BY Anne Margaret Daniel
Woodstock, New York has a new hotel. The Hotel Dylan, on Route 28 at 320 Maverick Road — just west and south of town — opened on June 15. Already, word is spreading and its spanking-new, fanciful, musical rooms are filling.
Paul Covello bought a defunct restaurant, the Black Bear, and the buildings adjacent about a year ago with an eye to more than a hotel, though the hotel would be his property’s centerpiece. He engaged New York duo Cortney and Robert Novogratz to design the hotel, and fans of “The Novogratz” are already flocking to stay, along with music lovers and hikers, and folks escaping Manhattan heat for cool Catskill nights.
The Hotel Dylan has two stories of rooms named for musicians associated with the area, and/or with the 1969 festival, and for supporting characters. “The Jimi” is next door to “The Roadies,” and “The Van” shares a wall with “The Hippie Chick.” A magnificent suite, the largest room in the hotel, is appropriately the province of the Band. Every room has a pretty little Crosley turntable, and you can check out records to play while you stay.
[The] manager showed me into the Band Suite with a smile. The hotel’s rooms are bright, pretty, and sparkling with what Covello calls the Novogratz’s “bohemian sophistication — a great vibe, clean and crisp,” but also comfortable, and welcoming you to flop down where you please after a long night at a show. Elliott Landy’s photo of the Band from Music from Big Pink (1968) is on the wall, folk-art rugs on the floor, and a pattern of arrows on the walls. The Woodstock area’s history well before the 1960s — back to the days of the Native American tribes who prized the mountains as a salubrious home — and since then, too, all feels reflected in the décor.
This review was originally published on No Depression.com. Read the rest of the article here.
