Inn complements catering facility

When Ken Buragas, general manager of Arbor Ridge in Hopewell Junction, spoke with HVBiz a year ago, he eyed the leased hotel next to his company”™s newly renovated catering facility, hoping he”™d be able to let the public know it would soon become part of Arbor Ridge”™s expansion plans.

One year later, not only has Arbor Ridge taken back the hotel it was leasing on its property ”“ the hotel lessee went out of business ”“ but it has renovated the former Royal Inn and renamed it the Inn at Arbor Ridge.

Nothing comes without a price: More than $1 million was put into the aging hotel for its extreme makeover, which added a two-room bridal suite, a new business center, 24-hour-hour market and 24-hour coffee station for guests at the 60-room facility.

New general manager John Kozma spent a decade with the Marriott Corp. before taking on his new role at the Inn at Arbor Ridge. “We are having our grand opening on Thursday, August 20, but we are already open and have guests staying here who have weddings or other events at Arbor Ridge, right next door. We will have a small meeting room for approximately 20-30 people, but if anyone needed more space, our catering facility, Arbor Ridge, is just steps away and can hold up to 250 people.”

Kozma said weekend business has been brisk, and his challenge, as with many area hotels, is to build  Monday through Thursday business and to get the word out that the former Royal Inn is now “newly restored and exquisite … not what people from the area remember when they think of the old place,” said Kozma. “No expense was spared in making it a first class place to stay.

“Yes, the recession has slowed business down, but we aim to be very competitive and make this an attractive place for business functions and mid-week staycations.”

For more information, visit arborridgecaterers.com.