# Villa Roma Goes Up In Flames (added  to include floods)



## hvsteve1 (Apr 12, 2006)

Overnight fire destroys much of Villa Roma Resort


By Dave Richardson
Times Herald-Record
www.recordonline.com

Posted: 9:41 a.m.
Updated: 4:02 p.m.


Hortonville - A vicious, fast-moving fire destroyed part of the popular Villa Roma Resort and Conference Center in Hortonville last night.

Firefighters are still on the scene of last night's fire. Witnesses and officials at the scene say the main lobby, a nightclub the dining room and the kitchen of the resort were completely destroyed by the blaze.

Hortonville Fire Chief John Buffy said the blaze apparently started in the bakery area of the resort's kitchen, and quickly spread to engulf nearby offices, the lobby, the dining room and a nightclub.

“The damage is quite extensive,” Buffy said.

No guest rooms were damaged by the fire. Four firefighters were treated for minor smoke inhalation, but no other injuries were reported, Buffy said.

Firefighters from more than 20 fire companies battled the stubborn blaze all night. The fire was finally brought under control about 6:30 a.m., but firefighters continued to battle hot spots as of 8 a.m. today. 

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.

The Villa Roma has been a popular Passover destination for hundreds of Jewish guests, and was in the process of converting it's dining facilities from their usual classic Italian cuisine to kosher cooking to accommodate the influx.

“All the guests are being taken care of,” said Avi Hauptman, a representative of Leisure Time Tours of New York, the operator that booked about 400 guests for a Passover program at the Villa Roma. “We have made arrangements for guest to go the Nevele Grande, the Homowack and the Hilton Rye Town.” 

Speaking from the Nevele in Ellenville, where Leisure Time also booked groups for Passover, Hauptman said some of the guests have traveled from California, but most are from the New York City area and were driving up today to celebrate the holiday with family and friends.
“They didn’t do Pesach at home, so we are making sure they have accommodations at other hotels.”


----------



## KenK (Apr 13, 2006)

*Re: Villa Roma Goes Up In Flames*

Koshering a kitchen does not have to be done with blow torches.  Many places in prior years have used steam. 

Thats from a conservative point of view....


----------



## TJK (Apr 14, 2006)

*Re: Villa Roma Goes Up In Flames*

We are owners there. Wonder what effect this will have, not only in using our week there, but for trades. They are a 5star resort. Has anyone else experienced anything like this elsewhere?
Thanks, Tom


----------



## gmarine (Apr 15, 2006)

*Re: Villa Roma Goes Up In Flames*



			
				TJK said:
			
		

> We are owners there. Wonder what effect this will have, not only in using our week there, but for trades. They are a 5star resort. Has anyone else experienced anything like this elsewhere?
> Thanks, Tom



For trading purposes, if the resort is not accepting guests due to the fire you will not be able to deposit a unit to trade. Unfortunately, you may still have to pay your maintenance fees even if you dont have use of your unit.

You can probably also expect a special assessment to cover any damages not covered by insurance as well as to cover the insurance deductable.


----------



## Princess Sunflower (Apr 17, 2006)

*Re: Villa Roma Goes Up In Flames*

I too am an owner at Villa Roma. We live only an hour and a half away and hopefully we will be taking a ride up there this weekend to see for ourselves what happened and talk to the folks to find out exactly where we stand. I have my weeks deposited already for 2006 so I don't know if I'd be effected.  

From what I've read on the net only the main lobby, Marty's Lounge, the dining room, the kitchen and MAYBE some rooms could have been affected. "GMarine", only about 12 timeshares are  located in the damaged main building. The rest of building houses regular hotel rooms. I believe the "hotel rooms" can hold about 750 guests. There are approximately 26 timeshare buildings holding about 8 units each located on different areas of the property in addition to about 20 freestanding privately owned condos. The hotel is known for booking alot of senior citizen groups so thank goodness there were only about 50 guests there at the time of the fire.  This will definitely hurt them financially with their hotel bookings, conventions and summer season. Hopefully their insurance will not only pay for the structural damage but for business interruption as well. 

