Sandman Hotels

The Sandman Hotel Group was founded by Bob Dickinson in 1967 in Smithers, British Columbia, a small town in the province's northern interior. Dickinson, who had been working in the mining and forestry industries, saw an opportunity to build hotels that served the working travellers moving through British Columbia's resource towns. That first Sandman hotel was functional and affordable — exactly what truckers, loggers, and mining workers needed. From this pragmatic start, Dickinson built one of Canada's largest privately held hotel companies.

The Northland Properties Empire

Sandman Hotels is part of Northland Properties Corporation, the Dickinson family's privately held conglomerate headquartered in Vancouver. Northland also owns the Sandman Signature and Sutton Place Hotels brands, the Moxie's, Chop Steakhouse, Denny's (Canadian franchise), and Shark Club restaurant and entertainment brands, as well as the Dallas Stars NHL franchise. The combined portfolio makes Northland one of the largest privately held hospitality companies in North America. Bob Dickinson's son, Tom Gaglardi, now leads the empire.

Three Hotel Tiers

The Sandman group operates three hotel brands at different price points. Sandman Hotels are the original mid-range properties, offering comfortable rooms, on-site restaurants (usually a Denny's or Moxie's), pools, and meeting spaces at competitive rates. Sandman Signature hotels are upscale properties with premium finishes, full-service restaurants, and spa facilities, positioned in major urban centres. The Sutton Place Hotels brand sits at the luxury end, with boutique-style properties in cities like Vancouver, Edmonton, and Revelstoke.

Across Canada and Beyond

The Sandman group operates over 50 properties across Canada, concentrated in British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, with locations also in Ontario, Manitoba, and the United Kingdom. The hotels are typically located near highways, airports, and city centres, serving a mix of business travellers, families, and tourists. The company remains privately held by the Gaglardi family, which has allowed it to make long-term investment decisions without the quarterly earnings pressure that public hotel companies face.