Longtime owner Scott MacAulay of Cape Breton Resorts sold the Dundee property to Sonny Grewal who declined to disclose the purchase price but said the planned improvements could cost up to $250,000, although he cautioned that was a rough figure at this point.
Last year it was announced that the resort and its 18-hole golf course and lodge were up for sale for $2.5 million.
Grewal will take on the venture with his business partner, his brother Sumer. Grewal plans to make Dundee a seasonal home.
“I looked at the tourism numbers and it just attracted me, it’s a unique place and I thought it would be interesting to come here and do business,” he said. “I’m really happy and delighted to be here, it’s a good community.”
Grewal has relocated from Texas and he is a dual citizen. He said he previously was in the hospitality industry and was looking for the right opportunity to get back into the business.
He said he first visited the resort in early May. The sale was finalized June 1, so it was a relatively quick process.
“This opportunity just came across at the right time,” Grewal said. He had previously visited Cape Breton, he added. Among the improvements Grewal plans are painting the exterior, work to the roof, and upgrades to rooms including new televisions and beds. He estimated about 60 per cent of the work will be able to be done this season, working around reservations. The Dundee Resort and Golf Club features a 60-room lodge, vacation cabins, two restaurants, indoor and outdoor pools, a tennis court and a sauna, according to its listing on the realtor.ca website. The resort is open from May to October. In the summer, there’s canoeing and kayaking, an adventure centre for children and beach bonfires on the Bras d’Or Lake.Grewal said he is now meeting the 45 staff members. He said no immediate changes are expected in terms of staffing and policies. “I’m really looking forward to working with the local community,” he said, adding he hopes to meet with local municipal leaders and a representative of the Strait Area Chamber of Commerce. He added efforts are underway to launch new dining promotions at the resort, including wing night. They are also hoping to increase membership at the golf club. Former owner Cape Breton Resorts also owns the Inverary Inn, Ceilidh Lodge and the Bell Bay Golf Club, all in Baddeck, as well as two vacation home developments, Kildare Landing in Baddeck and Ingonish By The Sea. The Dundee resort was bought and redeveloped by Cape Breton Resorts in 1992. In the mid-1970s Cape Breton Development Corp decided to locate a marina and resort at Dundee to facilitate tourism development.
