Rockland may be the state”™s smallest county, but it soon will have one of the largest ballrooms in the Hudson Valley when the former Holiday Inn in Suffern reopens as The Crowne Plaza.
It will be a crowning achievement for the Goldstein family, who have been in the development business for more than 50 years, and for the community, which has no facility large enough to hold more than 300 people at one time. That will soon change when the hotel”™s renovated ballroom is reconfigured to hold 800 people.
The extensive facelift, at a cost of nearly $15 million, is being overseen by Pacrim International, which will continue to manage daily operations of the hotel once it opens.
Also planned once the hotel is completed, are two new Class-A office buildings, each at least 100,000 square feet.
“We feel the market is right for Rockland and the timing is right. This is a great location for the business community,” said Josh Goldstein, the third generation of the family”™s real estate development business started by his grandfather, Sheldon.
The Goldsteins built and owned the Holiday Inn for several years when it was better known as the Holidome, which had a large swimming pool and spa in its interior courtyard and was an oasis for families, particularly during the winter months. With a pool open until midnight, families could gather, relax and enjoy themselves while children did likewise.
For guests, rather than being greeted by the smell of chlorine, they will enjoy a tremendous open-air lounge area with koi pond and bar, along with a restaurant. The pool and spa have been filled in, and the only water guests will deal with will be watching the giant koi cavort in their own pool along with the 15-foot high waterfall that spills into it.
The Goldstein family had sold off the Holiday Inn, but bought it back in June 2010 and are working with Intercontinental Hotels to create the new Crowne Plaza franchise. Work began in July and is expected to be completed by mid-March or early April at the latest.
“The hotel was more than overdue for a makeover, and so far, we”™re thrilled with the renovation and the attention to detail Pacrim has given the project every step of the way,” Goldstein said.
“Times have definitely changed,” he said. “There is not enough conference and meeting space in Rockland, and the county”™s demographics have shifted. It”™s no longer ”˜the country.”™ Rockland”™s business community is very active and very big, and we are focusing more on the business traveler, meetings and conventions.”
The rooms that once had doors leading out to the hallways overlooking the interior pool and lounge area have been replaced by walls of glass, and all entryways will be from regular corridors. “It will give the rooms more space, so we”™ll have all our rooms offering either queen size or two full-size beds in each,” said Liam Sneyd, project manager for Pacrim.
With the focus on business, the hotel has been reconfigured to expand its conferencing capabilities and now includes three executive boardrooms, two separate smaller ballroom areas that can be merged into one and one large ballroom that will be able to accommodate up to 800 people, Sneyd said.
“I believe this will be the biggest ballroom in the county when we are completed with the renovations.”
All told, the new Crowne Plaza will offer a total of 25,000 square feet of conferencing, meeting and social event space.
“The hotel is so well-built,” Sneyd said, “that most of the work we are doing, although it is quite extensive, is cosmetic. We did keep the interior ceiling, which is wood and just beautiful; just spruced that up. The Goldsteins know how to build a quality product. They are a pleasure to work with and it is a pleasure to work in such a well-constructed building.”
The Executive Boulevard hotel will offer 229 rooms ”“ down a few to accommodate the new executive meeting rooms ”“ Wi-Fi throughout, a 24-hour business center, a full dining area, “quiet zone” floors, same-day valet and concierge service, wake up calls and will be 100 percent smoke free.
Intercontinental, which owns both the Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn, has more than 1,800 hotels worldwide in more than 100 countries. Guests at the Suffern Crowne Plaza guests will be able to take advantage of Intercontinental”™s Priority Club awards, earning points to use at the company”™s other hotels.
Al Samuels, president of the Rockland Business Association, is thrilled with the change coming to the former Holiday Inn, which had fallen into disrepair.
“It really is a fantastic addition to Rockland and to all the counties around us. From just the little I”™ve seen of the first floor, I”™m absolutely amazed at what a stunning renovation they”™ve done. The Goldsteins have been an anchor in Rockland for fifty years. We really can expect no less, they really take pride in their work.”
