Reflecting on the value of a Saranac Lake icon
Sad history lesson on the Hotel SaranacBy GEORGE EARL, Enterprise Staff Writer
Article Photos
SARANAC LAKE - "The history of the Hotel Saranac has been one financial crisis after another; it's as simple as that," said Charlie Alexander during a lecture he gave Wednesday evening on the hotel's history. About 40 people attended.
The hotel opened in 1927, shortly before the Great Depression, and its storied past has been bookended by another financial crisis and questions about the hotel's current operational status.
During a slide show, including old pictures of the hotel, many of those who attended bemoaned the loss of its former elegance. The grand entrance and arcade on the first floor were closed in and divided generations ago, the vast second-floor dining room was moved to a comparatively modest room on the main floor, and refreshments on the balcony are a thing of the past. Old ballroom chandeliers were recently replaced, and traditional furnishings have been removed.
A more than 60-year relationship with Paul Smith's College ended in 2007 when the college sold the hotel to the Arora family and moved its hospitality program to the Crowne Plaza Resort in Lake Placid, only to pull it back to campus less than a year later. Alexander said the loss of the students took much of the warmth from the place.
"We had students from all over the world here in the Adirondacks," he said. "We would have Japanese tea ceremonies. It really enabled this small community and hotel to achieve so much of its ambitions.
"We miss those kids. Sure, they made a few mistakes, but they were earnest, energetic and wanted to please. That's uncommon in a hotel these days."
Photographs of past visitors, like Winston Churchill, Somerset Maugham and actress Greer Garsen, as well as images of past celebrations, elicited regretful sighs from many.
"If more people realized how much we have lost, I think there would be more of an outcry," said Joan L. Tyler, of Saranac Lake. "Unfortunately, it seems like there is very little we can do."
Alexander said residents can learn from the experience of the Hotel Saranac. He said the town has essentially lost what was once the crown jewel and social center of Saranac Lake, and the experience reaffirms the importance of protecting a community's history.
"It took a long time for us to recognize the value of our history, and I mean bucks," he said. "But it's so much more than money. The recognition of the value of history for all of us means a better place to live." Alexander, like many local people, refers affectionately to the old hotel as the "HotSara," but he said he can't bear to visit it anymore. For the time being at least, it's painful.
"You'll have to take the tour without me," he said.
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Contact George Earl at 891-2600 ext. 25 or gearl@adirondackdialyenterprise.com.
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(Editor's note: The subheadline of this article has been corrected.)
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Bunksplace
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02-28-09 4:33 PM
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The "Hot Sara" name came about in '63 when a Paul Smith's student (We'll just call him Hoppy) pulled the appropriate neon tube connections as a prank.He would be pleased to know that people are still talking about this almost fifty years later?
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shipsaint
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01-12-09 10:03 AM
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instead of the community store,why not the community hotel, theres a home for the store and a chance to save the building
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NYnative
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01-09-09 1:38 PM
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I fondly remember my wedding and honeymoon in the Hotel Saranac and attending Winter Carnival events in the ballroom. Every visit to Saranac Lake included at least one trip to the Boathouse for the great burgers and black-and-tans. Now I'm afraid to step in the door after reading the horrible reviews on TripAdvisor****. It's sad--I used to think of the Hotel as one of the best and coolest parts of the village, but now it's just a wreck. Wish I had the money to buy the place, address its many physical issues, and run it right--as a native-friendly and tourist-friendly town hub.
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contrary1
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01-09-09 9:02 AM
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I agree, it WAS a sad day when Paul Smith's sold the Hotel. But unless I'm mistaken, the name 'Hot Sara' came about due to the fact that Paul Smith's had neglected the maintenance of the building for so many years, the lighted hotel sign actually said 'Hot Sara', not Hotel Saranac, and it was said derisively, not fondly. This isn't the first time the hotel has had maintenance problems. 11 years ago, they almost had to shut it down midwinter because the 3 year old boilers were failing 3 times a night. If it's a craphole, say it's a craphole. IMO, if it weren't for GM John Roberts in the 90's, this Hotel would have been allowed to fall into itself a long time ago. Blaming it on the new owners is like Malone, blaming the falling down theatre building on the guy who bought it based on a picture off the internet. Being gullible...doesn't necessarily make you evil. The way it's run is a different matter.
