From Field to Fully Equipped
From Field to Fully Equipped
Basecamp Village Project at Base of HoliMont Prepares for Phase II
Photos / Rich Rumfola
Driving west out of downtown Ellicottville towards Little Valley on Route 242, you pass condos and housing near the main entrance to the HoliMont Ski Club and until recently, you passed by a small chunk of real estate that’s only been the home for weeds and small woodland creatures for as long as anyone can remember.
Having driven past that spot a countless number of times over the years, it’s still tough to imagine that they found enough room to fit an entire ‘village’ of 11 rentable residences between the road and the creek that flows through the woods towards town.
“Our architect did a great job of fine-tuning where the cabins could go and how we would fit 11 of them with different sizes on the property,” explained Yianni Pozantidis, a partner in the $2.9 million Basecamp Village project. “We partnered with Buffalo Construction Consultants - Bill Mahoney and Joe Mannarino - and they did a tremendous job of building the site for us.”
Ranging in size from 364-800 square feet, each cabin comes equipped with a full kitchenette, bathroom, washer/dryer and bath/shower, and are named after famous North American ski areas, such as Whistler, Tahoe and Breckenridge. Along with the varying sizes of living space inside each of the rustic-looking cabins, some models have a loft only, while some cabins have a bedroom only and others feature a combination of both. Although some would consider the ladder-climb into the loft a little too sporty for their taste, those willing to embrace the challenge are rewarded with their own “floor” of the house, including a beautiful view from a window that seems to take up half of the wall it’s in.
“Our Aspen Chalet is 800 square feet,” Pozantidis said. “It’s the largest cabin on the property and sleeps up to six with two bedrooms and a pullout bed.” With an average rate of $300-$350 per night, Pozantidis says all the units sleep four comfortably, with pullout and roll-away beds available.
All skiers and snowboarders themselves, Pozantidis described his partnership team’s vision for the look and feel of the cabins, saying, “We wanted a mixture of the rustic cabin look that you see on the exterior, but we wanted a little bit more of a modern look inside.”
Entering into one of these ‘mini’ properties with its vaulted ceilings and large picture windows, you are immediately struck with the seeming contradiction of having so much space available in such a small building.
“You walk in and you think you’re walking into a tiny cabin,” Pozantidis said. “But what you walk into is a really nice, small condo that has cathedral ceilings and huge windows - it’s not even bright out today and look at all the light that comes into here - so all of a sudden, this becomes a very large space!” he exclaimed.
He went on to praise Mark Dean of Dean Architects in Buffalo, whom he credits for turning the ownership team’s vision for the project into reality. “The big windows were something that I and my partners really wanted, so we could showcase how beautiful the area is - with the creek and the woods on the other side,” Pozantidis said.
Located within a 15-minute walk into downtown Ellicottville and even closer than that to the lifts at HoliMont, the Basecamp Village property includes a wooded lot that will be developed down the road so patrons can fully enjoy the natural surroundings. Pozantidis says that plans for Phase II of the project include building a bridge from the condos into the woods on the other side of the creek and then clearing brush to make space for fire pits and seating.
“Once that’s complete, now you have another option if you want to hang out on-site and don’t want to leave,” he said, and then went on to explain, “This spot is beautiful all year round - you’re not going to see that at any other motel - and then with the design and layout of the cabins and property, what we have here is second to none!”
The cabins share the same basic structure and it’s easy to imagine them attached and standing side by side, in one long row, like old-school motels used to be. But they’re not attached, and each cabin at Basecamp Village is its own unique building, and each building was thoughtfully placed on the site and separated from the others with paved and well-lit pathways to get around on.
Thanks to the natural beauty of Ellicottville and the unparalleled success of the Holiday Valley and HoliMont matrimony machines, this community provides the venue for 80-plus weddings each season and Pozantidis sees his new property as the perfect match for large(r) groups of people who are looking for lodging close to one another, but also might like the idea that each cabin is its own residence. In fact, he was excited to share the news that Basecamp Village had recently booked its first wedding party for an event that’ll be happening in October. The happy couple and their friends and family will enjoy the use of the entire village of all 11 cabins during their stay.
“We would like to cater to that type of demographic,” Pozantidis said. “We feel like we offer something unique because we give you your own place to stay in.” He went on to explain how folks could come together to Ellicottville and have fun - whether it be skiing, golfing, mountain biking or to a wedding, and at the end of the day, if you wanted to go take a rest, everyone has their own cabin. “We offer that kind of privacy - different than a hotel - where you don’t necessarily have to walk down the same hallway,” Pozantidis said.
Acknowledging the dispiriting lack of snow this ski season, Pozantidis predicted a strong rebound in activity for the upcoming “off”-season.
“Ellicottville has now turned into a four-season destination for people,” he said. “Sometimes, it’s busier here in the summer than it is in the winter - I actually think this summer’s going to be huge because the winter was so bad.”
Although they would prefer bookings of two nights or more, the cabins are available for as little as one night and for as long as the entire season. With only a limited number of cabins available on the whole site, Pozantidis admits he and his partners are still trying to navigate their way toward a healthy balance between seasonal rentals, and multiple and one-night stays.
“We might leave a couple (cabins) open for single-night rentals because we’re seeing a demand from people who are in town for only a night and maybe are private and don’t want to go to a hotel,” Pozantidis said. He went on to explain, “Usually on the weekend, it’s a two-night minimum but we’re trying to work through that because we want to get people here; we want to be able to accommodate every little thing we can.”
He also admits the challenges of spreading the news to the world that his stylish and unique cabins are now available for hire in the heart of the Enchanted Mountains in Ellicottville, NY. “We’re still in the beginning stages of getting the word out there. We’ve got ideas for improving the place down the road, but for right now, it’s all about getting (the cabins) filled up and getting exposure.”
As of the time of our interview, Basecamp Village was still working to be listed with the online booking service, airbnb, though they can be found through Lodgify by going to basecamp.ski.
Anyone who has been around the ski industry would tell you that it is often difficult to find lodging that is a close drive to dining, shopping and the local ski area, so it seems this concept of a ‘village’ of individual residences within walking distance of all the places you want to be would be very appealing to travelers and therefore successful for developers.
“We don’t want to put the cart before the horse, but our ultimate goal is to expand and build a brand,” Pozantidis explained. “We have faith in the idea and we’re hoping it takes off to the point where we can do this elsewhere.”
The next time you’re heading over the hill, take a look to your left at the beautiful new Basecamp Village of mini condos and try (if you can) to imagine what that lot looked like when nothing was there but weeds and a family of woodchucks.
