While the Catskills continue to have their moment, the Adirondacks may finally be ready for prime time. The Adirondacks, which include the spectacular six-million-acre Adirondack Park, are a wilderness playground in Upstate New York that borders Canada. The New York State Legislature established the park in 1892, and the area has long had venerable lodges, like The Point and Mirror Lake Inn, along with many functional, if not very exciting, hotels. Now comes a smart new boutique hotel to shake things up, a place that looks trek-worthy for the hipsters from Brooklyn. So bookmark the January 2023 opening of Bluebird Lake Placid, a new hotel in Lake Placid, New York.

Bluebird by Lark hotels is a subsidiary of Lark Hotels. They've already made their mark on the Northeast, at the Tälta Lodge, in Stowe, Vermont, which I profiled in Forbes last winter. They previously opened Bluebird Parker Beach Lodge on Cape Cod and Bluebird Spa City Motor Lodge in Saratoga Springs, New York.

This past summer, three other Bluebird Hotels were added, which I also reported in Forbes. Bluebird Dennisport is in Dennis Port, one of Cape Cod's favorite beach destinations. Bluebird Sunapee, in the heart of the Sunapee region of New Hampshire, is close to Mount Sunapee State Park on Lake Sunapee and adjacent to Vail's Mount Sunapee Ski Resort. Bluebird Hunter Lodge also opened this past summer, a seventies-inspired ski lodge at Hunter Mountain in the Catskills, less than three hours from New York City.

Bluebird has a knack for finding older properties, typically motels, which they reimagine and refurbish. In this case, they bought the former Lake Placid Summit Hotel, Resort & Suites on Mirror Lake. Bluebird's game plan is "by breathing new life into existing motor lodge properties, Bluebird accommodations are accessibly-priced, opening up a world of adventure to all travelers."

Bluebird Lake Placid is now the seventh property to join the growing portfolio of Bluebird by Lark properties, each one, as they say, "inspired by the great American road trip." The interiors are courtesy of Elder & Ash and are redolent of New York's ski culture, with a smattering of Scandinavian and Japanese designs. Note that this is not the place to look for rustic Adirondack-style furniture.

The lakeside property offers views of the Adirondack Mountains and is ideal for winter purists looking to ski, snowshoe, and even ice fish. Lake Placid was the host city of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics, and the ski mountain called Whiteface is the resort where it all happened. In summer, staying here will be all about swimming, hiking, biking, fishing, and golf. Dogs-owners note that four-legged friends are welcome at Bluebird Lake Placid.

The hotel will open its doors on January 11, in time for The Lake Placid 2023 FISU World University Games, the world's largest winter multi-sport collegiate athletic event. The 11-day international festival and competition is presented by I LOVE NY and returns to Lake Placid for the first time since 1972. The Empire State Winter Games, the largest Olympic-style winter sporting event in the Northeast, will take place in Lake Placid from February 2-5, 2023.

Next summer, Bluebird Lake Placid will open Après Only, a bar and a tasting room inspired by 80s nostalgia and the classic ski culture of Lake Placid. The menu will offer mountain favorites like charcuterie, Bavarian pretzels, IPAs, and the inevitable shot-ski.

T

he 90-room hotel will offer a variety of room types, from Standard Kings and Double Queens to Queen Bunks, Deluxe Kings, King Junior Suites, King Suites, King Bunk Suites, and Double Queen Suites. Designed specifically for a group getaway, the Party Friends Suite is the largest room and can accommodate up to 8 people. Accessible rooms will also be available.

Bluebird Lake Placid is now accepting reservations for stays as of January 11, 2023, with prices starting at $199.