FISHKILL -- Twenty years ago, a lone hotel, the Holiday Inn, stood like an
oasis at the intersection of I-84 and Route 9.
Now, six hotels and 731 rooms greet travelers at the southern gateway to
Dutchess County. Two of the hotels, the Hampton Inn and MainStay Suites, are
recent additions. They've joined other longtime fixtures at the crossroads --
the original Holiday Inn, the Wellesley Inn, and the Courtyard and the
Residence Inn, both owned by Marriott.
Two more hotels -- the Grand Chalet and the Sleep Inn -- are expected to
break ground at the intersection within the next year. It's also likely that
a
third new hotel will appear within the year at exit 15, the next stop to the
east along I-84, according to Gordon Rutherfurd, director of external
marketing for the Dutchess County Economic Development Corp.
Off-season also busy
Is there really a demand for so many hotels in such a concentrated area?
Hotel managers say yes. And as occupancy rates remain steady -- as high as 70
percent or 80 percent, even during the off-season -- this commercial hot spot
continues to grow.
What draws developers to the intersection? "Location, location,
location," said Joan Pagones, supervisor of the Town of Fishkill. "You
have
a host of restaurants. You have the commuting public coming into Dutchess
County for tourism, for college weekends."
Over three million visitors came to Dutchess County between September
1996
and August 1997 spending nearly $335 million, according to the latest
figures
available from the Dutchess County Tourism Promotion Agency.
"We have what we call the `Boston-Washington corridor,' " said
Rutherfurd. "If you look at a map, you'll see that Fishkill is exactly
halfway in between Boston and Washington. It's also 60 miles from New York
City, so it's halfway between there and Albany. Dutchess County is the
center
of this megapolis."
The new hotels "give us an opportunity to bring in more groups, small
meetings and conventions as well as visitors to the area," said Mary Kay
Vrba, assistant director of the county's Tourism Promotion Agency. The total
of hotel, motel and bed and breakfast rooms in Dutchess County is now 2,791,
with the addition of the new entries in Fishkill.
The location is ideal not only for tourists and visitors to local
colleges,
but also for business travelers. It's so popular, in fact, that most of the
hotels are often sold out during the week.
"We fill up Monday through Friday," said Gloria Cerniglia, reservations
supervisor at the Holiday Inn. "It's been a fantastic, blooming year. We
usually sell out (during the business week) because we have a lot of
corporate
people. The majority of business most definitely comes from business
travelers."
The steady flow of business travelers is a result of the commercially
viable area, where companies like IBM Corp. and have staked claims.
There's also the recent announcement that Gap Inc. plans to construct a
new
distribution center in that area, helping the economic stability of southern
Dutchess.
When more than 1,000 individuals secure new jobs with Gap Inc. in the
next
few years, they'll owe their thanks in part to the hotels in the area.
Companies in the market for expansion or relocation "like to have a
location that has a lot of hotel rooms," said Rutherfurd. "Over 700 rooms
is
a good selling point for
those companies. We find that the
business travelers bring more hotels and vice versa."
The flow of business travelers to the area is steady, according to
Rutherfurd, who says it should stay that way.
"The business climate is really good right now and we expect it to be
better in the next few years," he said.
It's no secret in the hotel industry that Fishkill is a prime market, and
corporations and entrepreneurs alike are capitalizing on it.
"(The hotel owners) come in and do their market studies," said Marsha
Gordon, president of the Greater Southern Dutchess Chamber of Commerce.
"They
see this hub as an important business and travel point."
Of the six hotels in the area, four are corporate-owned -- the Courtyard,
MainStay, Residence Inn and Wellesley Inn -- and two are privately held -- the
Hampton Inn and the Holiday Inn.
Life savings invested
"About a year and a half ago we went out, did a market study, and
confirmed that there was a need for additional hotels (in the area)," said
Arthur DeDominicis, a Beacon resident, who owns and operates the Hampton Inn
along with partner Gary Joseph of Wappingers Falls.
"We decided to take a gamble and invest our life savings into this hotel
because we believe in the area," he said. "What better way to invest in
the
area?"
Even following the opening of the two new hotels, demand continues to be
high. "It's always amazing to me to see that the occupancy rate goes up and
(stays) there (after a new hotel opens)," said Pagones.
Andy D'arcy works for an electronics hardware company in Florida and
recently spent six weeks at MainStay during a business trip. He found that
nearly all the other occupants were there on business as well. He comes
often
to Fishkill on work-related trips and said that the stores, restaurants and
other facilities in the area are conducive to business.
"(MainStay) is very convenient," said D'arcy. "I'll trade all the
amenities for the convenience and the price. You literally have a
one-bedroom
apartment that includes a living room for only $65 or $70 (per night) as
opposed to a $200 suite at Holiday Inn."
Competition, however, does not seem to be a major factor among the
hotels.
"If there's a night we fill up, we send (people) to the Hampton," said
Cerniglia. "We do a lot with the other hotels in the area. We keep in
contact
with each other at least once a day. Even though we're in competition with
each other, it's wonderful that everyone works (together)."
Competitors on good terms
That sentiment is echoed by Howard Gerhardt, general manager of MainStay.
"Everybody's on very good terms," he said. "If somebody gets full, the
desk
clerks will call to find (the guest) a room at any other hotel in the
area."
The two long-term hotels, MainStay and the Residence Inn, offer only
suites
and target the business guest who plans to stay at least a week. A suite at
the former starts at $89 per night and the rate goes down depending on the
length of stay. Suites at the latter start at $125 and become progressively
less, down to $94.
Although standard room rates at the other four hotels are comparable,
they
vary depending on day of week, time of year, events happening in the area
and
occupancy.
For a weeknight stay during the fall season, rates range from $89 to $125
or more. Weekend bargains dip as low as $49 per night November through
February. The handful of suites in each of the hotels demand a steeper
rate.
