By Christine Graf
\nAlthough it is too soon to know what impact the COVID-19 pandemic will have on the local summer tourism season, the local business community is trying to remain optimistic.
\n\u201cWe are cautiously optimistic,\u201d said Kevin Tuohy, general manager of the 168-room Holiday Inn on Broadway in Saratoga Springs. \u201cAlthough each time I read the news, it seems there is less good news coming out. But, at this point, we are going to do everything we can to make sure that we can be as busy as we can possibly be.\u201d
\nTuohy keeps abreast of information that comes from a variety of sources, including the governor\u2019s office, the chambers of commerce, and Discover Saratoga. He is a board member of Discover Saratoga, and they are providing regular COVID-19 updates at www.discoversaratoga.org.
\nAccording to Amy Brannigan, senior director of marketing at Saratoga Casino Hotel, the majority of 600 team members were furloughed after the hotel closed March 16. The management team is working to develop a comprehensive plan for reopening that incorporates social distancing and cleaning protocols.
\nIn Lake George, it will be more difficult for hotels to weather any lengthy closure. Dunham\u2019s Bay Resort on the east shore just outside the village, is typically open year-round but has closed its 40-room hotel. It\u2019s restaurant remains open for take out only.
\nAccording to general manager Matt Taormino, the hotel furloughed about 10 percent of it staff. He credits the hotel\u2019s New York City owner for making this possible.
\n\u201cThey made a commitment to us when this first started to make sure everybody would have a job that needed a job,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re fortunate that our owners take care of us. They really care about us and take care of the property.\u201d
\nTaormino and his staff are using this time to perform preventative maintenance and make upgrades to bathrooms and banquet rooms.
\nDunham\u2019s Bay Resort and other local businesses in Lake George are relying on the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce for support and guidance.
\n\u201cAs our state government charts the reopening strategy, they are looking at it regionally. That is helpful for us,\u201d Lake George Chamber Executive Director Gina Mintzer said. \u201cFor us that are in marketing and tourism, we are going to look at it from the standpoint that first we want to get our locals out and about safely and without fear.\u201d
\n\u201cWe\u2019re in constant contact with those folks. We also have the Holiday Inn brand behind us, and they are constantly giving us information and updates. It\u2019s changing by the minute,\u201d Tuohy said during the first week of May. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot to digest right now. Clearly the business model is going to change quite a bit. We aren\u2019t going to run the way we always have even when we get back to the new normal.\u201d
\nAlthough the Holiday Inn has remained open, they have closed their restaurant and bar and have furloughed their entire food and beverage team. Numerous banquets and meetings that were scheduled to take place in their 10,000-square-foot-meeting space have been cancelled. They do not plan to re-open their restaurant until late May at the earliest.
\n\u201cWe are open, but there is very little business to be had,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s why the Hilton, the Gideon Putnam, the Saratoga Casino Hotel and others have closed their doors. But, we have been partnering with the city and Mayor Meg Kelly to house Code Blue.\u201d
\nCode Blue Saratoga provides emergency shelter for homeless people. The organization typically offers its services between Nov. 15 and April 1, but has extended operation due to COVID-19. \u201cIf it wasn\u2019t for that, we wouldn\u2019t be open,\u201d said Tuohy. \u201cIt\u2019s mutually beneficial. It\u2019s great for the city, but it\u2019s also allowing the hotel to stay open.\u201d
\n\u201cWe are listening carefully to the governors guidance as well guidance from the New York State Gaming Commission,\u201d said Saratoga Casino Hotel\u2019s Brannigan. \u201cWe are developing a plan that will focus on the safety of our guests, team members, and the community. When they say it\u2019s okay, we want to be ready to open the doors as soon as possible … We are cautiously optimistic, but we don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to be in May, but would love to see it in June.\u201d
\nBrannigan said the Saratoga Casino Hotel hopes to resume harness track racing as soon as possible. She expects it will initially take place just a few days a week without spectators. They also plan to resume weddings at The Lodge at Saratoga Casino Hotel as soon as the state allows. Some couples who have weddings booked during the summer and fall have already decided topostpone.
