County News
A Royal deal
Former Ontario finance minister acquires landmark hotel
There is something very special happening in Prince Edward County,” says Greg Sorbara, former Ontario finance minister and brand new owner of the Royal Hotel on Main Street in Picton.
Earlier this week the deal closed that will transfer the iconic Picton property to the long-time Liberal MPP and cabinet member.
“My ambition is to preserve the building and to rebuild the hotel to make it a focal point for the County and certainly downtown Picton,” Sorbara explained to the Times. “I don’t have specifics yet other than to oversee the reconstruction of the Royal Hotel and transform it into one of the province’s best and most sought after boutique hotels.”
Sorbara isn’t a new arrival to the County; he has maintained a home and farm outside of Northport for the past decade.
“We’ve been busy restoring and resurrecting it for the last seven years. I have a large family—six kids, thirteen grandkids—and our farm in Northport has become the mecca where all the family gets together. We served dinner for 60 people in the barn on Thanksgiving weekend. People just love the place.”
For Sorbara, the investment in the Royal Hotel is partly about digging deeper roots into an increasingly attractive community.
“There is a magic here,” said Sorbara. “I don’t know exactly what that magic is—but it is a magnet that is attracting an ever increasing number of tourists and people who want to live here. People who want to relocate to a rural setting.”
Sorbara and his family are well-established landowners, developers and builders in the Greater Toronto Area, and have been for over 50 years.
“This is not, at this point, a Sorbara Group project. It is an initiative that I am taking on personally, but I will have a lot of assistance that centres around this office.”
Sorbara is planning on building a successful hotel—but his primary ambition is to restore this important and historic Picton landmark.
“I am very optimistic about the prospects for tourism in Prince Edward County,” said Sorbara. “Picton deserves to have this wonderful building restored. And I am hoping, although not entirely sure, it will be a profitable venture. Right now my mission is to rebuild it and create an attractive facility.”
For Peter Sage, it is a bittersweet event. The former owner of the Royal was very close in 2008 to securing the last bit of financing he needed to transform the Royal into a grand address, remodelled with condominiums, restaurants and highend retail.
But days after receiving final financing pledges, the large U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers collapsed, credit markets froze and stock markets nose dived, triggering a deep recession that continues to weigh down many economies. Sage’s Royal financing evaporated in an instant, and with it any dreams to remake the Royal Hotel.
What I had planned for the Royal would have been a wonderful thing, had it gone forward,” he said. “I would have liked to be the one to carry it forward, but I am happy to hand it off to someone who will.”
Meanwhile, Greg Sorbara is reaching out to those with ideas, dreams and stories about the Royal Hotel.
“People who have ideas for what they would like to see should try to get in touch with me,” he said.
Totally gutted inside due to neglect. It’s disgusting that nobody, or the local government, didn’t spend money to keep the elements from infiltrating the interior of the building. The ROOF. Nothing savaged. If it wasn’t for Mr. Sorbara, the hotel would eventually be bulldozed like many other historic buildings in Picton. Remember the church? Some clown destroyed it before the deep thinkers at Shire realized. Keep bulldozing and nobody will bother coming here.
this is my husband account he grow up in the county and still is here he would like to see the royal go back to the way it was when he was a boy or a young man and give the bars here a run for there money
but on the other hand he is also a wood worker and would love to have the oppurtunity to turn some spindals out for the stairs or any kind of small wood working that needs to be done in the royal
thank you
kyle mayne
I would love if we could have Line Dancing three or four times a week
Ya guys right on
well im not sure what will happen to the royal I can almost bet that the regular people in picton will not be able to afford to go in so many businesses now are people with money sorry its just a fact
I have many memories of that building…..both my parents worked there as night janitors when I was a child and many times I accompanied them. When I got old enough to drink I went there often, it had the best area for dancing. It would be nice to see a nice bar with a dance area where even live entertainment could play and a restaurant area. I have not lived in Picton for many years but every time I have gone back I have either went inside or just stood out front to admire the building and reminisce. I always thought the lobby could be something grand with nice chairs/sofa’s and it would be nice to see the rooms brought back to life and made into nice places to stay while in town.
