the pines hotel

photos from ineedattention.com/pines

Built in 1933, The Pines Hotel was one of the popular destinations for vacation-goers in the Catskills. The resort boasted a ski resort, an ice skating rink, fully equipped theater, golf course, baseball field, conference center, and indoor and outdoor pools. The Pines Hotel was one of many resorts like it which arose in the Catskills region in the Borscht Belt. The majority of these businesses were Jewish and operated under Kosher rules. These businesses would strive to be an all-inclusive vacation resort by offering many amenties and activities. Families would go spend entire summers in the Catskills, with husbands leaving Monday thru Friday to work, then returning on weekends. 

In the early 1960s many of the resorts began attracting younger crowds by introducing top entertainment acts including pop, jazz., and comedians. The Pines Hotel in particular once presented the Byrds and Frankie Avalon.

The true downfall of these businesses was commercial airfare. Suddenly everyone could afford to travel farther than driving distance, not just the super rich….so why stay in the area? Families began traveling farther, air conditioning was invented and shorter vacations to more exotic locations became the "in" thing to do….and the Catskills suffered. The golden age for this era promptly ended in the mid 70's, and today all but 5 hotels have closed. Closed in 1998, The Pines is now owned by Fallsburg Estates, LLC, and its future is uncertain. There have been talks of casinos in the Catskills area to help jumpstart a stalled economy, but as of now nothing has begun.

Fires have been a recent problem at the Pines. On July 20, 2007 a day-care building burned in a suspicious fire. Just 3 weeks later on August 9, the three-story Ritz building went up in flames. The Ritz building had been used as staff quarters towards the end of the hotel’s life span, and was filled with the belongings of former employees- clothes, letters from home, pictures, etc.

Information from INeedAttention.com/pines

.