\nBoth Brannigan and Tuohy said their hotels depend heavily on the Saratoga Racetrack season. If the track reopens without spectators, summer occupancy rates would plummet. Both hotels are typically at maximum occupancy during track season.
\n\u201cWe certainly hope that is not the case as that is the demand driver in the market for everyone,\u201d said Tuohy. \u201cThis hotel long term is solvent and will be financially viable. I worry about small businesses\u2014not just hotels\u2014but all of the small businesses that rely on track to drive their revenues.\u201d
\n\u201cWe are guarded about how this is going to transpire as a season, but I think that we\u2019re going to be the fortunate ones because of the radius we are from New York City, and Boston, and New Jersey,\u201d Taormino said. \u201cI think we have that unique environment where people will be able to come and feel a little safer than normal.\u201d
\nTaormino said industry experts are advising hotels to expect an occupancy rate of 15-30 percent during the month they re-open. Staff efforts are on cleaning, \u201cgoing into the room, spraying it down, stepping out of the room, going back in, cleaning it, and wiping every single thing down one more time before we exit.\u201d
\nDunham\u2019s Bay Resort has received cancellations as well as new bookings for the summer tourism season. Eighty percent of the people who had rooms booked for Americade in early June rescheduled their bookings to the new July 21-25 dates. \u201cI feel very positive about that,\u201d he said. \u201cI also feel positive about moving forward. I lived on Long Island during 9\/11, and we got through that and came out on the other side. We will endure this.\u201d
\n\u201cWe might be wearing masks for the next year. No one knows,\u201d Mintzer said. \u201cEverybody is thinking about how to revamp traffic flow. For example, how does Natural Stone Bridges and Caves come up with a way to make their trails one-way in and one-way out? How will Six Flags be lining people up from ticketing to getting on a ride? These are the conversations that are happening. There are just so many unknowns related to mass gatherings.\u201d
\nAccording to Tanya Tobias-Tomis, executive director of Lake George Arts Project, she remains hopeful that the Lake George Jazz Weekend will take place on Sept. 19-20 outdoors in Shepard Park. It is the nonprofit\u2019s largest event.
\nThe Lake George Arts Project\u2019s largest fundraiser, Bands and Beans, that was scheduled for the end of March was canceled.
\nThe organization\u2019s operating annual budget is just under $200,000. In addition to receiving income from fundraisers and contributions from local businesses, they receive revenue for the sale of art in local galleries. If galleries are not open, they will lose additional revenue. Because all of their programs and events are offered at no cost, they receive no revenue from ticket sales.
\n\u201cWe aren\u2019t really quite sure what it will mean. We will do our very best to avoid having it negatively impacting the programs we present. We aren\u2019t interested at all in cutting salaries for artists. That is core to our mission. We also want to offer the same quantity of programming, so we don\u2019t want to cut programs,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are hoping to find new avenues for support.\u201d
\nNonprofit arts organizations will require new ways to engage audiences
\n\u201cThere\u2019s also a very real fear that we won\u2019t be able to do the things we do best,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are all in unchartered territory, and we are all bearing the weight of sustaining an organization when we have never had to deal with an impact this wide and coming from this many angles … Non-profits are very good at adapting to one of those attacks at a time but have no experience with something so wide reaching. But, we will be stronger after this.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Christine Graf Although it is too soon to know what impact the COVID-19 pandemic will have on the local summer tourism season, the local business community is trying to remain optimistic. \u201cWe are cautiously optimistic,\u201d said Kevin Tuohy, general manager of the 168-room Holiday Inn on Broadway in Saratoga Springs. \u201cAlthough each time I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":196,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34879","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-business-news"],"yoast_head":"\r\n