The Rodeway Inn Hotel in Pikogan, which opened in 2019, will be expanded in 2024 and will see its number of rooms increase from 36 to 76 to accommodate a greater number of customers. A convention centre will also be added to attract a whole new clientele.

After four years of operation, the hotel, which belongs to the Conseil de la Première Nation Abitibiwinni, is increasingly busy. The 40 rooms that will be added will enhance the accommodation offer in the Amos-Pikogan region. Among the new rooms to be built are a few suites, each of which will be equipped with a full kitchenette, that can be rented long-term by companies to accommodate their workers. Rooms adapted for people with reduced mobility will also be added.

Construction of a convention centre

Currently, there is no convention centre in Amos and the nearest centres are in Rouyn-Noranda and Val-d’Or, about an hour away. To meet the local demand for hosting large-scale events but also to attract business customers passing through the region, the Conseil de la Première Nation Abitibiwinni decided to build a convention centre that can accommodate 250 within the Rodeway Inn Hotel. In addition to meeting local needs, the addition of this convention centre will also serve communities and municipalities in Northern Quebec that do not have such facilities.

The Amos municipal council, with whom the elected officials of Pikogan maintain good relations, is very enthusiastic about the idea of a convention centre being built near Amos and whose attendance will certainly generate economic benefits.

Other added services

In addition to its rooms, the Rodeway Inn currently offers its customers an indoor pool and a fitness centre. To improve the services offered to clients and delegates, a restaurant will be added to the hotel. Twenty offices will also be built upstairs that can be used by the community.

Finally, a museum will be built within the hotel. The “Un peuple, une histoire (one people, one history)” permanent exhibit, which tells the story of Pikogan while presenting Anicinape culture, will therefore be able to leave the Sainte-Catherine Church basement and move to the museum. Meanwhile, the contents, and the way the exhibit is presented, will have to be reviewed and modernized. By setting up the exhibit in the hotel, it will benefit from greater visibility among the clientele, but also among the population of Pikogan. Once in operation, the museum will enhance the community’s tourism offer, which already includes the immersive Anisipi experience.

In total, the work that will be carried out at the Rodeway Inn Hotel in Pikogan will require an investment of approximately $12 million, which will generate concrete economic benefits for the community as well as neighbouring towns and municipalities. This major economic project will also make it possible to further develop the hotel team, which currently employs about twenty people.