Prestige Hotels and Resorts has announced that it has purchased the Vernon Atrium Hotel and Conference Centre including the acquisition of both the hotel and its food and beverage operations.

The purchase was announced this week by Prestige.

The hotel, which will now return to its former name, the Vernon Lodge, features more than 100 guest rooms, three ballrooms, a pub, a restaurant, and a courtyard with thousands of plants and a creek.

As a family-owned company with properties in 12 locations across B.C., the president of Prestige Hotels and Resorts says he鈥檚 proud to now consider the hotel one of its own.

"We are very pleased to have the Vernon Atrium Hotel and its employees join the Prestige family" said Terry Schneider, adding that Vernon holds a special place in the company鈥檚 history.

鈥淚t was the first city outside of 琉璃神社 that we began doing business in, close to 25 years ago," he said, noting it was important to return to the previous name, and not brand it as a Prestige. 鈥淭he Vernon Lodge holds a special place in the hearts and minds of both locals and guests. We want to honour the legacy established more than 40 years.鈥�

The hotel will continue to operate without interruption, and future guest reservations and event bookings will not be affected. The food and beverage area will now be operated by BRIC Hospitality Group, which is also a local Vernon company.

"The previous owners and their dedicated team have done a great job operating and maintaining the hotel,鈥� said Schneider, who adds that they will be welcoming a new general manager to the property. 鈥淲e are excited to announce that David Gibbs, former GM of the Prestige Hotel in Vernon, will be taking over operations immediately. David has been a part of the Prestige team for nearly 18 years, and will provide a tremendous amount of experience and leadership to the staff,鈥� he says.

Prestige also announced that they are bringing a new food and beverage operator to the property. Don Cherry鈥檚 Sports Grill will open in November, and will offer a lively atmosphere with classic pub-style food.

鈥淪everal of our Prestige properties currently operate Don Cherry鈥檚 restaurants, and we鈥檝e seen tremendous success with them. We look forward to offering residents and guests an exciting new place to watch their favourite game, or enjoy a night out with friends,鈥� said Schneider.