36 replies to this topic

[GabriolaGirl]

Friends of ours stayed there 20 years ago.  They had the unfortunate luck of booking the weekend when there was a film crew there.  The owners didn't bother calling them to tell them this fact & they were told that they couldn't leave their room for periods of time.  They said the food was ok but the view was of the film crew milling about  The weekend cost them a grand at the time & they were very disappointed, said they would never return & it's not like they don't have the $ to go fairly often. 

[Bingo]

Friends of ours stayed there 20 years ago.  They had the unfortunate luck of booking the weekend when there was a film crew there.  The owners didn't bother calling them to tell them this fact & they were told that they couldn't leave their room for periods of time.  They said the food was ok but the view was of the film crew milling about  The weekend cost them a grand at the time & they were very disappointed, said they would never return & it's not like they don't have the $ to go fairly often. 

 

That is unfortunate, but the film company does not normally announce in advance where they are filming so that they don't have to contend with all the bystanders getting in the way. On the other hand there are those who would jump at the chance to be anywhere near the scene of the "action" to get a glimpse of some movie stars that may have been staying at the hotel.

[GabriolaGirl]

That is unfortunate, but the film company does not normally announce in advance where they are filming so that they don't have to contend with all the bystanders getting in the way. On the other hand there are those who would jump at the chance to be anywhere near the scene of the "action" to get a glimpse of some movie stars that may have been staying at the hotel.

I should have added that they complained to management about the way they were treated as paying guests & they didn't care.  They weren't even offered a complimentary glass of wine.  We just couldn't believe that the owners wouldn't know that the film crew would be there & might inconvenience paying guests.  The owners should have given them the right to rebook.  JMO, GG

[VicHockeyFan]

http://www.timescolo...hotel-1.2327046

 

Investors close to buying Sooke Harbour House and hotel

 

 

Internationally renowned Sooke Harbour House restaurant and hotel has gone on the market for $6.5-million under a court-ordered sale to pay off a $3-million mortgage.

 

However, a B.C. investment group is hoping to take ownership before another buyer appears.

 

The group’s spokesman said it will be finalizing details in coming days under an existing agreement to buy the waterfront property from its long-time owners. This plan would pay off the mortgage and permit the group to embark on further improvements at the 2.55-acre site.

 

Frederique and Sinclair Philip opened the picturesque waterfront hotel 37 years ago at 1528 Whiffen Spit Rd. The 28-room hotel and restaurant is a destination for locals and visitors, including movie stars, and it has earned local and international tourism awards.

 

 

Frederique Philip said this week that they own and run the business and are working on refinancing with a third party to pay off the mortgage. She declined further comment.

 

 

 

Call me skeptical, but they have owned the business for 37 years, and still have a $3M mortgage on it?  I'm not sure I'd be getting in business with these operators.

[Bingo]

 

Call me skeptical, but they have owned the business for 37 years, and still have a $3M mortgage on it?  I'm not sure I'd be getting in business with these operators.

 

I guess in hindsight the Walker's probably regret tearing down the old Snug, and ringing up millions in debt in a feeble attempt to replace it.

[spanky123]

http://www.timescolo...hotel-1.2327046

 

 

 

 

Call me skeptical, but they have owned the business for 37 years, and still have a $3M mortgage on it?  I'm not sure I'd be getting in business with these operators.

 

Perhaps Chinese investors purchasing the shares so that they don't have to pay the 15% tax! If the former owners want to continue to run the restaurant and lose money then that will be up to them.

[tedward]

Call me skeptical, but they have owned the business for 37 years, and still have a $3M mortgage on it?  I'm not sure I'd be getting in business with these operators.

 

Didn't they expand recently? Is that not a reason to take out a mortgage?

[Victoria Watcher]

even though it requires lots of work $5.6 seems like a pretty good deal for the buyer. hope they do well.

https://www.timescol...5-6m-1.24161331

[Victoria Watcher]

Former owner of Sooke Harbour House suing Facebook for $50M over “imposter profile”

 

https://www.vicnews....poster-profile/

 

 

 

 

Timothy Durkin claims he’s been trying to get the Facebook profile off the social media website since he first discovered it in March, according to a notice of civil claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court.

 

The account features a photo of Durkin’s face and a background of a person in handcuffs and an orange prison jumpsuit.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 27 August 2020 - 02:59 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

Frederique and Sinclair Philip bought the waterfront hotel in 1976, expanding and building up its reputation. The award-winning hotel became internationally known for fine dining and for its wine cellar.

 

But the Philips lost control of their hotel to a buyer who had agreed to purchase it and failed to complete the agreement.

The hotel was sold in a ­court-ordered sale to a North Vancouver company this year after foreclosure actions were launched.

A claim by SHH Management Ltd. and SHH Holdings Ltd., was dismissed Tuesday in a 94-page decision by B.C. Supreme Court Justice Jasvinder Basran.

Tim Durkin is a director and operating mind of the companies and represented the companies in court, Basran said.

He awarded the Philips $2.645 million in compensatory damages for SHH Holdings’ breach of the share-purchase agreement of 2014, a subsequent settlement agreement in 2016, and an addendum to the settlement agreement later in 2016.

The judge ordered that 4.75 per cent interest be paid on that amount dating from August 2015.

Another $1.359 million in damages arising from a 2017 injunction order is to be paid to them as well.

However, Durkin told the court he does not have assets.

The 2008 financial crisis hurt the hotel’s revenues largely because of a drop in American clients.

Two potential sales of the hotel did not complete and the Philips had fallen behind on mortgage payments owed to the Business Development Bank of Canada. They wanted to sell and retire, the court decision said.

