Hotel Saranac offers conference room to PSC bearing school’s name

For decades, Paul Smith’s College and the Hotel Saranac in Saranac Lake were synonymous, with the school running the lodging property as a full-service hotel and learning center in the midst of the village. The relationship began in 1961 when the college took ownership of the 88-room hotel. The college’s hotel management and culinary curricula were a perfect match for the needs of the inn and its clientele.

Students were schooled 10 miles away on campus, and then employed this knowledge in a real-life environment at the hotel. However, that relationship ended in 2007 when PSC sold the Hotel Saranac to the Arora family, which in turn, sold to New Hampshire-based Roedel Companies in 2013.

The Roedel family has long-time connections to Saranac Lake; their mother was born and raised in the village, and their grandfather was a doctor who treated patients suffering from tuberculosis. The Roedels have embarked on a $30 million revival of the Hotel Saranac in a quest to return the property to its lost grandeur, albeit with modern resort amenities. The hotel’s design roots can be traced to the Davanzati Palace in Florence, Italy. Now, with PSC understanding the importance of the hotel to the community’s economy, the two entities are about to partner once again. Initially, it may not be at the level of that by-gone, time-honored era, but thanks to the generosity and consideration of the Roedels, the school will receive a downstairs conference room, to be named the Paul Smith’s College Room.

Hotel ownership also has intentions of naming other rooms as well.

“It’s important for us to honor this relationship that dated back about five decades,” said Fred Roedel, Chief Financial Officer. “In looking at the present and the future, I think this is a good time for both parties to re-engage. It’s a small start, but it’s a start nevertheless. We’re proud to have one of our conference rooms bear the name of Paul Smith’s College.”

As the “new” Hotel Saranac seeks connections to the Adirondacks and the Tri-Lakes area, Roedel added that other rooms at the hotel will also bear names that are endemic to the region.

“Naming this conference room after PSC gets this initiative underway for us,” added David Roedel, brother of Fred and the company’s Business Development Officer. “We want the hotel to be connected to the greatness that the North Country exhibits every day. I’m looking forward to starting this process with the college.

“The room will also include historical images from Paul Smith’s College in keeping with the legacy of the school, and will serve to remind everyone how important Paul Smith and Paul Smith’s College was, and still is, to the region.”

“On behalf of our students, staff and administration, I am very happy that this first step has occurred,” stated Scott Dalrymple, the college’s new president. “The history we had with the hotel lasted 45 years. Now, there’s nothing there to indicate our part in its history, but with many thanks to the Roedel family, PSC will have a presence once again. I know our alumni, many of them having worked at the Hotel Saranac, will be very happy to hear this news.”

Formal naming and opening events are being considered for the weekend of October 22-23-24 and will involve past PSC students who worked at the Hotel Saranac.

At Paul Smith’s College, it’s about the experience. As the only four-year institution of higher education located in the Adirondack Park in upstate New York, Paul Smith’s provides real-world, hands-on learning in fields such as business and hospitality, culinary management, forestry, environmental sciences and natural resources. We are able to draw on industries and resources available in our own backyard while preparing students for successful careers anywhere. Our community of resourceful, enterprising, supportive and adventurous individuals collectively provide experiential education, student support in the classroom and beyond, and meaningful opportunities for our alumni. We pride ourselves on research and advocacy on issues that improve our planet and the lives of the people who inhabit it. Learn more at paulsmiths.edu »