I'm not jumping to conclusions from anything I read hear until we hear from Villa Roma Management. Hopefully they will contact all the owners and let us know where we stand. I'll post back if we should hear anything further from Villa Roma. "TJK" if I were you I'd give the timeshare office a call just to ease your mind about "exactly" were we stand regarding exchanges, deposits and using our units.


----------



## Princess Sunflower (Apr 19, 2006)

*Re: Villa Roma Goes Up In Flames*

This article was in today's recordonline.com:

No keeping them down 
Owners of fire-ravaged Villa Roma vow to rebuild - showing their faith in Sullivan County. 

When the Villa Roma was ravaged by fire last week, it was easy to believe the worst: The hotel, one of only two of the old-time Borscht Belt resorts still thriving, would be forced to shut its doors forever. After all, much of the main building was destroyed - the lobby, the restaurant, the heart of the Callicoon resort. Who could blame the owners for calling it quits as so many others had, driven to throw in the towel by the dwindling Catskill crowd?

But while the embers still smoldered and hotel workers looked for rooms to house the resort's guests, general manager Paul Carlucci had this to say: We will rebuild. We will be back.

We believe him.

After all, Carlucci is no slouch - he was named the Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce Businessman of the Year in 1999. He's credited with helping to oversee the expansion of the resort from the 72 rooms it had when he arrived there in 1972. Today, it boasts more than three times the number of hotel rooms, hundreds of time-share units, condos, an 18-hole golf course, a fitness center and a ski hill.

Much of that growth is also a result of the vision of owner Marty Passante. Passante bought the Villa Roma in 1969. Back then, it was a family hotel that had started out as a boardinghouse back in the 1940s. Passante saw something he could believe in, though, so he packed up the family in Long Island and headed to the Catskills. There, he would sink new roots into a business - and an area - his family would soon call home.

Under Passante's leadership, the Villa Roma became a tourist destination, attracting generations of visitors looking to escape the city's sweltering summer heat. Time shares and condos brought those visitors back time and again, this time buying their own little piece of heaven. Golf, the fitness center and a new ski hill brought them back year-round, allowing Passante to offer good, year-round jobs to local people.

Passante's youngest son, Craig, grew up around the Villa Roma, watching his father build the business, seeing his commitment to the local people and the local economy. He's credited with getting the resort's ski hill up and running and for making it a success.

Craig Passante, though, wasn't content to just run the family business, though. In 2000, he approached the Town of Thompson with a proposal: He'd lease the town-owned Holiday Mountain Ski Area, which was losing money, for two years and buy it outright in 2002. Two years, some bumpy times and a million dollars later, Passante was the new owner of Holiday Mountain.

Passante had big plans for Holiday Mountain: He'd attract more skiers and court tubers and snow boarders. He'd add a batting cage and miniature golf course, eventually a water park and a hotel, maybe, and make it a year-round resort. 

Passante had made a lot of changes - operating in the black being one of them, the batting cages and minigolf being another - when disaster struck last year. The April 2005 floods swept away much of what Passante had worked toward. It destroyed the inner workings of two chairlifts and three slope groomers. It carried away video games and other equipment and left behind buildings in need of replacement. All told, the flood left in its wake more than $2 million in damage. And Passante had this to say: We will rebuild. We will be back.

And three months later, he was.

Which is why we believe Carlucci and the Passantes when they say the Villa Roma will rise again from the ashes of its recent fire. These are men who for years have put their money and their efforts where their hearts are: into the places and the people that make this area great.

And they do it not because this is the easiest way, or place, to make a buck. They do it, above all, for one simple reason: They believe in a place called Sullivan County, a place they call home.



I am not at all surprised by this article. They have alot invested in this operation. I have no doubt that the place will be up and running even better than before. If anyone wants to see pictures just type in "Villa Roma Fire" in Google/Images. There are lots of pictures out there showing just how bad the fire was.