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Sockalexis
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01-08-09 10:14 PM
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Calling the venerable Hotel Saranac "shopworn" is a mild and polite description of the fate of this historical establishment since Mr. Arora purchased it a few years ago. My wife and I encountered the new owner three years ago and were much put off by his indifference to the fact that the phone in our room did not work and there was no heat on that March night. It was a sad day for the community when Paul Smiths College relinqished control of the hotel to the present owner.
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DblA31
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01-08-09 8:53 PM
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I totally agree Adkjay. I want to love this place, but they're making it impossible. I'm not a native of the region, but am a regular visitor, and remember fondly sharing the soup and 1/2 sandwich specials with my grandmother. It was always a warm and welcoming place to stay. When my husband and I visited in July we also had the experience of not finding any servers, no silverware on the breakfast buffet, and dead flies on the windowsill! We just stayed there last week and when I unfolded my towel it had a brownish stain that was either rust or someone's bodily fluids. Neither is acceptable. We paid for the "bed and breakfast", but no one told us the restaurant is closed and breakfast consisted of donuts on a table by the door. They appear warm and welcoming, but the place is a disaster! The town would've been better off if Hilton bought it and turned it into a Garden Inn. If this is what you call "business", it's just BAD business.
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Adkjay78
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01-08-09 5:27 PM
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If the new owners are on a blacklist it is of their own doing. My last experience at the hotel included: 1 Parking in an empty lot, 2 getting the evil eye for parking in the lot, 3 walking past a bag of garbage on the back steps (it had been there for weeks) 4 Standing in an empty restaurant wondering if anyone worked there, 5 leaving in disgust after a few minutes with no service.
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EsoxSavant
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01-08-09 3:58 PM
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Well, if you feel so strongly about it, maybe you should stay there sometime. You won't have a hard time finding a parking place, it's always empty!
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contrary1
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01-08-09 2:57 PM
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How many privately run businesses in Saranac Lake, after being sold to the highest bidder, have been subjected to such an obvious public lynching by the Adirondack Daily Enterprise? Instead of edifying a business that has given them thousands of dollars of advertising/year for decades, it reports on a public lynching thinly disguised as an historical lecture. Did you read Mr. Arora's response in the follow up article? Or was the public badmouthing an attempt at making sure the community didn't frequent his business, because they knew the restaurant and bar were about to open? What comes first, closed businesses or public blacklisting?
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Adkjay78
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01-08-09 2:33 PM
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In the past I would eat at the hotel a minimum of once a week. The food and servers were great. After being sold the food remained much the same but the maintenance of the building began to suffer and then the staffing of the restaurant became nearly non existent. I loved that place! But I will not eat there now and would never encourage anyone else to either, it is simply disgusting and disgraceful what they have done to the hotel.
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contrary1
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01-08-09 12:32 PM
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Lost? The Hotel Saranac isn't lost, it's exactly where it used to be. Of course it's different, it's being privately run as a business, not a non-profit educational institution. Old habits die hard. Changing venders to save money, or temporarily closing restaurants and watering holes during slow times, isn't exactly a new concept for eco-tourism dependant areas. For years this non-profit hotel was seen as a cash conduit, for vendors, contractors, and others...with no regard for it's economic viability. Whining about this "great loss to the community" after it was sold on the open market, looks like an attempt at creating a self fulfilling prophecy. He refuses to frequent it, and appears intent on influencing others to do the same. Why would he want to hasten the demise of such an icon of Saranac Lake? Doesn't he have any appreciation for history?
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