Maritime Inn

Keeping Good Company 

When your line of work demands frequent, year-round travel, you become a pro at finding the best places to stay. Naturally, you want a clean and comfortable room and all the usual hotel amenities, but if you’re going to be in one place for awhile, balancing business meetings with some downtime, you probably want to stay somewhere that has something a little bit special: a place with great food, great recreation and multi-purpose facilities, and people who know how to make you feel right at home.
 
If you’re lucky enough to be travelling to the Strait Area of Nova Scotia, whether for work or leisure, you will find a place that offers all that, and much more. Check in to the Maritime Inn Port Hawkesbury.
 
The Maritime Inn Port Hawkesbury is situated on Cape Breton Island, just a short drive from the Canso Causeway. It is the oldest of three properties in the Maritime Inn chain, owned and operated by the Mingo family of New Glasgow since 1970.
 
“We are full service, which is our advantage,” says Larry McLean, the hotel’s general manager. “It’s the best full service hotel in the area.” Everything a guest could want is available, any time of year. The Maritime Inn Port Hawkesbury features 73 rooms, ranging from standard accommodations, to executive deluxe suites, to a two-bedroom suite with a separate living room and full kitchen. There are also four function rooms, for meetings, conferences and events, as well as on-site catering.
 
Miller’s Café serves breakfast and lunch, and in the evening, Miller’s Tap and Grill’s Taste of Nova Scotia cuisine is a favourite among locals and visitors, alike. And you can work off that delicious pan-fried haddock, and sticky toffee pudding with a trip to the outdoor pool if the weather is warm, or the indoor pool if it’s cool. You could also break a sweat in the fitness centre.
 
As the area’s only 3 ½ star hotel, Maritime Inn Port Hawkesbury takes pride in offering the finest hospitality. The Mingo family has consistently re-invested in the property to keep it attractive and up-to-date. The hotel recently had a major facelift, in which most of the rooms were completely re-done, and some executive rooms were given drive-up access to meet the needs of their guests. This came on the heels of a complete renovation of the kitchen and the dining room, and a string of other enhancements. “It all comes down to trying to provide what people are looking for,” says McLean.
 
While Nova Scotia is widely known as a tourist destination, especially in the summer, the Maritime Inn Port Hawkesbury is a busy place in every season thanks to booming business in the area. With easy access to an ice-free deep-sea port, the Strait region is attracting much attention from a variety of industries, and other businesses are thriving as a result of the spin-offs. “A big portion of the industry here revolves around that port,” says McLean. “I think that is a huge advantage in our business particularly, in drawing our guests here.”
 
He estimates that 75-80 per cent of the Maritime Inn Port Hawkesbury’s guests are corporate clients, regularly travelling from around the Maritimes, the U.S., and parts of Europe for conferences, meetings and other business dealings in the area. “We’re fortunate with our location,” he says. “It’s excellent. It’s close to the industry in Point Tupper, it’s also close to the new Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre.”
 
In addition to business clientele, the Maritime Inn Port Hawkesbury also sees its share of tourism traffic throughout the summer and fall, and often plays host to visiting hockey teams in the winter. This results in over 20,000 people enjoying the comfort of the Maritime Inn Port Hawkesbury each year.
 
No matter how pleasant the facilities, or how tasty the food, a hotel is nothing without a staff that radiates warmth and hospitality. It is the 38 staff members at the Maritime Inn Port Hawkesbury, many of them long-term employees, who really impress the guests. According to McLean, “We have some customers who have been coming here for close to 30 years. From what they tell me, it’s that personal service that makes us unique.”
 
With many repeat visitors, some staying there on business as many as 125 nights per year, the staff knows many guests by name. There are even those who don’t need to order breakfast in Miller’s Café because as soon as they come in, the folks in the kitchen know what to whip up for them. “Seeing the rapport between the customers and the staff is a great thing,” McLean says.
 
Welcoming people, and providing whatever they need to enjoy their experience is what the Maritime Inn Port Hawkesbury does best. That same friendliness, and the ability to offer a variety of options for work and play, is also reflected in Nova Scotia itself. McLean says, “With the pace of life here, you can choose how you want to work. It may not be less demanding, but it’s all in how you do it, and how you spend your free time.”
 
And there are countless ways to relax and unwind here, especially in the great outdoors. “In the summer, there are beaches, nice warm salt water, sand, and places to dig clams. In the wintertime, there are snowmobile trails, cross country skiing or skating, and lots of hockey. And you can find those things almost anywhere in Nova Scotia,” he points out.
 
Life in Nova Scotia is made amazing by the opportunity to balance the hustle and bustle of a successful business environment, with a pace of life that allows time to enjoy the scenery and the people who make this place so remarkable. “It’s nice to be able to show off where we live, and all the good things about it,” says McLean. The Maritime Inn Port Hawkesbury does just that, with business and pleasure.