"When we're building anything, one of our goals is to have people step into another world," says Peter Sawatzky, owner of Imagination Corporation. "That's what these suites are meant to be."
Imagination Corporation is a construction company that traditionally makes its living building things for tourism-based businesses all over the world. They have built theme parks, water parks, mini golf courses, aquarium exhibits, restaurants and hotels in Trinidad, Dubai, the U.S. and all over Canada including Cultus Lake, but it's a development just off Yarrow Central Road in Chilliwack that means the most to him.
"This one is ours," he says.
Hazelnut Inn is a family project
An endless stream of people pulls over to take pictures of the in-progress Hazelnut Inn which has been under construction for the last four years, according to Sawatzky. When the hotel is finished it will consist of three different fantasy-themed suites each with its own distinct look, feel, and backstory written by Sawatzky and his family.
"We are a family of artists," he explains, "It's my wife and I's baby but the whole family is involved."
While Sawatzky and his wife were honeymooning in Europe they stayed in an Italian castle and since there are very few castles in Canada (if any) they developed the idea to build something unique for honeymooners or anniversaries in their hometown.
"Ideas are the easy part," he says. The slow construction of this passion project is due to the fact they are only able to work on it in between other projects. Currently, Imagination Corporation is doing a lot of work on tourism farms, working farms that people come to visit. They are involved in the master planning and design process whereas the Hazelnut Inn is all them all the time.
Sleep in a castle, ship, or underground cottage
When it's finished it promises to be a "showpiece for our construction company," shares Sawatzky.
They plan to open the suites one by one starting with the North Star suite which is modelled after a ship and home to eccentric explorer, Ms. Longbottom, a "caretaker of artifacts and curiosities from mythical lands of fairy tale and folklore." There is also a Copper Crown suite which is a castle based on European fairy tales in a broad sense. There is apparently lots of dragon imagery incorporated into the design because this suite's backstory is about dragon-riding aristocrats. The third suite is Under Hill, a cozy underground cottage owned for generations by the family of Mr. Burrow.
Some hints and pictures of what people can expect from the suites are on the Hazelnut Inn website in the form of videos and story teases and Sawatzky says that each of the accommodations will have a king-size bed, a Japanese soaker tub, kitchenette, and private walled garden with a fire pit.
People can sign up through the website to be among the first to know when the Hazelnut Inn finally opens its doors to the public and follow along on the progress of the project via social media. As of now, Sawatzky estimates that there are over 2,000 people waiting to find out when they can book.
Between the stories and immersive whimsical design there's "nothing like it," says Sawatzky. Perhaps even in the world.
