November 7, 2003 
The Times Union 

Adirondack tourist industry eyes upscale bucks; Lake George Hoteliers and resort operators meet to discuss prices

The preliminary numbers are just coming in, but hotel, motel and resort owners in the Adirondacks say they already know what they need to do.

"You need to listen to your customers, follow your instincts, deliver those services, and raise prices," said Norman Howard, who owns and runs The Wawbeek, an Adirondack-style camp on upper Saranac Lake , with his wife.

Howard was one of several resort operators speaking during a panel discussion on prices at the annual conference Thursday of the Adirondack Regional Tourism Council.

At the conference, held at the Fort William Henry Conference Center in Lake George, industry professionals released some early data from a study measuring the impact tourists have on the economy in and around the 6 million-acre Adirondack Park .

The full results are due in April.

In the meantime, several hoteliers and resort operators at the conference said they have managed to survive the region's short 10-week peak summer season each year by catering to a more upscale clientele.

"There are a lot of visitors coming to our area who want all of the comforts available at home, and they're willing to pay for it," said Fred Vogel, who said his family's Lodges at Cresthaven in Lake George has slowly evolved from a motel that would fetch $700 a week during peak season to a resort that commands $3,500 a week.

There is a strong market for that kind of hotel room or suite.

But most visitors aren't paying that yet, according to the preliminary data from tourists surveyed in 10 Adirondack and North Country counties.

The average visitor in the summer spent $66 a day, according to the preliminary figures. More than a quarter of tourists came in just for the day.

Of those who stayed, just under half paid for a hotel, motel or resort. The rest either camped, stayed in a borrowed cabin, or lodged with family and friends.

The Northern New York Travel and Tourism Research Center , located at the State University College at Pottsdam, commissioned the study being done by the Kennebunk, Maine , consultant Davidson-Peterson Associates.

Ann Melious, executive director of the Adirondack Regional Tourism Council, said the industry needs to know its customers better to meet their needs. Tourism and lodging professionals also want to quantify the impact of their visitors to lobby for a greater share of scarce public economic development funds.

"These really are numbers no one has ever had before," Melious said.