The Catskills’ resurgence as a vacation destination is headed into high gear in 2022. For years, the region has been building back to its Borscht Belt heyday, when New York City residents flocked to the countryside to stay in one of hundreds of Catskills resorts.
The pandemic only accelerated a renaissance that was already in place, thanks to independent, local hoteliers like Foster Supply, who have opened a string of boutique hotels in the area. Now, major hospitality projects are moving in, capitalizing on the Catskills’ wild spaces and proximity to New York City.
Auberge Resorts is one of the global hospitality giants planning to open a property in the region in 2022. The luxury resort company has properties in vacation lands like Costa Rica and throughout the U.S.: Napa, Telluride, Kennebunk. But the success of its Mayflower Inn & Spa in quiet, pastoral Washington, Connecticut, signaled that the concept might do well in the Catskills-adjacent locale of Gardiner, where Auberge will open Wildflower Farms this fall.
“We’ve had our eye on upstate New York for quite some time,” said Richard Arnold, Chief Development Officer of Auberge Resorts Collection via email. “Beyond the stunning landscape that makes for a picturesque backdrop, it was Hudson Valley’s rich history, deep rooted culture in the arts, culinary influence and close-knit community that drew us in.”
Being “just be a quick train ride away from New York City and easily accessible from Boston as well as other parts of the Northeast,” he added, “is a dream realized for our entire team.”
Here are all the resorts opening this year in the Catksills and Hudson Valley, backed by local hotel companies, innovative accommodation start-ups and glamping pros.
AutoCamp Catskills: Opening Spring 2022
The clubhouse at AutoCamp Catskills will serve multiple purposes, as a general store and place for coffee and breakfast.
AutoCampWest Saugerties will be home to the second AutoCamp on the East Coast — the first is in Cape Cod, following multiple AutoCamps in the West. Airstreams comprise some of the 95 units, which also include luxury tents, suites, and cabins, all with modern trappings.
A hot tub and plunge pool will be available year-round for dipping, and the “classic Hudson Valley-style” clubhouse, whose design inspiration was drawn from historic farms and music culture in the area, provides a cozy place to hang out with an indoor fire pit and lounge, enjoy breakfast and coffee, and shop at the on-site general store.
“We felt this vibrant, explorable region would be a perfect location for AutoCamp,” said Neil Dipaola, CEO and founder of AutoCamp. “We’re just a short drive up the Hudson from New York City and at the portal of hundreds of miles of hiking trails. We’re looking forward to sharing the AutoCamp experience with the outdoor community here.”
Along with individual stays — off-season rates will start around $129/night, peak season $229/night — the entire property can also be booked for weddings and other events.
Hurley House: Opening spring 2022
Accommodation start-up MoLiving creates modular, sustainable lodging. The first property made using their cabins will open in Hurley this spring.
Hurley House/MoLivingOne of the most unique properties coming to the region this spring is Hurley House, a resort designed with Moliving’s flexible, mobile accommodations.
Built offsite by SG Blocks, a modular fabricator, these self-sufficient structures are about 400 square feet, with sustainable features like solar panels and a water recycling system that conserves water. The easy-to-build and move units — they come on wheels and are perched atop jacks, making them suited for sensitive lands like national parks — are meant to be a solution for hoteliers to launch a property in “months versus years, at a fraction of the cost of a traditional hotel,” says Moliving founder and CEO Jordan Bem, who foresees Moliving furnishing hospitality projects around the country and Europe.
Hurley House, formerly the Twin Lakes Lodge in Hurley, will be the premier location for Moliving, with almost 60 units at the luxury eco-resort’s 55 acres.
Each cabin, which are targeted to cost $259 a night, has two outdoor decks, floor to ceiling windows that maximize guest’s views of the natural surroundings, and amenities such as WiFi and a private bar, with access to the on-site pool.
Chatwal Lodge: Opening April 2022
Chatwal Lodge in Bethel was slated to welcome guests in 2021 opening but a COVID-related delay pushed its opening to this April.
Allen Kennedy / Chatwal LodgeAfter COVID-related issues that delayed its opening last year, The Chatwal Lodge plans to open this April in Bethel, an hour and a half from Manhattan, and home to its sister property, The Chatwal by hotelier Mr. Sant Singh Chatwal.
Located inside The Chapin Estate, a 60-acre gated residential community, Chatwal Lodge is designed to provide an Adirondack luxury lodge experience that’s more easily accessible to New York City vacationers in the Catskills countryside. Its 10 suites are perched at the edge of the Toronto Reservoir Lake, each with their own private patio and stone fireplaces.
Cast a line and try your hand at fly-fishing in the onsite trout stream, paddle the lake in one of the available kayaks with a picnic in tow, and melt away stress with the Spa’s Ayurvedic wellness offerings — all for a starting nightly price of $1,200.
Wylder Windham: Opening spring 2022
The Pines Inn is the largest of the lodges at the Thompson House property that Wylder Windham is restoring for a 2022 opening.
Wylder WindhamWylder Hotels’ third location, the Wylder Windham, lived a previous life as the historic Thompson House Resort. When restoration is complete of the new 100-room, full-service resort — one of a handful of hotels in Greene County under new ownership — it will aim to connect guests to nearby Windham Mountain and the surrounding 20-acre property with a river meandering through it.
“I look for hotels that are in amazing locations that have adventure in or around them,” said
founder and CEO of Wylder Hotels John Flannigan, noting that his other hotels near Lake Tahoe and on an island in the Chesapeake Bay did well during the pandemic precisely because of their emphasis on nature. Starting rates will range from $300 to $800 per night.
The James Newbury Hotel: Opening fall 2022
The James Newbury Hotel will not open until fall, but when its adjacent Wire Events Center opens this summer along with the restored Patrick Henry’s Tavern, it will be the first look at this major new Hudson riverfront development in Coxsackie.
James Newbury HotelHistorical preservation is at the forefront of 46-room The James Newbury Hotel and Wire Event Center, coming to River and Reed Streets in Coxsackie. The Hudson riverfront property revitalizes historic buildings that are being carefully renovated to retain their charm while mixing in modern amenities like a full-service spa and rooftop bar.
A massive banquet hall with room for 600 guests, The Wire Event Center a, will open first this summer, featuring industrial elements like a heated concrete floor that help it stay true to its past as an iron foundry and later a wire manufacturing company. The adjacent Patrick Henry’s Tavern is also being restored and set to open with the event space. The four-floor hotel, which builds upon an existing brick structure, will follow in the fall; starting room rates have yet to be established.
Wildflower Farms: Opening fall 2022
Auberge Resorts is one of several global hospitality giants planning to open a resort in the region with their planned Wildflower Farms resort in Gardiner, in 2022.
Auberge ResortsNature and wellness will be at the helm of this luxury resort, set on 140 lush acres in Gardiner that was previously home to a tree nursery. The secluded swath of land in view of the Shawangunk Mountain Ridge will embrace nature in all facets, from design to cuisine. Gardens, farm animals, orchards, forest, and wildflowers will serve as the backdrop for the 65 individual bungalows, built with fireplaces and private patios.
The property will have three miles hiking trails that weave through the grounds, offer cooking class featuring farm-to-table cuisine and a spa with an indoor saltwater pool.
Starting rates for Wildflower Farms will match other Auberge Resorts Collection properties such as Mayflower Inn & Spa, roughly $1,200 night.
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