Natural beauty - The proposed development will have incredible views of the land stretching over neighbouring mountains and Jasper, the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies. This area is known for its vast wilderness, majestic peaks, abundant wildlife, and outstanding natural beauty. Other nearby attractions include the Miette Hot Springs, located within Jasper National Park, the hottest mineral springs in the Canadian Rockies.
- A hospitable community - Visitors from all over Canada and worldwide travel to this region to experience this extraordinary place and visit Dinosaur Provincial Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hassan describes the locals as warm and friendly and feels that this community is organically hospitable, making it a target destination for world travellers who enjoy the best possible accommodations in the most beautiful places on earth.
- A shortage of human capital - that is, what could be a thriving dining and hospitality industry in the Hinton area is lacking due to not having skilled, educated individuals ready and available to service customer needs. The Bliss, with its unique teaching hotel model, will change all that, as students from around the world are already signing up to attend.
The 70-room luxury resort will be distinguished by the larch-wood façade of its main pavilion that wraps around the 16th hole of the attached golf course and edges a grand lobby. Guests will enter to floor-to-ceiling windows with breathtaking mountain views, as the town of Hinton, Alberta, is nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, tucked into the Athabasca River valley.
Suites will include open-air terraces, and will be created with high-end organic and sustainable finishes. Decor will involve tawny iroko wood and brushed-brass fixtures that pop against a mellow palette of grays and greens, bringing the tones and textures of the surrounding rocky mountains and indoor living walls.
The amenities will be world-class - hot breakfast delivered by hand every morning to each room, a host of activities and entertainment at the H Bar, and a premium spa that pulls from its surroundings with garden-to-skin treatments. Both the bar and restaurant will be plush and cozy, with world-renowned chef masters and instructors plucking sun-drunk tomatoes and edible flowers from the organic garden. The inspired team would present award-winning ingredients as guests order their main course and finish with regionally acclaimed cheeses and wines amid Mediterranean-inspired dishes on Chef's rotating menu.
As visitors relax on the one-of-a-kind rooftop bar, regulars and tourists can mingle over piña coladas in an ultra-comfy setting depicting mountain culture. While the snow-capped rocky mountains blend into the starlight, visitors can even sleep on the rooftop under the stars, with open beds that creates an exceptional under-the-stars Rocky Mountains view experience.
The real draw may be the mission of Bliss itself - dedicated to preserving the essence of service and using guests’ experiences to educate the student workforce toward becoming authentic hoteliers. The key objective of visiting the area is to appreciate the Rockies' beauty and wonder. The team will arrange park tours, provide indigenous folklore events, and live shows at the hotel’s amphitheater.
Hassan’s 30+ years’ of experience in hospitality have particularly endowed him with the expertise and skill to make this dream come to life. He shares that the company named this hotel brand Bliss for a purpose. The mining town of Hinton (a 100-year-old name originating for Canadian National Railway’s terminal station “Entrance” and then the town of “Bliss”) isn't exactly a discovery as far as travelers to the Rockies go, Hassan explains. But Hinton is still low-key; it's a classy antidote with high visibility, just a short drive from Jasper. Until now, it was essentially a crossroads for coffee and gasoline, really just a “spillover” town to accommodate visitors turned away from Jasper’s 27 low-rated hotels and motels.
“There’s nothing up here like Bliss,” Hassan shares. “Visitors who aren’t interested in camping - or who want a break from the outside - need luxurious places to get away. Bliss will be all that and more. We’re training tomorrow’s hospitality workforce, not just for Canada, but for the whole world.”
The inspiring story of the station master’s dedication in manning the "Entrance" and his decision to continue the tradition of hospitality through the harsh weathers at the foothills of Rocky Mountains depicts the true nature of hospitality. This inspired the team at PAR999 to adapt the Bliss of Hinton for its sustainable teaching hotel concept. The company has also added “The Entrance Resorts” into its portfolio, and plans to open 5 Bliss of Hinton Hotels and Entrance Resorts in Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia.
“In our approach,” Hassan says, “leadership is not a title or defined by authority. Instead, we believe that each working in the hospitality or tourism industry must possess an aptitude to lead solution creation to overcome unusual day-to-day guest requests or operational problems.”
PAR999 Holdings Inc.: www.par999.ca
