Photos: Ivan Hunter Photography
Ah, Wilderness!
Hospitality pioneer blends rustic touches with upscale accommodations at The Wickaninnish on the Beach.
By Heidi Schwartz
With longer work days, wireless intrusions, and daily challenges, many people wonder if it’s really possible to escape from the stresses of the modern age. But with nearly every job comes the promise of vacation—an institution that, in the minds of some, is worth elevating to mythic proportions.
Today, vacationers expect nothing less than an ideal retreat, which is one of the reasons why buildings in the hospitality sector are scrutinized with an intense degree of criticism. On call 24/7/365, successful facility professionals in this industry must be borderline perfectionists in order to satisfy their guests’ needs.
But in the small Vancouver Island town of Tofino, BC, the new Wickaninnish Inn on the Beach serves as reassurance. Ranked as one of the top hotels in the world, the Wick is an idyllic resort that delivers everything possible to the weary guest in search of relaxation.
Into The Woods
In 1955, the young Dr. Howard McDiarmid discovered Tofino and fell in love with it. Recognizing the potential appeal of the area, he moved his family there and later purchased property on what he deemed the most beautiful beach on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Despite the fact there was no connecting road until 1959, Dr. McDiarmid felt the unspoiled place would one day be extremely desirable. “His idea was that he’d build a motel here one day,” recalls Charles McDiarmid, current managing director of the inn and son of its founder.
For decades, the elder McDiarmid talked about the motel but struggled to achieve the support he desired. “People responded by asking, ‘Why would anybody want to go to Tofino?’ Getting people interested in the area was a challenge,” the younger McDiarmid admits.
After several years in the upscale resort and hotel industry, he convinced his father and family to consider grander terms for the Tofino property. “I wasn’t really interested in leaving the Four Seasons if we were just going to build a motel, but if we could create a Relais & Chateaux property, that would be an interesting commitment. So we made the decision to build a high end restaurant and a full service facility rather than a motel,” he says.
In the early 1990s, the groundwork for Wickaninnish on the Pointe was in place. In 1995, McDiarmid permanently moved to Tofino at the start of the site preparation phase. “We spent many years looking at this site, which was totally rugged. We checked where we thought rough building heights should be, and that meant climbing up trees to get a truer sense. We scoped out the winter storm season to see how far the waves came up, to determine how close we could build to the water’s edge,” he recalls.
Construction began on September 26, 1995, and the Pointe opened on August 9, 1996. McDiarmid notes, “Having lived in Tofino for many years, our family was committed to ensuring our guests would feel, from the moment they arrived, that the Wickaninnish Inn was a destination with its own lexicon of design values. The predominant themes came straight from our immediate natural environment. The site, located at the edge of a rock promontory, overlooks the open ocean with a stunning backdrop of an old growth temperate rainforest. Hence, the overarching design theme of ‘Rustic Elegance on Nature’s Edge’ was born,” he says with pride.
Although there was very little in the area, McDiarmid’s efforts essentially put Tofino on the map, particularly in international terms. His vision and perseverance opened the area to a new form of unspoiled, yet sophisticated tourism.
“We went through many years of solid business and growth,” he explains. “We ran for many years at very high occupancy levels, which allowed us to buy out our partners, with the help of the Royal Bank.”
The Last Resort
In 2002, the McDiarmid family began development immediately adjacent to the original building right on nearby Chesterman Beach, christened Wickaninnish on the Beach. McDiarmid notes that this second phase was “anticipated as part of our planning process, even back when the Pointe building was still being developed on paper.”
He continues, “When we started moving forward with the second phase, it was very important for us that it not just be slapped together. We didn’t want it to capitalize on the success of the original building without equaling or surpassing the quality of it in some way. After all, the beach building had always been part of our long-term plan, so we had this corner of the beach in mind from day one.”
According to Architect Robert King of Toronto, ON-based Young + Wright Architects, “The site for the beach property was selected based on its views from the building. Richard Young (director in charge at Young + Wright) had access to tidal maps to help us select the ideal location on the site. In addition to traditional architectural services, our firm specializes in site evaluation and analysis of site topography. You may wonder how many people recognize the importance of this trait, but we often hear comments suggesting that we couldn’t have located this building better.”
One essential part of the location was the emphasis on site preservation. “We wanted to create the least amount of impact on the existing natural surroundings. The crews only excavated four feet beyond the foundation all the way around. It was a very tight excavation. Most of the large trees were left undisturbed when they actually excavated the site for this building. We had to cut down two old growth trees when we cleared the site, but they were incorporated into the construction of the building. It was pretty incredible,” King says. The two Sitka spruce trees felled to make way for the building were sawn into 12'x12' timbers and dried on site until they could be used as part of the interior public space finishes.
Construction Setbacks
Planning and excavation for Phase Two initially moved at a rapid pace. But the remote location of the property made it surprisingly difficult to bring certain materials to the site. At times, it was even a challenge to acquire some items at all.
King explains, “Our structural engineer specified fly ash in the concrete, and we found out later that it was next to impossible to get it on the island. Fly ash is something you want in a structure if it’s close to salt water. We found out it would have to be imported from Vancouver, which could potentially create all kinds of delays.” Eventually the issue was resolved, but others cropped up to challenge the team.
“Early on, we checked into the water requirements for the site, so we’d know what we were obligated to do,” recalls McDiarmid. “Initially, I was told everything was fine. But later, representatives from the district of Tofino’s municipal offices decided that changes had to be made. So instead of calling, they waited until we went in for the development permit. Then they said, ‘Now you’ve got to build a 10" water line all the way out from the main highway, a distance of roughly 750 meters.’ This was much longer and more expensive than the original requirements suggested. It was a big shock.”
Weather also created numerous obstacles for the project. In the summer, when the weather was agreeable, construction on the beach site would disturb guests at the Pointe building during its busiest season. So work began in the fall, the region’s rainiest time of year. King says, “When it pours rain there, it doesn’t stop. That introduced a degree of hazard to the project. The biggest challenge was getting the roof on to keep the water out. At that stage, we had to struggle to get the building to dry out enough to start getting finishes on. It was so very unpredictable.”
