VICTORIA — Veteran hotelier Ian Powell was recently named Hotelier of the Year by the British Columbia Hotel Association (BCHA) at the B.C. Hospitality Summit in Kelowna, B.C.
Currently managing director, Inn at Laurel Point and Paul’s Motor Inn— as well as a priest in the Anglican Church of Canada — Powell boasts more than 40 years in the international hospitality industry, including stints running the Fairmont Palliser in Calgary, the Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria and the Fairmont Hamilton Princess Hotel in Bermuda.
Powell’s desire to become ordained brought him back to B.C. to commence his theological studies at Vancouver School of Theology. He was ordained into the Anglican Church of Canada in November 2008. Leading up to this additional career path, Powell joined Victoria-based Paul’s Restaurants Ltd. in 2006.
“I am deeply grateful for this recognition and clearly, I must be getting old,” says Powell. “My path to the present has been quite the ride and I wouldn’t trade a single minute of it. I’m delighted I get to share my experience with the next generation of hoteliers coming up the ranks.”
This recognition also comes at a time when the Inn at Laurel Point is undergoing a major renovation of its ground floor and surrounding gardens. The goal is to complete the original vision of the late Paul and Artie Arsens, who commissioned architect Arthur Erickson for the hotel’s first renovation in 1989. It has been Powell’s longtime dream to complete this vision before his retirement. The renovation project is set to be complete by the summer of 2019.
