SYDNEY, N.S. — The owner of the Inverary Resort is getting a welcome mat ready for the coming year.
Scott MacAulay, owner of Cape Breton Resorts, says following the devastating loss of the main lodge in a June 2018 fire, plans are underway to rebuild.
“Our guests and our staff are so excited to get back the heart of our operation again and back to creating the experience they always had at the Inverary,” Scott said. “We’re all pretty thrilled.”
MacAulay said construction will start in the winter and plans are to reopen in the 2020 season.
The focus of the rebuild will be maintaining the nostalgia of the original building — the charm and feeling of being home — from the big front porch to the feeling people get when walking in the front doors.
“It’s the sense of arrival, where you come into that living room, that welcome home feeling,“ he said. “That’s what we’re really driving home.”
2018 fire
The fire broke out in the main lodge nestled on the shores of the Bras d’Or Lakes on June 7, 2018, consuming the iconic building on the 11-acre property that included the reception desk, guest rooms, Thistledown restaurant, pub and patio.
Plans for the rebuild include bringing some of the old back while mixing in some the new.
“It’s going to be a surprise for everybody but that’s certainly the challenge and certainly the spirt of what we’re trying to do — draw on the history of the Inn as well as any modern features we can bring into there as well,” he said. “We have interior designers and decorators that are working on that right now.”
Some of the new additions to the main inn to enhance the experience will include some spa and recreation facilities, laundry facilities as well as their offices.
The main lodge housed guest rooms and the rebuild will have room for a few more.
“We’ll be able to entertain more people in the new lodge than in the previous one.”
MacAulay said they are pleased they didn’t have to change their employee complement. Visitors will see most of the same friendly faces that at peak could include upwards of 130-140 people.
Now there’s construction equipment on site, they have their foundation permit in place and excitement is building.
“It’s just now it’s finally hitting home that, yes this is happening,” MacAulay said.
Lawsuit
Meanwhile, a lawsuit continues. In August 2018, a Nova Scotia Supreme Court lawsuit was launched following the fire. MacAulay Resorts Ltd. is embroiled in a legal battle with its insurance company, broker and underwriters regarding the June 2018 blaze. According to MacAulay’s statement of claim, the lodge was insured for more than $4 million as replacement cost. The resort’s lawyer says two of the three policy underwriters are now refusing to pay their share of the insurance claim.
However, MacAulay said, they are just focused on getting construction going and reopening.
“There are other folks that are looking after that,” he said. "It’s not something we’re spending a whole lot of attention on, we’re just working on making sure this building is as good as it can possibly be and that the guest experience for 2020 will be fantastic.
"That’s really what our focus will be on.”
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Tidbits
• The Inverary Resort started with its construction in the late 1800’s by Cape Breton ‘Millionaire’ MacNeil as a residence.
• Following the Second World War, brothers Chad and Jamie Fownes, along with their mother, bought MacNeil’s estate and founded ‘Inverary Inn.’
• The Inn was based around their Scottish heritage and named after Inverary Castle, home of the Duke of Argyll and head of Clan Campbell.
• In 1971 Inverary Inn became home to the MacAulay family. Isobel MacAulay, along with husband Dannie, ran the Inn for many years. Each year a new building was added and, with tradition, given a Scottish name.
• In 1979 Isobel and Dannie’s son Scott became innkeeper, growing the small Scottish inn to the resort experience offered today.
• Today, Scott’s son Matthew represents the third generation of MacAulay management.
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