Month: February 2026

Hospitality Industry Enters 2026 On Stable Ground With Measured Growth Ahead

February 16, 2026

Mitchell B. Muroff says 2026 brings stability and selective growth for regional hospitality markets. Courtesy Muroff Hospitality

Mitchell B. Muroff, Esq., Founder, Muroff Hospitality Group

As we look ahead to 2026, the hospitality industry enters the year on far more stable footing than many anticipated just a few years ago. While 2025 was marked by moderation rather than acceleration, it ultimately proved to be a year of normalization—one that set the stage for measured, sustainable growth rather than speculative excess.

Nationally, 2025 saw travel demand remain resilient despite higher interest rates, inflationary pressures, and continued labor challenges. Leisure travel continued to outperform expectations, particularly in drive-to markets and experience-based destinations. According to STR data, a CoStar company, occupancy stabilized across most U.S. markets, average daily rates held firm, and revenue per available room posted modest but consistent gains. Importantly, hotel fundamentals remained strong even as transaction volume slowed, reflecting a market adjusting to higher capital costs rather than weaker demand.

As we move into 2026, national forecasts from major hospitality analysts such as CBRE and JLL point to continued incremental growth rather than dramatic swings. New hotel supply remains constrained due to elevated construction costs and financing hurdles, which is expected to support pricing power for existing assets. At the same time, easing inflation and the potential for lower interest rates later in the year could help unlock transaction activity that has been sidelined since mid-2023. Investors are increasingly focused on well-located, operationally sound assets with clear paths to efficiency and modest value-add, rather than large-scale redevelopment or speculative growth.

For the Northeast—particularly New York and New England—the outlook for 2026 is especially encouraging. The region benefits from a dense population base, strong seasonal tourism, and a growing preference for regional travel over long-haul destinations. Unlike gateway cities that rely heavily on international travel or large convention demand, many Northeast markets are driven by leisure travelers, outdoor recreation, weddings and events, and repeat visitation—segments that have proven durable through multiple economic cycles.

Southern Adirondack Independent Living Expands With New Albany County Office

February 16, 2026

Southern Adirondack Independent Living announced the expansion of its services in the Capital Region with the opening of a new Albany County office at 1873 Western Ave., strengthening the organization’s presence across New York’s North Country and Capital Region.

Founded in Glens Falls in 1988, SAIL serves 17 counties, providing support that empowers people with disabilities and older adults to live independently in their communities. The Albany office follows SAIL’s award of the Capital Region contract for the Regional Resource Development Center for the Nursing Home Transition and Diversion Waiver and Traumatic Brain Injury Waiver, contracts the organization also holds in the Adirondack Region.

“This expansion builds on the work we’ve been doing in the North Country and allows us to reach more people across the Capital Region who want to live independently,” said Tyler Whitney, executive director of SAIL. “Our focus is on removing barriers and providing the supports people need to live with dignity and choice.”

Why More Small Businesses Are Turning To Fractional HR For Compliance And Growth

February 16, 2026

by Ann Donnelly

For small business owners, the “to-do” list is often a mountain that never levels off. Between managing growth and daily operations, the complex world of human resources—compliance, payroll, and employee relations—can quickly become a liability rather than an asset.

Jennifer Barry, J.D., HR Consultant Practice Leader at GTM Payroll & HR, says businesses don’t have to choose between a hefty salary and a “recipe for disaster”.

“Asking non-HR staff to take on these duties is risky,” Barry said. “You may alienate the employee, you may lose them, and frankly, they may just get it wrong. Many HR areas require strict compliance, and there is no room for error”.

Fractional HR is emerging as a major tool for smaller businesses or startups operating on a lean staffing budget. The concept is simple: instead of hiring a full-time mid-level HR professional at an average salary of $80,000 per year, a company can hire a highly experienced consultant for 10 to 12 hours per week, only when needed.

“Consultants can often do in 10 hours per week what a full-time employee can do,” Barry noted. “Because they aren’t ingrained in the organization or distracted by day-to-day office operations, they work with a level of efficiency that is hard to match internally”.

At GTM, the consulting team functions like a “Halls of Justice,” providing clients with access to a “superhero” on call. These generalists bring up to 30 years of experience to the table, supported by a network of specialists in areas like employment law, training, handbook development, and benefits.

For many owners, the sign that it is time to look outward is a simple lack of “peace of mind”. Barry suggests owners ask themselves: What am I doing that I don’t like? What is taking too much time? Where do I lack the knowledge to proceed?