 

 

 

https://www.timescol...ages-1.24207810

[Victoria Watcher]

Frederique and Sinclair Philip had been looking for a buyer for Sooke Harbour House for two years when Timothy Durkin showed up. It was March 2014. In the three decades the couple had owned the business, they’d transformed it from a small waterfront bed and breakfast into a popular destination spot that housed an internationally renowned locally sourced restaurant. 

 

Located about 40 kilometres west of Victoria, on the southwestern tip of Vancouver Island, the white clapboard hotel looked out over spectacular views of the Juan de Fuca Strait and the Olympic mountain range. Inside was a surprising mix of rustic charm and luxury. The hotel featured wood burning fireplaces in each of its 28 guest rooms, which Frederique had decorated with work by local artists to evoke themes of the sea. Paintings and sculptures by local artists also lined the hallways and filled the sitting areas and the gift shop, which doubled as a gallery. Guests could order spa services or, in some rooms, relax on their balconies in Japanese soaking tubs. 

 

https://www.capitald...o-stole-a-hotel

 

 

 

 

that's one long article.

 

 

 

The Philips say that Durkin introduced them to Margaret Trudeau and venture capitalist Arlene Dickinson from the reality television series Dragons’ Den, claiming afterward that he’d persuaded them to join the board of directors. (Dickinson told Capital Daily that she met Durkin while staying at the hotel, but that she “didn’t like him or trust him” and refused to enter into any business arrangements with him. Margaret Trudeau’s agent said she was unavailable for comment.)

 

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 22 April 2021 - 06:44 AM.

[Mike K.]

A B.C. Securities Commission (BCSC) panel has imposed a $1.6-million penalty on a B.C. man who defrauded an investor by claiming to own the legendary Sooke Harbour House resort hotel.

Timothy Craig Durkin has been involved in a years-long dispute with the original owners of the hotel, which has hosted Hollywood stars and royalty for more than 40 years in Sooke, a tourist hotspot on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, around 40 kilometres southwest of Victoria.

In January, the commission found that Durkin raised $1 million from an investor between December 2015 and March 2016, promising the investor a 40 per cent share in the hotel by purchasing 40 per cent of the shares in the company SHH Holdings, where Durkin was a director.

https://www.cbc.ca/n...urkin-1.6816143

[Matt R.]

Well here’s a plot twist. A couple very heavy hitters moving in.

From SHH on Facebook today.

Sooke Harbour House Update: July 12th, 2023

As extensive the renovations on Sooke Harbour House near completion, the team who will lead it into a new era is now in place.

We are excited to announce that Executive Chef Melissa Craig, is returning to the kitchen where her illustrious career began as an apprentice chef aged 18. The award-winning chef leaves Whistler’s iconic Bearfoot Bistro after two decades to bring her innovative and elevated modern Canadian cuisine to the historic inn on the ocean.

In addition Craig’s partner in life and career, hospitality visionary Andre Saint-Jacques, will be taking over as Managing Partner, bringing with him his unique ability for creating extraordinary experiences.

As renovations near completion the goal is to open the hotel as well as both the dining room and lounge in late fall or early winter of 2023.

We look forward to further and more frequent updates in the months ahead as we ramp up towards re-opening.

Regards,

Alex Watson
alex@iagdevelopments.com

[Victoria Watcher]

Well here’s a plot twist. A couple very heavy hitters moving in.

From SHH on Facebook today.

Sooke Harbour House Update: July 12th, 2023

As extensive the renovations on Sooke Harbour House near completion, the team who will lead it into a new era is now in place.

We are excited to announce that Executive Chef Melissa Craig, is returning to the kitchen where her illustrious career began as an apprentice chef aged 18. The award-winning chef leaves Whistler’s iconic Bearfoot Bistro after two decades to bring her innovative and elevated modern Canadian cuisine to the historic inn on the ocean.

In addition Craig’s partner in life and career, hospitality visionary Andre Saint-Jacques, will be taking over as Managing Partner, bringing with him his unique ability for creating extraordinary experiences.

As renovations near completion the goal is to open the hotel as well as both the dining room and lounge in late fall or early winter of 2023.

We look forward to further and more frequent updates in the months ahead as we ramp up towards re-opening.

Regards,

Alex Watson
alex@iagdevelopments.com

 

 

Here is a question.  Andre Saint-Jacques is the founder of Barefoot, BTW, 26 years ago.

 

Why can't they just take the Barefoot menu, and simply replicate it here (subject to supplies etc.)?  Why re-invent the wheel?

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 12 July 2023 - 09:39 AM.

[Matt R.]

They probably could! I don’t imagine it’ll be all that much different except maybe a touch on the lower end side.

[Victoria Watcher]

Watson said Andre Saint-Jacques, who opened Whistler’s Bearfoot Bistro in 1995, will be managing partner, while longtime Bistro chef Melissa Craig will be executive chef or chef de cuisine.

 

Watson noted that Craig began her career at Sooke Harbour House at the age of 18, adding: “It’s a nice full-circle story.”

 

“The award-winning chef leaves Whistler’s iconic Bearfoot Bistro after two decades to bring her innovative and elevated modern Canadian cuisine to the historic inn on the ocean,” Watson said on the facility’s website.

 

In 2008, Craig won gold at the Canadian Culinary Championships.

 

Sooke Harbour House has gone through tumultuous times in recent years.

 

 

 

https://www.timescol...-winter-7276141

[Mike K.]

All this was on social media two days ago, on Facebook, in fact. And the rest of the content is likely already known by the majority of people interested in the story.

Why would Meta want to pay for that same content, because it was used by a media company, which then links off Facebook, for the rest of the content initially posted to Facebook?