PEI’s Murphy Hospitality Group to Bring Time-Tested Service to NB
Two weeks ago, Charlottetown-based Murphy Hospitality Group announced they are starting their first New Brunswick endeavour: a new boutique hotel with a Gahan House restaurant in downtown Moncton.
The Wesley Hotel and Gahan House will open at the corner of Moncton’s Wesley and Queen Streets in the fall or winter of 2017-2018.
With Gahan beer already on store shelves in New Brunswick, Murphy Hospitality Group president and CEO Kevin Murphy says their name and reputation for quality has already been established. He hopes to build on that with this new destination.
Murphy hopes to recreate in the Wesley Hotel what Murphy Hospitality Group has built with the Great George Boutique Hotel and Hotel on Pownal in Charlottetown, but with its own unique twist.
“It’ll be more contemporary but it will go back to creating memorable experiences and creating that service point we feel differentiates our offering,” he says.
Murphy says Moncton seemed like the right choice for their first venture into New Brunswick because of the fast-growing market there.
“It’s suddenly transformed itself. It’s becoming a hub,” he says. “It seemed natural for us … I think it was a combination of factors. A lot of times with business, timing is everything and we see this going on in Moncton with regards to the development.”
Murphy says being able to build downtown is especially appealing to them since they’ve had much success with locations in downtown Halifax and Charlottetown. He sees the downtown area as the heart of a city.
Murphy has been building a reputation in the service industry for 35 years. He says they’ve been able to develop both a public image and a strong culture within the company.
“It’s one thing to have an operation that’s great food and a great place but it comes down to how you deliver the experience and that’s the one thing we’ve focused on over the years and have developed a real philosophy and culture on creating memorable experiences,” Murphy says.
“It starts with myself and Kathy (Murphy, co-owner of Murphy Hospitality Group) and it resonates through everybody. That’s what we’re in business for. It’s been a successful model and we love what we do.”
With the Wesley Hotel and Gahan House, Murphy hopes to fill a void in Moncton left by a lack of independent Maritime brands. He says Moncton isn’t much different than other cities with similar population and demographics.
“It’s a commercial centre and has a vibrant community there now and is attracting business,” he says. “It’s really about filling the void and bringing something to a community like Moncton that we feel that is not there today.”
“We’re excited about the opportunity in Moncton with Gahan and The Wesley. We really base it around people. Yes the places will be beautiful and all that but I always say that that’s the easy job, the hard job is when you’re open for business.”