Lieutenant Governor Hochul, numerous dignitaries attend

By Jason Emerson

Editor

After nearly eight years from idea to completion, the new 80-room Hampton Inn and Suites Cazenovia held its official grand opening ribbon cutting Wednesday morning, Aug. 24. Numerous local, regional and state dignitaries, including Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, participated in the event and called it a huge benefit not only to Cazenovia but to Madison County.

“This creates an opportunity for people to come see what we know about this region,” said Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul. “As someone who travels the whole state, you’ve got something special here.”

Hochul, who hails from Buffalo and completed her undergraduate degree at Syracuse University, praised the hotel and the Central New York region as a beautiful place to visit and stay. She said projects like the Hampton Inn are “telegraphing statements” that upstate communities build on the strengths of their past to grow and thrive for their future.

“Other people want to share in this and they need a place to stay,” she said. “I think this is just the beginning.”

The four-story Hampton Inn and Suites Cazenovia offers 80 rooms and a one-story conference facility for 300 people. Construction began in May 2015 and the hotel opened on July 1 of this year. The total project cost $9 million, part of which was paid through a $1.28 million grant the company received from the New York State Regional Economic Development Council in December 2014.

Hochul said the $1.3 million state grant was a good investment that created 30 full-time jobs and offers more places for visitors to stay.

The grand opening ceremony, which took place at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 24, at the hotel, was attended by local residents, project contributors, and numerous local, regional and state political officials, including Kochul, State Sen. David Valesky, State Assemblyman Bill Magee, Cazenovia Town Supervisor Bill Zupan, Mayor Kurt Wheeler, Madison County Sheriff Allen Riley, Cazenovia College President Ron Chesbrough, Cazenovia CSD Superintendent Matt Reilly and Madison County Tourism Office Executive Director Scott Flaherty.

Tim Ahern, a partner in Cazenovia Hospitality LLC, developer of the hotel, thanked everyone who attended the event to “celebrate and cut a ribbon on a dream.” He specifically singled out Dan and Mary Margaret Kuper, owners of The Lincklaen House, who originated the idea to create a “flagship hotel in Cazenovia.”

Dan Kuper, president of Cazenovia Hospitality, who prefers to stay out of the limelight, said only that he was “excited and relieved” that the hotel is completed.

But where Kuper was reticent ceremony guests and dignitaries were more vocal.

“This is a great addition to the community,” said Zupan. “It’s a first-rate hotel that gives people not only a place to stay in the Cazenovia area but also a place to hold banquets, meetings and receptions. Hopefully, we’ll be able to keep expanding on this to bring more businesses to the area.”

Flaherty said the hotel will not only have a large economic impact on the greater Cazenovia area, but it fills a long-existing gap in county tourism.

“We have a room deficit in the county — people can’t always stay here when they come for events. This hotel will go a long way to close that gap for us,” he said. “I’m also excited about the hotel’s ability to host groups. This opens us up for more motor coach business and makes us more amenable to those group travelers. It’s a great opportunity for everyone in the county.”

State Assemblyman Bill Magee said it is “very important to the local economy that we have this beautiful facility here.” He said people will come to Cazenovia and stay at the Hampton Inn but they also will visit and patronize other places in the community.

“This is definitely a plus for the area that will add more to Madison County tourism,” Magee said. “I look forward to many events being held here.”

Cazenovia Mayor Kurt Wheeler said the hotel is “a symbol … that anything is possible.” He called it “an audacious dream” by the Kupers that will help the economic development of Cazenovia and all of Upstate New York.

“This brings us one step closer to my dream,” Wheeler said. “I want Cazenovia to be the go-to place. My vision is that when a family moves to New York this will be their destination.”