So glad someone has the vision to see what this beautiful building has been and can be again.
I worry that nothing has happened with this project. The Royal is a landmark on Main Street. She’s a “Grand Old Dame” deserving of some TLC.
Well said Laura, nothing here for the locals, in the off season. I have a ton of ideas to keep everyone happy. But usually before a place is bought the use has been determined. Just another place i won’t be visiting.
I think it should be turned back into what it was. I think it shouldn’t of even been touched in the first place other then to secure it more and do electrical stuff like that. It’s a shame how things get torn down and never have nothing done with them , leave historic places alone !!!!! excpetualy if ur not gonna do anything with it , its aweful how people start projects tare things down and never finish , it just turns into a empty lot ……shamefull !!!!!!! Turn historic place into there original state !!!!! (That’s my opinion) !!!!!!!!
Thought this project would have been underway by now. Lots of speculation and in the meantime it continues to deteriorate inside.Total gut job. Good luck with the project Mr Sorbara. It’s in better hands we trust.
I hope that the dance floor is restored, we truly need a place to go and dance!!!
A wealthy ex-finance minister has purchased the property, and people actually think that he is going to turn it back in to the same ol’ ‘good times’ Royal? Ha! It will be just like every other business popping up in the County lately! Overpriced and geared toward the tourists. Why don’t we all just go have a drink and dance at the Merrill Inn? As I’m sure the finished result on the Royal will be along the same lines! Lol!
Seeing the Royal Hotel finally restored will be a great thing for the community with employment opportunities and tax revenue for the County coffers.However my guess is this will be a high end establisbment meant to cater to tourists and the wine drinking class. This tourist destination/retirement community has not worked for the County as is evident deficit situation the County has experienced in recent years. I do hope to see the Royal thrive again good luck Mr. Sorbara..
We need a old Rickerton and Royal. They were the places to go years ago. Hopefully combining the two is possible. Great memories shared at The Royal by many. So Happy to hear that this Beautiful building will be used once again.
My Father Regent Dubois Worked there as manager- maintenance man for as long as I can remember I grew up in the royal running the halls before it opened playing never ending pinball cause dad had the magic key no quarters required 🙂 I have seen parts of the old royal that the public probably doesn’t even know about . I have many many happy memories there 🙂 To me is was NEVER a dive . Glad to see it being restored ,well I hope it does get done this time .
thank you too mr sorbara I would love too see the old royal hotel back although it wouldn’t be the same old bar but it would give us the bar back that we in the county always remembered a nice place too go on Friday and Saturday night and listern too the bands again thank you mr sorbara
I would love to see it before and after. My mother and one sister ran the Jester in the basement when it was an arcade. Another sister worked as a bartender. My mother cleaned The Royal top to bottom for years and lived there after she and my father split. One of my sisters and I lived there for a short time until we could find an apartment. And, yet another of my sisters lived there with her family after they were burned out across the street (where the Post Office is now). I used to meet my mother there in the mornings before work to have breakfast with her in the dance hall and spent many holidays in her suite for meals. Although some people may think of this as horrible the Royal was like a second home in many ways as we were connected to it for so many years. I think my entire family spent a great deal of time there playing pool, listening and dancing to the bands and drinking. I met a lot of people over the years either at the dances in the Jester or the ones in the bar and I will love to see it restored. I would appreciate if you could pass along this message to Mr. Sorbara as I would really love to see it again.
I think there should be a sleazy bar with cheap beer, a country band and Friday night fights.
Janet, isn’t that what it always used to be? LOL It would be nice to have another place in town that you would WANT to go to, and that the cops wouldn’t have to go break up fights in…
I would love to see the community get behind this project even if it is only in moral support for the grand old lady to be a vital part of the downtown core again. Bravo, to Peter Sage for starting the vision as well as to Greg Sorbara for taking up the gauntlet as a personal project. I can’t wait to see the vision unfold.
Looking for contact information of Mr. Greg Sorbara to discuss some ideas.
I would love part of the project to include an upscale drinking establishment . A beautiful place to go for a drink, some live music, comfortable seating.
I agree Liz! I classy, old-fashioned hotel bar with same music would be an amazing addition to The County.