“When a business grows beyond the abilities of the owner, or hits that 20-employee mark, it’s time to seek professional help,” Barry said.

Saratoga-Based Staffing Firm Connects U.S. Companies With Latin American Workers

February 16, 2026

By Carol Ann Conover

Tim McNeil’s path to running a staffing company that recruits exclusively from Latin America began with clients who needed support staff but found domestic hiring challenging.

McNeil and his business partner Rob Rogers own GSD Staffing, a company that places workers from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Belize with U.S. businesses seeking to fill behind-the-scenes roles at rates well below domestic labor costs. The partners operate from a coworking space in Saratoga and work remotely from their homes in Queensbury and Charlton.

The business emerged from the partners’ other company, OSR Manage, which provides fractional sales management services to IT companies across North America. When clients began requesting appointment setters and marketing support but expressed concerns about salary expectations, McNeil and Rogers redirected their existing recruiter to source candidates from Latin America.

What started as a solution for a handful of clients has evolved into a business model the partners believe could eventually become their primary focus. GSD Staffing currently employs about 30 people and aims to double that number by year’s end.

“We got those first 30 kind of by accident,” McNeil said. “We’ve got the marketing engine going now.”

The company charges clients between $2,500 and $3,000 monthly per placement, a significant discount compared to domestic salaries. McNeil attributes rising wage pressures to the pandemic’s aftermath, saying some positions have jumped from $45,000 annually to $65,000. GSD Staffing serves as the employer of record, handling payroll, taxes and compliance with labor laws in each country.

What The Warren County Phishing Scam Can Teach Businesses About Security

February 16, 2026

Late last year, Warren County officials disclosed that more than $3 million was mistakenly sent from the Treasurer’s Office after staff fell victim to a phishing scam. Two routine wire payments believed to be legitimate vendor transactions were redirected to fraudulent accounts.

This was not a technical failure or a sophisticated cyberattack. It was a breakdown in how routine business decisions were made and verified.

That is what makes phishing so effective. It hides inside normal work.

How Phishing Gets Past Capable Teams

Modern phishing often does not look suspicious at first glance. Emails are designed to feel familiar, frequently appearing to come from known vendors, contractors or internal staff. Formatting looks correct, timing makes sense and the request fits neatly into an existing workflow.

Common examples include a request to update banking information, a revised invoice or a reminder that a payment needs to go out.

Add urgency, and the email blends into a busy inbox. Nothing about it feels dramatic. That is the core of social engineering: getting people to act, not just to click.

Why Smaller Organizations Are Common Targets

Smaller organizations run lean by necessity. Fewer approval layers and handoffs mean fewer chances for someone to pause and ask whether something looks right.

The Crews At Munter Enterprises Staying Busy Working On A Variety Of Area Projects

February 16, 2026

A rendering shows the overhaul of Adirondack Trust Co.’s Malta branch, where Munter Enterprises begins work in April with a new front entrance, drive-thru updates and timber frame details.
Courtesy Phinney Design Group

By Rod Bacon

The inclement weather much of the country has experienced this winter has been challenging for building contractors but they are continuing to move their projects forward.

Middle Grove-based Munter Enterprises, Inc. is no exception.

“Our people are tough and they’re holding their own,” said Vice President Mike Munter. “We’ve skipped a few days of concrete work here and there because we didn’t want to open up more ground for it to freeze so we’ve been timing that work. It’s slowing us down a bit but not stopping us.”

The company is moving ahead on projects started last spring and summer as well as working on new ones.

The steel is going up on Skyward Drive in the W.J. Grande Industrial Park for the 35,000-square-foot office/warehouse building for Ambrave Corp., a designer and manufacturer of advanced tactical gear for military special operations forces and law enforcement under the brand Direct Action and for outdoor enthusiasts under the brand Helikon-Tex. Completion of the $6.5 million building is scheduled for this summer.

The lot on which the building is sited is 10 acres, allowing for future expansion.

Eastline Apartments Will Add 136 Units Of Housing And 8000 Sq. Ft. Of Commercial Space

February 16, 2026

By Susan Elise Campbell

Sunrise Management & Consulting is wrapping up final details required by the Malta Planning Board to build a mixed-use building at the corner of Eastline Road and Route 67 in the Town of Malta, according to Jesse Holland, founder and president of Sunrise. The project will include 136 apartment units and approximately 8,000 square feet of commercial space.

The Sunrise team will also meet with a subcommittee of the Saratoga County Industrial Development Agency next month as the firm seeks tax incentives for several features that Holland believes will deliver financial benefits for both residents and the public.

