By Paul Post

The George Hotel, which reopened last July after a lengthy closure, is expected to look considerably different with a new name this summer.

 Cheektowaga-based Rudra Management is seeking Queensbury town Planning Board approval for exterior changes needed to join the LaQuinta hotel chain, by Wyndham.

 “We want to make façade improvements, give it fresh paint and build an accent tower,” co-owner Jay Patel said. “Once that work is completed we would be branding it as LaQuita.”

 The four-story, 98-room hotel is owned by 1533 Queensbury LLC, a real estate holding company affiliated with Patel and his Rudra Management firm, which bought the five-acre site for $6.5 million in February 2022.

 It was previously operated as Comfort Suites, but ran into financial trouble and was closed for two years. The new owners spent a great deal of money bringing the hotel back to life with extensive renovations.

By Paul Post

 SUNY Adirondack’s $5.7 million new turf field is a game-changer for its athletic program and could boost the local economy with major activities that attract teams from outside the area.

 “That’s a big part of it,” Athletic Director Zach Schwan said. “This is a resource not just for the college. It should draw all kinds of tournaments and events here as well.”

School administrators, tourism professionals, elected officials and financial backers took part in a May 4 ribbon cutting to dedicate the facility, which includes synthetic fields for softball, baseball, soccer and lacrosse.

College President Dr. Kristine Duffy said economic development was a key factor behind the project’s consideration. “We believe that we not only bring sales tax revenue into the community every time we host a SUNY Adirondack game, but we also expect to rent out the facility to sports organizations for tournaments that can be played in our region,” she said. “This will bring out-of-town guests to our region who would stay in local hotels and eat at local restaurants.”

 Attracting fans to the area also helps local tourism officials promote the region to guests for future events and vacation stays.

By Paul Post

Planning for the golden anniversary of Warren County’s most popular fall attraction is well under way, already providing a major economic boost to the region’s hospitality industry, highlighted by hundreds of advance hotel room bookings.

This year’s Adirondack Balloon Festival, slated for Sept. 21-24, will have the most special-shaped balloons in its 50-year history, joined by nearly 100 other pilots and 150,000 visitors from throughout the U.S. and overseas, according to organizers.

 “I wish we were able to afford a true economic impact study because I’m sure it would be in the millions of dollars, especially with a good weather weekend,” said Mark Donahue, festival board president. “Right now we’ve booked rooms in 12 different hotels. We need 400 to 500 hotel rooms this year for all our special guests.”

The all-volunteer run, nonprofit festival operates on a roughly $200,000 budget, only a fraction of the money spent by large commercial ballooning events in Albuquerque, N.M., ($10 million) and Reno, Nev., ($2.5 million), which have paid professional staff.

By Paul Post

This is the most nerve-racking time of year for apple growers as warm weather followed by a sudden cold spell can freeze blooms, effectively ruining an entire crop.

“That’s a really big hazard and with the vagaries of climate catastrophe that we’re in, you just don’t know what’s going to happen,” said David Garvoille, Hicks Orchard business development manager. “Fifty degree temperature swings have become a regular thing. It can be 60 one day and 10 the next.”

Founded in 1905, this family-run Granville operation is New York state’s oldest “you-pick” apple farm, which is coming off its best year ever.

“We had the most insane bumper crop, bigger than anyone alive remembers,” Garvoille said. “One tree fell over it was so weighted down with apples. We have about 20 different varieties and they all ripened at the same time. It was just like a freight train coming at us.”

Last spring remained cold right through Mother’s Day, so when it finally warmed up and blooms emerged, the threat of freezing temperatures had passed. Also, Mother Nature provided perfect conditions for honey bees that were brought in to pollinate the orchard.