By this time next year, a new structure will be towering over Canada Street. Construction on a six-story, 119-room, $26 million Courtyard Marriott hotel has recently begun, with a targeted opening date of May 2016.
The hotel, located between Lake George Junior-Senior High School and Amherst Street, is being constructed to serve “as the cornerstone of a strategy to extend the village’s allure beyond summer and the Winter Carnival,” according to The Post Star. It’s no secret that many of the village’s lodging options are closed in the winter due to the dramatic drop-off in tourism that happens each year when summer ends. It simply doesn’t make financial sense for these hotels to keep their doors open all year long when the demand isn’t there.
The Courtyard Marriott will expand the number of rooms available for visitors who come to Lake George in the off-season. In recent years, the village’s businesses have been working to put on new events that have the potential to attract more people than the current hotels open in winter can accommodate. The new hotel will also include a conference center, restaurant, and retail stores, making it an attractive destination for businesspeople and vacationers alike at any time of year.
One of the most appealing parts of the hotel? The 5,000-square-foot lounge area on the rooftop! It will offer spectacular views of the lake from about 70 feet up.
To facilitate the construction of the Courtyard Marriott, Lake George Village had to revise its zoning laws in 2013 and the project had to be approved by the village Planning Board and the Adirondack Park Agency, which it was last year. As with any major construction venture in this area, the proposal was opposed by some groups, like Protect the Adirondacks! and the Lake George Citizens Group, who were concerned that the structure would stand out in a negative way and that the increased strain on the sewer plant would exacerbate existing issues.
The Post Star quoted Mayor Robert Blais as saying at the groundbreaking ceremony, “The facility, with its conference center retail stores, right on the main street of our village, will be a giant step forward in keeping the lights on in Lake George and keeping people thinking about coming to this region all times of the year.” If all goes well, Lake George could transform from a summer haven to a year-round destination.
Source:
The Post Star
