Fog Blog Days Inn Saint John Reno Log:

THE OLD COLONIAL IN ON SAINT JOHN NB'S CITY ROAD LOOKED LIKE IT WAS GOING TO HAVE A DATE WITH THE WRECKING BALL......BUT.....IT WAS PURCHASED AND RENOVATED AND NOW IT BECOMES A DAYS INN!!...............'We got it done,' said Nav Singh, who has been the general manager for the project during the demolition and construction phase. His father, Ontario hotel developer Malkit Singh, spearheaded the project.In fall 2017, it looked like the former Colonial Inn on the edge of uptown Saint John was fated for the wrecking ball.After years of declining fortunes, the 1970s-era motel closed in August. Its boarded-up windows were covered in graffiti. Weeds grew through the cracks in the pavement.But things started to change in September, when the two-storey property was purchased by Ontario developers Malkit Singh and Devendra Patel for just over $471,000. It was a "big challenge" — but crews got to work right away: taking out walls, ceilings, and carpet, and starting from "the bones up," according to Ankit Amin, who co-owns the property with Devendra Patel. On Sunday — after a year of demolition and renovations — the new Days Inn at 175 City Rd. welcomed its first visitors. "It's a day-and-night difference," said Amin. "We left nothing from the old Colonial Inn here. During the construction phase we had at least 40 guys working every day here."Days, nights, weekends, whatever we asked them, they worked. And here we are."