BY R.J. DELUKE<\/p>\n
Plans for yet another hotel in Saratoga
\nSprings will move forward this summer on the
\nsite of the former Weathervane Restaurant on
\nSouth Broadway in Saratoga Springs.<\/p>\n
Brian Straughter, vice president of Turf
\nHotels, the group that will oversee construction
\nof a four-story Homewood Suites hotel
\non the property. The restaurant building was
\ndemolished in early July.<\/p>\n
The project first came to light a couple of
\nyears ago. Without much word from then until
\nnow, there was speculation as to whether the
\nproject was still viable.
\n“We’re moving 100 percent forward,” said
\nStraughter.<\/p>\n
When Saratoga Springs lost its bid to land a
\nstate-approved, full-fledged casino–a project
\nthat was awarded to Schenectady–there was
\nspeculation some development proposals in
\nthe area would not proceed. The casino was
\nseen as an enticement for even more tourists,
\nall year around.<\/p>\n
Straughter said his group developed the idea “long before the state started talking
\nabout a casino. It had no bearing on it.”
\nHe said the project was slowed by a couple
\nfactors: the severity of the 2014-15 winter and
\n“we had another project going on. We’re a small
\ncompany and can’t do a lot at once.”
\n“We work on this project every week,”
\nStraughter said. “There’s so much that goes
\ninto it. We want to make sure there are no
\nmistakes.”<\/p>\n
Once the buildings are leveled, site work
\nwill commence for the hotel, which was estimated
\nto cost about $10 million in 2013.<\/p>\n
Straughter said they also have design review
\napproval from the city and the architect,
\nDan Bounds of Memphis, is still doing some
\ndetailed work.
\n“We’re trying to figure out how to be as
\n‘green’ as possible,” said Straughter.<\/p>\n
Thus far, a general contractor has not been
\nselected.
\n“A bunch of people want to build it,” he
\nnoted. “You can only pick one.”
\nThe end result, he said, “will be a gorgeous
\nbuilding.”<\/p>\n
Homewood Suites offers extended stay
\nrooms. It will have over 100 suites.<\/p>\n
Straughter said while there is much work to
\nbe done, there is a chance that actual construction
\ncould begin before the end of the years. He
\nand his partner, Michael Hoffman, are awaiting
\nbuilding plans so they can be submitted to
\nobtain the building permit.<\/p>\n
“The property wasn’t zoned for a hotel, so
\nthere was a lot of work we had to do to see if
\nwe even had a viable project,” said Straughter.<\/p>\n
A new Embassy Suites Hotel opened this year in Congress Plaza and Saratoga Casino
\nand Raceway just broke ground on a new hotel.
\nThe Adelphi Hotel in downtown Saratoga
\nSprings is undergoing a major face lift and
\nexpansion, and two hotels on Lake Avenue
\nwere built within the last couple years.
\nStill, Straughter is undaunted.<\/p>\n
“We’re confident in our ability to manage
\nhotels and run hotels,” he said. An extended
\nstay hotel “is a particular niche in the market.
\nWe’re going for that extended stay market.”
\nHe added, “Saratoga is a great city. It’s no
\nlonger ‘the summer place to be.’ It’s the place
\nto be.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BY R.J. DELUKE Plans for yet another hotel in Saratoga Springs will move forward this summer on the site of the former Weathervane Restaurant on South Broadway in Saratoga Springs. Brian Straughter, vice president of Turf Hotels, the group…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[57,63,115],"class_list":["post-17253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-summer-construction","tag-business-news","tag-construction","tag-saratoga-springs"],"yoast_head":"\r\n