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HAMILTON, NY (July 19, 2004) – Skaneateles innkeeper
William Eberhardt has signed a long-term agreement with Colgate
Inn, LLC, to operate the Colgate Inn on Hamilton’s village
green.
Eberhardt, who owns and operates Dining Associates and has
been the proprietor of the historic Sherwood Inn on Skaneateles
Lake since 1974, will assume the management of the Inn this
fall. In addition to the Sherwood Inn, Dining Associates operates
three other lodging properties in the Village of Skaneateles,
as well as several restaurants both in Skaneateles and the
central New York area.
“Bill Eberhardt has a proven record as an upstate innkeeper,”
said Colgate University President Rebecca Chopp. “For
more than 35 years his restaurants and inns have been popular
gathering places for central New York residents and visitors.
Each of his establishments has a character of its own, reflecting
individual community interests. We are confident that, under
his direction, the Colgate Inn will be a place where visitors
and members of the greater Hamilton community alike can enjoy
an atmosphere and experience that are true to our village.”
The Colgate Inn has been a fixture on the green in the center
of the Village of Hamilton since the Inn’s construction
in 1925. Privately owned for many years, the village landmark
and meeting place was saved from demolition in the mid 1970s
when it was purchased by the Hamilton Downtown Inn, Inc.,
ownership of which was eventually transferred to the Colgate
Inn, LLC, which is owned by the university. Since then the
Inn has been managed first by individual innkeepers, and for
the past dozen years or more on contract with a series of
multinational management companies.
“This relationship with Bill Eberhardt brings the highest
level of regional management to the Colgate Inn,” said
Colgate’s treasurer and financial vice president, David
Hale. “Bill has a vision for the Inn that is characterized
by a warm, inviting air of gracious hospitality. We are confident,
given the success and popularity of his other enterprises,
that the Inn will be a welcome haven for travelers and guests,
while remaining flexible and sensitive to the needs of the
Hamilton community.”
Eberhardt’s son Ben, who grew up in the family business,
will move with his family to Hamilton late this summer to
provide day-to-day oversight of the Inn as general manager.
Bill Eberhardt and key staff of his company, Dining Associates,
will work closely with Ben, and the group anticipates retaining
most of the current Colgate Inn staff. The Eberhardts plan
to appoint a community advisory council that will assist in
identifying needs for the Inn in Hamilton, the surrounding
communities and the region.
“We are delighted to have this opportunity to become
part of the Hamilton community,“ said Bill Eberhardt.
“The energy and vitality of this community and the university
make Hamilton an ideal location for a country inn. Situated
as it is on the green, the Colgate Inn plays an important,
central role as host to residents and guests alike, and we
are eager to make the Inn the finest experience possible for
our guests.”
The Colgate Inn offers 46 guest rooms and a variety of dining
accommodations including the Corner Grill, the 1840 Tap Room,
and the Salmagundi Rathskeller, as well as a large banquet
facility. The inn’s dining rooms and banquet facilities
averaged 5,000 patrons per month last year. Over the course
of the year, the inn also provides rooms for more than 12,000
overnight guests to Hamilton. The first phase of a major renovation
of the inn was completed this spring when the Corner Grill,
a new library/study, and a totally refurbished lobby were
reopened to the public.
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