Hampton Inn by Hilton Hornell revives memories of city’s hotel heydays

Neal Simon, Hornell Evening Tribune
·4 min read

The 80-room Hampton Inn by Hilton Hornell is now a reality.

As plans for an October grand opening and ribbon cutting come together, many longtime residents are reaching back — way back — to remember Hornell's storied history of hotels.

The four-story Hampton Inn, developed by Indus Group, was a long-sought piece of the local economic puzzle.

For several years, Hornell officials had a new business-class hotel on their wish list, as local employers and nearby Alfred University and Alfred State College encouraged the effort.

The Hampton Inn by Hilton Hornell began welcoming guests to the new business class hotel on Aug. 15. The hotel features approximately 80 rooms and many amenities.
The Hampton Inn by Hilton Hornell began welcoming guests to the new business class hotel on Aug. 15. The hotel features approximately 80 rooms and many amenities.

Located on state Route 36 next to the high-traffic Hornell Plaza, the hotel features an indoor swimming pool, fitness and business centers and social meeting areas that include fire and barbecue pits.

The four-story complex began welcoming guests Aug. 15.

The grand opening is scheduled for for 4-6 p.m., Oct. 11. The event is limited to invited guests.

The Hotel Sherwood on Canisteo Street in Hornell was a city fixture for decades.
The Hotel Sherwood on Canisteo Street in Hornell was a city fixture for decades.

Steuben County Historical documents Hornell hotel history

While the opening of a major new hotel is a relatively rare occurrence for Hornell these days, the city has actually been home to dozens of hotels over the decades, especially during in the first half of the 20th century.

According to the Steuben County Historical Society, old Hornell city directories list nearly 20 lodging opportunities in 1906, including nine on Loder Street. Hotel names include Cleveland House, Commercial House, The Crosby, Delavan House, the Germania Hotel and the Sherwood.

The 1925 classifieds list 10 hotels with names like American House, Frank Bristol, Hotel Comfort, Hotel Conderman, The Marbalow and Penston Hotel popping up.

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Kirk House, director of the Steuben County Historical Society, said there were key reasons why a city of Hornell's size (the population was 15,600 in the 1940 U.S. Census) was home to so many hotels.

“Travel was more difficult," House said. "You couldn’t get as far in a given night if you were in an automobile, because the roads weren’t very good, and the automobiles weren’t very good."

House said rail passengers often needed overnight accommodations because connections were not available until the following morning.

"And because of all the work going on the Erie Railroad, there were people coming into Hornell for a night or two or for a week to do a job. They needed places to stay," House added.

The Hotel Miami was a popular overnight stop on Main Street for travelers to Hornell in at least the 1930s and 1940s.
The Hotel Miami was a popular overnight stop on Main Street for travelers to Hornell in at least the 1930s and 1940s.

Remembering the Hotel Miami in Hornell

The Hotel Miami is one of 10 Hornell hotels listed in the city's 1938 directory that also includes newcomers like the Hotel Avon, Hotel Erie and the Morning Glory Inn.

The Miami and the Miami Restaurant were at 200-202 Main St., according to Historical Society records.

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"It was a popular spot," former Hornell mayor Shawn Hogan remembers learning.

Menus associated with the Hotel Miami dining room were included in a recent batch of Hornell-related artifacts given to the Historical Society by a private donor.

The Steuben County Historical Society recently received a Hornell artifact from a donor: a breakfast menu for the Hotel Miami Restaurant. The Hotel Miami was on Main Street in the Maple City and was open in the mid 20th century.
The Steuben County Historical Society recently received a Hornell artifact from a donor: a breakfast menu for the Hotel Miami Restaurant. The Hotel Miami was on Main Street in the Maple City and was open in the mid 20th century.

The vintage menus illustrate the jarring passage of time and faded cultural touchstones.

The Miami's morning menu advises, “A hearty breakfast starts the day right,” and makes available every conceivable offering: eggs served any way you want, bacon and ham, griddle cakes, “Cereals for health,” fruits, juices and coffee. A cup of Joe cost 5 cents.

As for the hotel's name, House does not think it was based on any kind of connection between the South Florida tourist mecca and the Maple City.

“My guess would be just that Miami is a popular spot. It suggests being warm. It suggests being rich. It suggests being with it and that kind of thing," House said. “There used to be a restaurant in Providence, Rhode Island called ‘The Martinique’ and another one called ‘The Tahiti.’ Believe me, Providence is nothing like Martinique or Tahiti.”

An outside area to kick back and relax at the Hampton Inn by Hilton Hornell on state Route 36 in the city.
An outside area to kick back and relax at the Hampton Inn by Hilton Hornell on state Route 36 in the city.

Why the Hornell Hampton is a reason to celebrate

The Hotel Miami appears in a 1942 directory of city businesses, the Historical Society said, but that's the last time it shows up. Hogan believes the hotel shuttered for good in the late 1940s.

Advertisements for Hornell hotels waned during World War II, House noted, with pleasure travel cut severely in the mid-1940s as the nation was on battle footing.

The 1955 Hornell directory classified section lists only the Hotel Sherwood at 95 Canisteo St.

Hornell's hotel heyday may be long over, but the Oct. 11 event at the Hampton Inn by Hilton Hotel will offer a chance to acknowledge at least a modest revival.

Hornell Mayor John Buckley toured the hotel in August and was excited about what he saw.

"It's absolutely beautiful, inside and out," Buckley said. "We're ecstatic that they've got their doors open."

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This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: Where the Hornell Hampton fits in the city's storied hotel history