HUDSON — The journey to convert a bed-and-breakfast into a hotel on Warren Street has steered the planning board into uncharted territory, members said at Thursday’s meeting.
Ben Rinzler, owner of the 26 Warren B&B and the Whaler Hotel at 542 Warren St., is proposing to change its occupancy from residential use to a hotel, according to the meeting agenda. The change would be a permitted use in its commercial zone and the application was submitted to the board Aug. 3.
The current five-bedroom lodging would be converted into a self-service nine-room venue, according to the proposal.
The board asked the applicant to set up an escrow account to bring on a legal consultant, as members said the city code does not provide guidance for a self-service hotel.
Rinzler appeared before the planning board Thursday to clarify the unexpected barrage of questions posed by board members at the September meeting.
Operations between the Whaler and the bed-and-breakfast, called the Mariner, would be closely tied, Rinzler said.
“The Mariner, like its sister the Whaler, is a luxury lodging who caters to a discerning clientele. The Mariner is presently monitored with security cameras, which are purposely visible on the exterior, and then the common hallways and common areas of the premises,” Rinzler said. “When people book a room at the Mariner, they get welcome package email, just like at the Whaler, and it alerts them they’re staying at the sister property to the Hudson Whaler. And instead of a live check-in as is the case at the Whaler, the manager will check them in over the phone and via email, giving them door codes and information about their room and the city.”
Rinzler said door codes at the property are changed once a week and security cameras are monitored during the same hours they are watched at the Whaler.
Three staff members are dedicated to the maintenance of the Mariner, and two managers oversee both the Whaler and the Mariner, Rinzler said.
Planing board member Larry Bowne suggested deferring the application to the zoning board of appeals for clarification on the code.
“Our code doesn’t cover an unmanned hotel,” Bowne said. “And the code did not anticipate that this would emerge. It’s now emerging. And the board is clearly uncomfortable with that scenario.”
Members expressed continued concern regarding guests contacting management in cases of emergency. Rinzler said in addition to staff phone numbers, guests are also given the number for a 24/7 call line with a human operator who can connect guests to emergency services and staff members. Others said there appeared to be no access for emergency services to access the back of the property.
Rinzler also has been in talks with Philip Forman, who lives next to the B&B on the corner of First and Warren streets and expressed concerns about the change at the September meeting. But Forman said he continues to have reservations.
“The scenarios for security and whatnot are worst case. It’s not like that. Somebody leaves their something or other on or somebody falls — it’s little crap like that where you want to be able to reach out to someone who’s a person who can act on that. And it doesn’t have to be an end-of-the-world emergency,” Forman said. “But calling an 800 number seems a little unfair. And I understand that it can connect to someone who can connect to someone who might connect to someone else, I get that. And I respect Ben’s concern about security.”
It was also unclear what constituted a hotel under city code, board members said, and why Rinzler sought hotel status.
“My concern with your answer is problematic to me,” board member Clark Wieman said. “You’re saying it’s a hotel, we’re changing the use to hotel, as you are applying to the city, but you’re now describing it is not really a hotel. It’s quasi-something else. I’ve never been to a hotel that I recall that didn’t have some staff there.”
Rinzler said the style of operation caters to the layout of the historic building.
“The only thing that makes it a hotel, in my mind, is the code of Hudson because most hotels have many more rooms. So I’m sort of catering to the building. It’s a nine-room hotel, it’s not a 16-room or 20-room. I think that it’ll run perfectly smooth. That’s all I can tell you,” Rinzler said.
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October 16, 2021 at 07:08AM
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