Courtesy Park Manor Hotel
By Paul Post
What a difference a year makes.
In January 2022, new owners took over Park Manor Hotel in Clifton Park, which needed major renovations after being closed for more than two years after foreclosure on the property.
Last April, the 75-room establishment off Northway Exit 9 reopened. That was made possible by a multi-million-dollar renovation project.
“It was a tough project. There was a lot of damage, but we were able to revamp it,” said Yuvraj Chopra, whose father, Ravinder Chopra, purchased the property with partners Vinod K. Chand and Raman K. Aggarwal. “We’re the only unbranded hotel in Saratoga County that offers a boutique luxury experience besides The Adelphi in Saratoga Springs.”
Yuvraj, a 2020 RPI graduate, and his brother, Kuwar, have their own company, All Key Management. It runs the Park Manor Hotel and Hotel Key in Queens. The latter is also owned by their father, Chand and Aggarwal.
Yuvraj’s academic focus was on computer science and business management at RPI. Kuwar went to the University of Delaware where he studied finance and business management, graduating two years ago.
Park Manor Hotel is located at 7 Northside Drive, a roughly 20- to 30-minute drive in either direction from Albany International Airport and Saratoga Race Course and many other Spa City attractions. It’s also just down the road from the new Impact Athletic Center in Halfmoon, which hosts a variety of large sports tournaments on a regular basis. So the hotel targets business people, vacationers and out-of-town athletic guests.
“Tourism is the bulk of any hotel’s clientele, but we’re looking to do more on the business side of things by accommodating companies whose employees travel in and out of the area, in addition to hosting meetings, sales conferences, dinner parties and medical conferences,” said Angie Meyer, Park Manor’s general manager. “We want to develop that kind of business throughout the year.”
The hotel’s banquet space has capacity for 380 people.
“We’re working on marketing tactics that we hope put us in a better position coming into the busy spring and summer season,” she said. “I have an extensive sales background. A lot of area companies may not have had any business here before. We do rely on third-party booking platforms like Expedia and Priceline, also.”
Meyer previously worked at the hotel for its former owners. She left shortly before it closed and went on to manage a Clifton Park restaurant. Upon learning the hotel had been purchased, she connected with new owners who valued her experience and hired her to be its on-site manager.
She said she’s amazed at the transformation because she saw what it looked like before being brought back to life.
“It sat empty for so long and it really wasn’t conditioned for the weather,” Meyer said. “They didn’t drain the pipes. They didn’t winterize the building. There was no heat, so there was a lot of water damage. Toilets had to be replaced and jetted tubs re-wired. The pool couldn’t be used. It had to be gutted out and retiled.”
The kitchen area also needed a major overhaul.
Now, standard king rooms are currently priced at $119, while an efficiency double queen executive suite, big enough for four adults and two children, goes for $199. Parking and cold breakfasts are complimentary. There’s also a fitness center, indoor pool and seasonal barbecue area.
“During peak season, rates will fall in line with all the surrounding hotels,” Meyer said. “But because we are independently owned we can adjust our rates to be a little more discounted.”
The hotel’s restaurant hasn’t reopened yet, but plans call for getting it up and running in the near future.
Park Manor Hotel currently employs 10 people, a number that could double or triple during the busy summer months. But like many employers, the hotel is having a hard time finding enough help.
“I can’t understand how COVID has changed that as immensely as it has,” Meyer said. “I feel like we’ve overcome the hurdles of COVID. Things should be coming back to normal. In a lot of areas they are, but with staffing it’s still a problem.”
The hotel website is parkmanorcp.com.