Paul Martin building to receive makeover

Rob Myers has an affinity for Chatham.

“We've wasted a lot of money in Chatham. It's worked out pretty good,” said Myers with a wry smile.

He is bringing $30 million to Windsor’s downtown core and investing it into the restoration of the Paul Martin Building on Ouellette Avenue.

The owner of Chatham's Retro Suits and RM Auto Restoration is going to transform the iconic building into a boutique hotel.

“We're coming down here to see if we can waste some more money and build a cool hotel down here and maybe buy some buildings around the area and do some fun things which what my daughter and I enjoy doing,” Myers said.

The building is being transferred for a dollar and will maintain many of the building's historic features while adding a touch of Windsor's history to the mix.

“It'll be, you know, a combination of historic buildings mixed with modern art and design and every room will have its own theme, different styling, and unique pieces throughout the building,” said his daughter Jessica who will run the hotel when it is complete.

The hotel is expected to employ about 150 people and include a restaurant, café, and more. The family is looking to welcome their first guests in the spring of 2026.

When the boutique hotel is finished, it'll have 80-100 individually styled suites and another 20-40 full-service residences for corporate travelers and companies looking for suites.

There is a four to five year window for the city to make plans to move the central branch of the Windsor Public Library.

“Gives us, the library board and city council, an opportunity to figure out where to locate the library and to get something built and renovated so we have a good permanent home for the central branch of the Windsor library,” said Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens.

According to Gordon Orr, CEO of Tourism Windsor-Essex Pelee Island, there are currently 1,800 hotel rooms in the downtown core. He said the boutique hotel will be a nice addition to the seven downtown hotels and bring a different offering.

“We're seeing our occupancy rate grow year over year,” Orr remarked. “It's going in the right direction, and adding a new edition like this property that is coming, very, very exciting.”