Risk & Business Magazine Cain Insurance Fall 2016 | Page 8

THE FREDERICTON INN

A Foundation Built On Family:
The Fredericton Inn

W

hen it comes to
hospitality in New
Brunswick, no name
comes up faster or
more often than the
Fredericton Inn. Currently run by John
Waite, the Inn has been family run since it
was first built. The Inn is one of the largest
hotel properties east of Montreal, with
eighteen thousand square feet of conference
space. Its staying power is clear as the Inn
will be celebrating its fortieth anniversary
in January 2017. Services start and end
with quality, and the staff and management
expect no less than excellence from all
members of the team.
In 1959, John’s parents, Wilfred, Sr., and
Mary, built the Eden Rock Motel when
the Princess Margaret Bridge opened.
With one hundred units and a ballroom,
it was a quick success. Unfortunately, due
to tough economic times, the Motel was
transferred to new owners. Wilfred decided
to build a new property, the Skyline Motel.
This property sold in 1972. Wilfred had
an opportunity to purchase the land that
the Fredericton Inn now sits on. John then

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left university in 1976 to join his family in
becoming a major player in the hospitality
industry.
The Inn started modestly, selling rooms in
January 1977, and established full service
status in 1982 with the unveiling of the
Regency Dining Room and meeting room
space. In 1984, the Inn became a main
player in the convention business with the
opening of the Bicentennial Ballroom, a
7,800 square feet facility. By taking pride in
what they do, the staff and management of
the Inn have the support of many conference
coordinators, many of whom return
annually.
Remaining debt free over the years is one of
the keys to John’s success in both keeping
the Inn open and refurbishing it. The Inn
aims to provide value-added services to
its guests and places a value on loyalty,
especially to the local community. The Inn
takes pride in supporting its community
with many worthy causes such as the DECH,
the YMCA, and most recently, the Hospice
Foundation.
Another distinguishing factor is the ability

of management to see market trends and
to consistently make self-improvements
and innovate. Discussions take place daily
about how to be more efficient by improving
processes. John also views consistency as
being a key to success as it gives customers
value with the services they are receiving.
Though the landscape has changed over
the years toward large, nationally branded
properties with enormous budgets for
marketing, online travel agencies have
evened the playing field for independents,
with the ability to be recognized globally.
The Fredericton Inn is located in the heart
of Fredericton’s uptown business and
shopping district. The Inn is located at 1315
Regent Street, and its parking lot adjoins
Fredericton’s largest shopping center, the
Regent Mall.
John Waite is very proud of his Mom
and Dad for taking the risk in building a
full-service property with 200 overnight
units. The Waites would like to thank the
people of New Brunswick for their support
as 75 percent of their clients are New
Brunswickers. +