Holiday Motel closes doors after 50 years
Property sold to Iskalo Development
by JESSICA L. FINCH Associate Editor

The Holiday Motel, Main Street between Park Drive and Garrison Road, has been a prominent Village of Williamsville business since the late 1950s.

The Holiday Motel, an icon in the Village of Williamsville, has hosted its last guest.

For more than 50 years the motel housed business travelers, vacationers and "regulars," co-owner Pat Riedel said.

Whether it was for one night or an extended stay, countless visitors have stayed at the motel over the years.

The property was recently purchased by Iskalo Development. The amount of the sale was unknown at press time.

After nearly a lifetime in the business, it was time for Riedel and her husband to retire. Her parents had founded the business when she was young.

"The property became more valuable than the business and it needed to be updated," she said. "Businesses had dropped off."

Up until its final day of operation, Oct. 1, the Riedels were charging, "what they felt people could afford." A single room was $54 a night and a double was $68.

There was a time, before the large corporations developed, that Holiday Motel was at 95 percent occupancy year round. People would stay during their annual vacations and businessmen would stay on their multiple trips to the area.

Riedel said the name came from the Canadian guests who stayed there. Instead of calling their trips vacation, they say holiday.

Her parents founded the motel at 5801 Main St., near Garrison Road, Williamsville with four units. During the years it grew and had 17 units when it closed.

The doors may be shut, but the phone isn't off the hook. Riedel said they have been receiving many calls about former guests asking for suggestions on where they should stay from now on.

She said she isn't sure where they can find the same deal.

The suites at Holiday Motel featured full kitchens.

"We provided everything but the food and clothes," she said.

That lifestyle became especially popular in the 1980s when Amherst started booming, she said. As couples and families moved into the area they would stay in the motel while searching for a house or apartment.

Riedel's parents, Eleanor and Bob Smith, founded the motel some 50 years ago. Her husband, Paul, became the manager in 1971 before they purchased it in 1973.

Her mother, 90, said they should have left the business years ago, Riedel said, adding her mother always said it took up too much of their lives. She said it truly was a 24/7 job.

Riedel said she had an exciting, yet busy life, growing up in the motel business. Her family had a home adjoining the motel property.

There was a time when the Holiday Motel served as a haven for people in the Federal Protection Program.

Prior to the motel opening, a tourist home was located on the property and housed musical acts that were brought to the area to perform at the Glen Casino. Riedel said she has a registrar where the guests signed in, many who went on to be famous, including Pat Boone and Bobby Darin.

"I remember talking to Bobby Darin in the parking lot who told me if he ever became famous he wouldn't marry a movie star ... he married Sandra Dee," Riedel said.

That house, which was estimated to have been built more than 100 years ago, was torn down prior to the motel being built.

While no formal plans for the property have been announced by Iskalo Development, Riedel said she anticipates the hotel will be demolished. Iskalo also owns the neighboring parcel at the corner of Main Street and Garrison Road.

A former Mobil station, the parcel has been vacant for at least five years.

Request for comment from Iskalo Development were not returned prior to press time. The Village of Williamsville Building Department reported no plans had been submitted to date.

Riedel said she and her husband plan to stay in the Williamsville area.

Paul remains active in the industry as the New York State delegate for the American Lodging Association. He is also a past chairman of the New York State Hospitality and Tourism Association.

The motel will be holding an estate liquidation sale from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27 and Sunday, Oct. 28 at 5801 Main St., at Garrison Road, Williamsville. The sale will include appliances, furniture, glassware, linens and antiques. The items will be in the former motel rooms.

The Riedel family is also celebrating 50 years of multi-generational Williamsville history. The event will include face painting, prize drawings, popcorn, cider and giveaways.