Courtesy of Weekender Hotels
By Rod Bacon
A hospitality venue that was once part of a larger hotel complex that included the now-demolished United States Hotel has undergone a complete renovation and rebranding.
The St. Charles Motel, which was purchased in March 2024 by Saratoga Springs-based Weekender Hotels, opened in September with a new look and amenities.
“Saratoga is a continually growing market and we liked the urban nature of the property’s proximity on South Broadway to what downtown has to offer, as well as the Saratoga Race Course, mineral springs, and SPAC,” said Keir Weimer, founder/CEO of Weekender Hotels. “We had the vision to take it from what it was, which was a bit of a distressed, older, under-optimized property to Weekender Hotel standards.”
Renamed The Ambler, the building was completely gutted and reimagined to what Weimer described as “a Palm Springs desert retro feel with pops of color and layouts that bring in sunlight.”
“We wanted to achieve a creative concept that was something different and unavailable in the local and regional areas,” he said.
The two-story building has 18 guest rooms that were given new floors, bathrooms, and unique color schemes. State-of-the-art technology provides voice enabled Wi-Fi, thermostats, and streaming televisions. There are also two suites, one of which has an Alaskan king bed. The exterior brick has been painted white.
Weimer said rooms are priced from $160 per night to $500-$600 for suites during the summer season.
There is a two-story standalone house on the property that is currently being renovated for families and groups. It is expected to be ready for occupancy in Spring 2026.
The Ambler is one of three Weekender hotels overseen by Area Manager Jason Gerard, a 20-year veteran of the hospitality industry who was recruited from New England where he managed a portfolio of four hotels. He is also responsible for the Alpine Lodge and The Phoenix in North Creek. There are on-site supervisors at each of these properties.
Edwin Hathaway, owner of Troy-based Hathaway Construction and Renovation, was the general contractor on the project.
AnCor, Inc., a national construction and development company working in the commercial, retail, and hospitality fields, provided project oversight.
Shawn Corp led the team at Reveal Architecture/Design PLLC, of Saratoga Springs, in designing the changes.
That firm worked in conjunction with Mapa Mueller, lead designer at Saratoga Springs’ Memo + Otto, who has expertise in blending hospitality with industrial and interior design.
Branding and identity was created by Longitude to create a guest experience rooted in Saratoga’s sense of place.
Matt Guiarelli, founder/principal of Albany-based Ascend Real Estate Advisors, consulted on financial matters.
The motel was purchased from Scott Grosky for $1.4 million. He is holding the seller’s note so there was no bank involved in the transaction.
Weimer launched Weekender Hotels in 2021 after a career in real estate where he led a luxury brokerage team at Sotheby’s International Realty and later founded other companies in real estate, hospitality and technology.
“Our speciality is connecting people with adventure and the great outdoors, so we look for hotels in iconic vacation destinations near national parks, world class skiing, hiking, mountain biking, and culture, some of which are on or near the water,” he said.
In addition to the recent acquisition of the St. Charles, the company owns seven other hotels in the Northeast: Placid Bay and Town House Lodge in Lake Placid; Great Pines in Old Forge; Alpine Lodge in North Creek; Trailhead in Tupper Lake; Aspen Hotel in Manchester Center, Vt.; and Riverhouse in Peterborough, N.H.
According to Weimer, he is far from finished. Last year Weekender Hotels purchased a second hotel in North Creek, the former Copperfield Inn, later renamed The Phoenix, for $1,775,000. The company is investing $1,330,000 in renovations and $400,293 in other costs.
The 30-room hotel has two restaurants, a bar, a banquet hall, conference rooms, exercise facility, and an outdoor pool. The inn will employ 16 people, four of whom will be full time. It will operate during the coming ski season as The Phoenix, then close while renovations are done, after which it will be renamed.
Last month the company acquired the Grey Bonnet in Killington, Vt. Some renovations had been started by the previous owner but not completed. The hotel will be open during the coming ski season while renovations continue and then renamed in June.
Weimer recently started Northbound Capital, a real estate private equity company that just launched its first fund investment vehicle.
“We are raising money to expand the Weekender brand and move into different markets throughout the Northeast and eventually other areas of the country,” he said. “We will concentrate on the Northeast for the next year or two and then look at the Rockies and the Southwest.”
Information on this investment vehicle can be found at northbound-capital.com.
Weimer holds a Bachelor of Science in finance and economics from the Martin J. Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University and a Master of Science in real estate finance and investment from New York University.
For further information about what these hotels have to offer go to weekenderhotels.com