Inntopia training and soft launch, the Great Adirondack Garage Sale, and a virtual focus group for Tupper Lake - read this week’s ROOST news!

ROOST CEO James McKenna spoke at the recent Empire State Tourism Conference in Clayton. McKenna lead a panel called “The Many Assets of Winter Tourism,” a discussion that also included representatives from I SKI NY, the New York State Snowmobile Association, and Greene County Tourism. They covered a variety of topics including the marginal 2015-16 season weather patterns. The New York State Tourism Industry Association holds the ESTC each year in various locations around the state.

Permanently reducing your monthly electric bills may be enough reason to add solar electricity or solar hot water to your business. When you commit to renewable energy, you also improve your public image and attract new customers. Please join the Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce for an informational workshop organized by Nancy Bernstein and Solarize Tri-Lakes. Speak with fellow business owners and solar power experts about incentives available for adopting solar. A representative from Apex Solar will be giving a short presentation followed by a Q&A period. Pre-dinner snacks and beverages will be provided. The event will be held at the Chamber's Visitors Center at 193 River St. in Saranac Lake from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 12. This event is open to the public. An RSVP is required for anyone attending. Click here to RSVP! Click here for more information.

Visitors to Lake Placid, adirondacks, usa’s destination website, lakeplacid.com, will find a user-friendly booking option on every page. The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST) has launched the new booking platform on April 27 with a very visible presence on the website. The new booking engine, developed by Inntopia, is utilized by a number of destinations worldwide, and replaces the limited system that was developed many years ago for the region’s lodging properties. “The booking option allows us to be more competitive in the destination marketplace, and offers the experience that today’s consumer expects,” said James McKenna, president of ROOST. “This is they way that people are making their travel decisions today.” The booking engine offers not only lodging options, but activities and attractions as well. “Today’s consumer wants to book their theater tickets or rafting trip along with their room,” added McKenna. “That bundling capability is very important, and once we have a critical mass of options on the platform, will really set us apart as a destination.” Several lodging properties and one attraction were available as booking options for the launch, with a number of additional lodging and attractions in the queue to be activated soon. “We’ve seen thousands of sessions and a number of bookings already,” said Jasen Lawrence, director of marketing for ROOST. “And now that the highly visible ‘book your trip’ bar is online, we’re hearing from a number of local lodging properties and businesses who want to be included.” The booking engine is now available on lakeplacid.com, but will be rolled out to the other regional destination websites in the region over the next year, including whitefaceregion.com, saranaclake.com, tupperlake.com, lakechamplainregion.com, adirondackexperience.com, schroonlakeregion.com and visitmalone.com. Businesses with questions and interest in participating in the new booking engine are encouraged to contact Glenn Pareira, ROOST's advertising sales manager, at glenn@roostadk.com or 518-874-0255. "Book your trip" bar on lakeplacid.com

Lots of solar, EAT ADK Restaurant Week, and a new Board Corner!