The Double D Inn is getting a makeover.

The 17-bed motel, located along Nicola Avenue at the western entrance to Merritt, will undergo renovations this fall.

Expected to be complete by November, the renovations include three new rooms, new landscaping, new siding, doors and windows, and a residence for soon-to-be caretaker Steve Ahuja, whose father owns the business.

The motel will also be renamed the River Inn.

To accommodate the new rooms, a second floor will be built atop one of the three buildings the motel consists of.

Last Tuesday, city council approved a development permit needed to complete these renovations.

A report to city council stated this project will improve the overall image of Merritt’s western gateway and be appealing to residents and visitors.

“It’s going to clean up that side of town for sure,” Ahuja said.

Merritt Mayor Neil Menard said that the Double D Inn has looked like an “eyesore” in the past and suggested staff inform the owner to keep the motel looking neat, emphasizing that it’s one of the first buildings one sees when driving into Merritt from Highway 8.

Once the new rooms are in place, Ahuja said he plans to have the existing ones renovated in phases.

“The whole building’s going to get renovated,” he said.

“All new furniture, T.V.s, kitchens, washrooms.”

The Double D Inn was built in the 1960s Ahuja said.

He said the renovations will cost approximately $350,000 and the motel is in need of a facelift.