Grand Opening This Morning

Although The Wick has been providing lodging and dining for a few months now, and its little electric vehicle has been seen on Warren Street for the past few weeks shuttling guests to restaurants and other locations, the hotel's official grand opening took place this morning. Dignitaries were on hand to congratulate the Redburn Development partners, Tom Rossi and John Blackburn, on their successful restoration and adaptive reuse of the mid-19th century industrial building that started life as a candle and soap manufactory. First, there were the speeches; then, there was the ribbon cutting.

From left to right: Assemblymember Didi Barrett; Daniel Mackay, deputy commissioner for historic preservation, NYS OPRHP; Mike Yevoli, regional president for Empire State Development's Capital Region; Rick Rector, mayor of Hudson; Jeff Hunt, president and CEO, Columbia County Chamber of Commerce; Blackburn and Rossi, Redburn Development; Congressman John Faso; Mike Tucker, president and CEO, Columbia Economic Development Corporation, is at the lectern  

When the ceremony was over and people headed into the lobby for refreshments, I decided to snap a picture of this: a discreet plaque beside the door that marks The Wick as a Tribute Portfolio hotel.

Some people insist on calling The Wick a "chain hotel" because of this designation, conjuring up visions of garish formula signage--maybe even neon--but this is it.

For those of us old enough to remember, it's a little like the Duncan Hines plaques that marked restaurants where travelers could get a decent meal back in the 1950s, before there were such things as national chains or Zagat guides.
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