Area hotels say they “weathered” Tropical Storm Irene relatively unscathed, with many stepping in as a resource and refuge for displaced homeowners and rescue crews hitting the roads.
At Hyatt Summerfield Suites in West Harrison, located directly off of I-287, sales coordinator Kate Kelleher said the facility is booked for the month.
A number of relief workers have reserved rooms and they”™re “in and out daily.”
“Since the weekend of Irene, our occupancy has risen,” she said. “We”™re getting it all. ”¦ the insurance companies, rescue relief, displaced families.”
At the nearby Ritz-Carlton in downtown White Plains, general manager Jeff Dziak said occupancy levels ebbed and flowed depending on cancellations from guests who were stranded elsewhere.
“We were able to accommodate a lot of local guests who had lost power,” he said. “Rate-wise, the company tries to take care of its guests, so there was no price gouging or anything like that.”
If anything, the Ritz-Carlton staff attempted to lessen the storm”™s negative impact on the travelers through creative use of technology.
When the phone lines went down the night of the storm, the hotel drafted print letters for each guest room, inviting room-service orders to be made via text or email.
The next morning, executive chef James Dangler completed 60 breakfast orders all while Irene raged outside.
“Our chef was on top of it,” Dziak said. “Through Blackberries and email communication, we were able to run uninterrupted room service and find out if guests needed laundry service or housekeeping needs.”
While the Ritz lost its phone service for about six hours, The DoubleTree Hotel Tarrytown on South Broadway was disconnected for a few days.
And general manager Rich Friedman had another problem on his hands.
“Everything was coming along good the night of the storm, it was windy and rainy, the TVs were still on and at 4 a.m., all hell broke loose,” he said. “We have a little river between us and Kraft Foods and nothing I”™ve done works (to prevent flooding) if that river isn”™t flowing.”
The DoubleTree”™s lower level filled with water.
“Thank God we have a plan for pumping,” Friedman said. “We live by the highs and lows of this river and I sure hope they (the town) have a plan for this river. The ground around the river began going like a sinkhole and the asphalt is going to clog up the drainage. If the river hadn”™t started flowing ”¦ I”™d be out of business.”
The DoubleTree, however, did not lose power.
Neighbors up the street, The Tarrytown House Estate and Conference Center, shared the same luck.
“We lost a few tree limbs here and there, but we were very fortunate,” said Anthony Amendola, director of sales and marketing. “We were fully preparing for this three to four days in advance. As the storm advanced, we made alternative plans and had a generator in place to keep our main area and dining facilities open.”
Amendola, a Wilton, Conn., resident said Westchester seemed to fare better during the storm than Fairfield County.
“As of yesterday, people were still just getting their power back,” he said.
The Tarrytown House was fully booked prior to the weekend of the storm, “but we did have some displaced guests from as far away as Long Island” stay at the hotel.
