It has been rumor and insider news for a while now, but today it's official. It was reported this morning in the Albany Business Review: "Boutique hotel sold for $11 million, upgrades planned." The hotel in question is The Wick on Cross Street here in Hudson, which has been acquired by an investment group led by Ben Fain, president and CEO of the newly formed Nice and Weird LLC.
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| Photo: Donna Abbott-Vlahos | Albany Business Review |
Fain, whose enterprises in Hudson include Kitty's Market and Restaurant, Grapefruit Wines, The Caboose, and the market, proposed in collaboration with Hawthorne Valley Farm, to be established in the former Kaz warehouse building, is quoted in the article as saying, "We want to try and create a campus, for lack of a better word, that is really synergistic and makes everything sing." He goes on to say, "The Caboose has been an incredible success for us, and it's surprising how much interest and activity we've had. It sort of took us off guard, because we got interest from people and groups that we never really expected. . . . We just hosted Art Omi's gala and the weekend before the Hudson Area Library's gala. It brought so many people down here and a lot of them were looking for a place to stay, so having the option of a hotel like the Wick makes that whole process more comfortable, more streamlined, and just a better overall experience."
Although it's not mentioned in the Albany Business Review article, the historic Robert Taylor House, the late 18th-century home of the tanner Robert Taylor, considered to be the oldest surviving building in Hudson, will also be part of the "campus" Fain envisions. COPYRIGHT 2024 CAROLE OSTERINK
Any Pilots involved ?
ReplyDeleteSo far, they have only asked that they be able to pick up the PILOT that Redburn Development had, which was a ten-year PILOT now in seventh or eighth year. The payment increases every year, so they are now paying close to the full amount.
DeleteBravo Ben!
ReplyDelete"Bringing new ideas to old buildings." ✅
Turns out when you grow the economic pie everyone wins. 🇺🇸 📈 🐳
This is great news.
ReplyDeleteMore of this: people who invest in the community with their own money.
Less of that: people who want to invest by siphoning off the taxpayers money and the politicians who do their bidding
With all the good new development happening at the waterfront, it's absolutely amazing that the Hudson Planning Board approved a gravel dump and industrial truck route in that zone. One of the most inexplicable, bone-headed decisions ever.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. But it makes total sense if you understand their current agenda: stop tourism and gentrification. What’s better than an industrial gravel dump on the waterfront? Other than maybe increasing crime or closing the Amtrak station?
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