“Quash any thoughts of interviewing this man” I silently warned myself. David Wilmer, the owner of the Inn At Bay Fortune and I were talking on the boardwalk outside the entrance to his Prince Edward Island hotel. Behind us flower gardens erupted in a cacophony of colour. To our right the green lawn stretched on until it seemed to roll right into Fortune Bay. On our left the hotel – gray shingles and white trim – matched the morning sky.

The night before our Canadian Roadflix crew had eaten at Cardigan Lobster Suppers but arrived after dusk. We needed to go back for exterior shots. We also wanted to get some footage of the Canada's smallest library – also in Cardigan. My daughter had never seen the lighthouse at East Point so that got penciled into the day's agenda (even though it was in the other direction). By mid afternoon we were scheduled to check into the Inn on the Harbour in Charlottetown and hook up with Lee Drake at the Charlottetown Driving Park and Entertainment Centre. Our day was already packed.

But David's story was compelling. Within a year of purchasing the historical but derelict property he opened a stellar seaside hotel. Other changes followed over last two decades. Among them - The kitchen was rebuilt as a television set for a popular cooking show and the water tower was born again as a guest room overlooking Fortune Bay. It didn't take me long to realize I was talking with a pretty remarkable man and not putting him in front of our camera would be a major mistake.

David Wilmer agreed to an on-camera interview and we pushed back our time line for the day. I hope the resulting video gives you some sense (over and above what a special place the Inn at Bay Fortune is) of the person who's team turned it into what it is today.

Bookmark/Search this post with:

 •    •    •    •    •    •