The front entrance of the Algonkin Motel in Bainbridge. (Submitted photo)

By Sophia Root, Commerce Chenango

BAINBRIDGE - This week, Commerce Chenango is highlighting the Algonkin Motel in Bainbridge, a family-owned motel known for its affordability and cleanliness.

Starting off as cabins in 1950 before being incorporated into a motel, the Algonkin Motel has been serving loyal customers for more than 60 years. Like many motels, it is open 24 hours a day, 7, days a week, 365 days a year.

Unlike many motels, the Algonkin Motel has many charming aspects that make it a mainstay in the community. The motel never raises room rates during busy seasons and is loved by customers and owners. One of the current owners, Denise Page, said that the hotel has only had three owners in its history.

Denise said: “We don’t take any online reservations; you book over the phone. We have a handwritten book we take reservations down in.”

The motel also accommodates for late check-in, they will make sure the customer is taken care of and then catch up with them as soon as possible, guaranteeing that there is a human connection made.

Denise and her husband Jamie have owned the Algonkin motel together for 18 years, and they also manage the Utica-Rome Speedway and the Fonda Speedway.

The Algonkin Motel has 17 rooms that are cleaned by contracted cleaners, as there is no central staff. The Pages have remodeled each room from floor to ceiling since they acquired ownership. They have a small event space in their motel for gatherings that can’t happen in a room, and they have recently installed a coin laundry service. They hope to get a new parking lot in front of the motel in the upcoming year.

Page said the Algonkin Motel benefits from many of the events Commerce Chenango does, ones that bring tourists into the area. “Small town big mouth is not always a bad thing, especially since our customers refer people to us.” Page said. Half of the customers at the Algonkin Motel return for another visit, and they are the most important resource to her business.

Page said she is happy to own a business in this area because this is where she and her husband grew up in the Bainbridge-Afton area and says that this friendly community keeps them here.

The Algonkin Motel is friendly to their community in return. The motel sponsors a bowling team, and frequently advertises on placemats in local restaurants and in golf tournaments.

To learn more about the Algonkin Motel, visit their website at algonkinmotel.com or call 607-967-5911.