DAN'S PAPERS, September 19, 2008 Page 30
Montauk
(continued from page 23)
observed at Liar’s Saloon (Montauk’s most noted dive bar, where they just serve $1 drafts — not $18 cosmos). The owner of Manucci’s, an Italian restaurant on West Lake Drive, said this last season was almost a two headed beast — a very slow beginning ending with an incredibly busy last three weeks of August that made up for the slow start. It was reported by a real estate agent that as the price of gas went up so did the number of tourists to the East End. So this year, with motels booked and locals claiming that beaches such as Ditch Plains over crowded, is all well? Not exactly. The many marinas in Montauk, usually steady rocks of stability over the years, suffered an unusually bad season. Owners used to profitable seasons are shaken and contemplating options for survival or even sales. On the flip side. Motel owners had a great season. In the last several years there has been a move, resisted by Town of East Hampton officials, to convert some motels into short-term dorm housing for seasonal workers to increase occupancy in each room and thus profitability. The argument has been: Where will the
tourists who go to the shops and restaurants sleep and stay if there is less motel space? Others are unhappy with some motels that have been approved for such occupancy for workers, citing crime and drug use in them. However, with energy cost rising, along with insurance cost and taxes, can these businesses, “afford to make the upgrades over time that all motels and hotels eventually need?” That question was posed by Adam Manson, owner and brain trust behind the purchase of the Panoramic Condo conversion project. Of his own venture, Manson stated, “It is not practical or financially feasible to upgrade a three-month seasonal luxury hotel or motel due to rising cost and the short season.” Yet the Montauk Yacht Club is aggressively doing just that with a massive total refurbishing of its units well underway. Both Manson’s luxury condo conversions (starting at $2.8 million) and the Montauk Yacht Club’s remodeling efforts are beautiful and tasteful. However, over time the truth will be known as to who took the prudent course. Gurney’s Inn, perhaps one of the premier hotels in Montauk, is facing difficult decisions
on how to finance needed upgrades to its infrastructure. Due to the mammoth size of the facility, and the numbers being thrown around as far as costs, concerns are rising among time share owners and Gurney’s administrators. Again Manson’s premise about rising costs of remodeling and infrastructure, as he is experiencing at Panoramic, are not as easily recouped in a seasonal hotel/motel venture. Although Gurney’s does a strong year-round business, the level of excellence of their facility is more costly to maintain than a local motel. So, Montauk’s economic environment is wildly contrasting. Locals saw first-time visitors to the Surf Lodge cruising around and discovering other venues such as the Old Harbor House, O’Murphy’s, Shagwong, The Runaways, Aqua East and the Harvest, all near by. There is no doubt that many of the thousands who visited the Surf Lodge and Montauk for the first time came back. The new face of the town? Perhaps. But according to one of my neighbors in Montauk, “It just ain’t Montauk anymore. It’s getting too crowded.” The un-Hampton seems to be getting Hamptonized.
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