“We are excited to be building this property, which will provide a number of public benefits to the community,” said Holland.

Passersby at the northeast corner of the intersection are accustomed to seeing an abandoned farmhouse on the otherwise undeveloped 11.7-acre parcel.

Holland said he was told the building was once a church and, prior to that, a schoolhouse. While it is a historic structure in decline, its future is now secure. The developer plans to relocate the building farther from the road, renovate, and maintain the building for future commercial use, according to Holland.

Moving the historic building opens up the intersection of Eastline Road and Route 67, allowing the state to build a roundabout to improve traffic flow. Road construction is scheduled for two to three years from now, well after the Eastline Apartments project is completed.

Construction may begin as early as April or May, with occupancy approximately 12 months later, Holland said.

Hilltop Construction Builds On Strong Demand Across Residential, Commercial Markets

February 16, 2026

By Paul Post

Hilltop Construction Company started out as a one man operation – Tom Albrecht Sr. and a pickup truck.

Today his son, Tom Jr.; daughter, April; and her husband, Dan Washburn, are leading the Queensbury-based firm into a second half-century of business, with thriving activity in both the residential and commercial sectors.

“We work with about eight different architects,” Albrect Jr. said. “They all tell me they have plenty of work, at least 12 months of work in front of them. That means there’s work we haven’t even touched yet on the construction side of things. So the outlook is very, very healthy.”

Hilltop is marking its 50 anniversary this year, with plans for an official celebration in August. The company is headquartered in a handsome new building at 21 Casey Road, just north of Floyd Bennett Memorial Airport.

Tom Sr. and his wife, Cindy, founders of the company retired three years ago.

Aleisia Kisel Launches Affirmed Accounting To Serve Small Businesses And Nonprofits

February 16, 2026February 17, 2026

Aleisia Kisel, CPA, launches Affirmed Accounting & Consulting in Saratoga.
Courtesy Affirmed

By Susan Elise Campbell

Aleisia Kisel, CPA, has launched Affirmed Accounting & Consulting, LLC, focusing on the accounting needs of small businesses and non-profits.

Kisel has been in the accounting industry for 10 years, most recently with BST in Albany.

“I loved the work but wanted to create a culture of my own that I feel comfortable with,” she said.

She transitioned from the “big, corporate accounting practice” to start her own firm.

Kisel offers an “a la carte menu” of accounting services primarily to service-based businesses and not-for-profit organizations.

“But I don’t say ‘no’ to anybody,” she said. “I started as an auditor in the non-profit sector, then went into consulting, and continue to gravitate to non-profits because they are such good people.”

“I love giving back to the community, which was always a mantra on the Siena College campus,” she said.

Kisel received her CPA license in 2018.

“It was important to me to be a true professional in the field as a certified public accountant,” said Kisel. “It adds to our expertise and inspires client trust and confidence in our commitment.”

Growth Of Saratoga Springs Prompting Law Firms To Expand Their Presence In City

February 16, 2026February 16, 2026

Law firms expand offices at Congress Park Centre in Saratoga Springs.
Saratoga Business Journal

By Rod Bacon

Saratoga Springs is experiencing a significant increase in the number of law firms expanding their presence in the city.

Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC is in the process of quadrupling their office space by moving from 258 Broadway, where they’ve been since 2017, into Congress Park Centre.

“It just made sense,” said Member Michael D. Billok, the resident attorney in that office, explaining why the firm opened its original Saratoga Springs location. “We had a lot of clients in and around the Saratoga area and north to Glens Falls, and its good to have an office where they can come and get personal counsel.”

He went on to say that during the past few years more attorneys from the Albany office were meeting with clients from the Saratoga area. He also noted that when they talk to attorneys interested in joining the firm many want to work in Saratoga Springs.

Tom Savino and Eric Simonds, associate brokers at CBRE Upstate NY, represented Congress Park Centre owner Manhattan-based Brause Realty Inc and JoAnn Potrzuski Cassidy, a licensed associate real estate broker at Julie & Co. Realty LLC represented the law firm.

The 11,000-square-foot space is being renovated by NLH Property Management Services, of Saratoga Springs. Occupancy is scheduled for late spring of this year.

Troy-based Madesign Architecture is designing the space.

Billok said the decision to move to a larger office is the direct result of the firm’s plans to recruit top legal talent. Some of the practice areas for which they are seeking attorneys include trusts and estates, environmental/land use, real estate litigation, and business tax policies.