New York state crews have started work on a $4.2 million redevelopment of Roosevelt Drive within Saratoga Spa State Park. 

The project will improve transportation safety within the park by adding pedestrian and bicycling pathways adjacent to the park’s busiest stretch of roadway, which connects the Avenue of the Pines with the golf course, pools, picnic areas, and the Roosevelt Baths and Spa.

Funding for the project came from New York Works capital funding as well as $1.2 million from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund. 

“This exciting upgrade will make Saratoga Spa safer, more environmentally friendly and more enjoyable to cyclists, pedestrians, and guests who visit the many cultural venues in its historic setting,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said. “The $4.2 million project will complement the significant investments we have made to enhance Saratoga Springs’ status as a world-class recreational and tourism destination.”

Officials said the roadway will be moved away from the classical arcades, making space for a large circular patio as a welcoming gathering place to kick off exploration of all the park has to offer. 

Part of the Park of the Arts initiative, the corridor improvements mark another major milestone in the restoration of the National Historic Landmark campus. The project will also create expanded parking to service the Spa Little Theater and the recreational and cultural attractions of the Roosevelt Campus, as well as to provide new EV charging stations.

New stormwater management features will help protect water quality, stabilize water temperature, and improve brook trout habitat in Geyser Creek. These include installing underground stormwater chambers and porous asphalt at the expanded parking lot to filter rainwater and allow it to slowly infiltrate back into the soil, reducing stormwater runoff and sedimentation flowing into Geyser Creek.

U.S. hotel leisure travel revenue is projected to end the year 14 percent above 2019 levels, while hotel business travel revenue is expected to come within 1 percent of 2019 levels, according to an analysis by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and Kalibri Labs.

The projections are not adjusted for inflation, and real hotel revenue recovery will likely take several more years, officials said.

Post-pandemic recovery remains uneven, particularly in many major cities and destinations where business travel continues to lag. Among the top 50 U.S. markets, 80 percent are projected to see hotel leisure travel revenue exceed 2019 levels, but just 40 percent are expected reach that milestone for business travel revenue. Many urban markets, which rely heavily on business from events and group meetings, are still on the road to recovery.

Other study said the uptick in revenue is leading to historic career opportunities for hotel employees, with more than 115,000 hotel jobs currently open across the nation. Hotels are offering potential hires a host of incentives to fill vacancies—81 percent have increased wages, 64 percent are offering greater flexibility with hours, and 35 percent have expanded benefits, according to a September 2022 AHLA member survey.

“The hotel industry continues its march toward recovery, but we still have a way to go before we fully get there,” said AHLA President and CEO Chip Rogers. “That’s why AHLA remains focused on working with members, lawmakers and stakeholders in markets that are rebounding more slowly to ensure the full return of meetings, conferences, and group travel in addition to leisure and business travel. 

“At the same time, we are continuing to grow the industry’s talent pipeline by highlighting the unprecedented career opportunities hotels are offering. Thanks to higher wages, better benefits, and more flexibility and opportunities for advancement, there has never been a better time to work at a hotel.”