----------



## Princess Sunflower (Apr 21, 2006)

*Re: Villa Roma Goes Up In Flames*

This statement has now been posted on Villa Roma's website:

TO ALL OUR LOYAL HOTEL GUESTS, TIMESHARE GUESTS, FRIENDS & NEIGHBORS: 

On April 12, the Villa Roma Resort experienced a devastating fire.   As a result, most of the main building, including the lobbies, front desk, offices, dining room, kitchen, café, and lounge, was destroyed. 

That day will always be remembered with extreme grief and sadness.   However, we are very thankful that everyone's safety was ensured through the heroic efforts of many of Villa Roma's staff and of Sullivan county's fire, police and EMS volunteers. 

With the past behind us, we now look forward to the future. Villa Roma's dramatic transformation is underway. We will rebuild and be back better than ever. 

We are in the process of contacting any hotel or group guests with confirmed reservations in order to apprise them of their status. 

In the meantime, portions of the Villa Roma Resort remain open. 

We will welcome our timeshare guests back starting Week 17, April 30, 2006. 

All the following facilities remain open and unaffected: 

Four Star Golf Course 
Ronnie's Deli 
Clubhouse and Grill Room 
Indoor Pool and Spa 
Indoor Tennis and Racquetball 
Indoor Game Room 
Forum Nightclub and Tivoli Lounge 
Fitness Center 
Bowling Alleys 
Outdoor Pool (weather permitting) 
Outdoor Game Area 
Playground 
Bumper Boats, Go Karts, Rock Wall 
Horseback Riding 
Planned Activities 
Bus Trips to NYC, Woodbury Commons & Mighty M Gaming 
Thank you for all your prayers and offers of support. 

If you need any information, please call one of the following numbers: 845-887-5080, 845-887-4220 or 800-533-6767. 

The following temporary email addresses have been established for information as well: 

General Hotel Questions villaromaresort@hotmail.com 

Callicoon Development Corp. vrkbernas@hotmail.com 

Paul Carlucci, President vrcarlucci@hotmail.com 

Richard Sandler, Vice President vrsandler@hotmail.com 

Payroll   vrpayroll@hotmail.com 

Reservations vrreservations@hotmail.com 

Group Sales vrgroupsales@hotmail.com 

Timeshare Office vrtimeshare@hotmail.com


----------



## Princess Sunflower (Jun 27, 2006)

*Re: Villa Roma Goes Up In Flames*

Villa Roma just can't get a break. Now they have more damage due to all the rains this week. This really sucks.  

June 27, 2006 

Fire and rain 
First blaze, now floods at resort 

By Heather Yakin
Times Herald-Record
hyakin@th-record.com
Callicoon - First, there was fire. Yesterday, the Villa Roma Resort was hit by flooding.

A flash flood hit the resort at about 1 p.m. Debris from upstream washed uprooted trees and branches down Jones Creek, which runs through the resort property. The debris hit a hallway bridge that connects a block of guest rooms to the building that houses the indoor pool, game rooms and clubhouse.

The force of the debris sent water blasting through one wall and out the other side, back into the creek.

The hallway bridge was closed for renovations from the April 12 fire that destroyed the resort's main building.

Guests watching from the adjoining glass-walled hallway were transfixed by the high, dark water rushing past.

"It was so scary. It was like a little tsunami," guest Tracey Lutz said. "It made a big pop, and then the water was rushing through."

At that point, everyone ran for the game room - uphill.

As the flood started, Susie Miller of Montgomery said, her sons, 11-year-old Anthony and 10-year-old Joseph, were in the hallway with their 7-year-old cousin, Luis Bruce, watching the rushing water. They realized the water looked bad, and the older boys told Luis to run. Then the hallway wall gave.

It was scary, Luis said. "And there was a kid on the (shuttle) bus, crying."

The Ernesto building, which houses one wing of hotel guest rooms and abuts the creek, was evacuated. A propane line broke, and workers were fixing that by mid-afternoon.

The floodwater washed across the property, leaving mud piled in the bumper-boat pond, on the bocce courts and in the outdoor pool, turning it deep brown. But the rec building was OK. Kids played in the game room and swam in the indoor pool as men on excavators cleared branches from the creek.

Operations Manager Luis Alvarez said there were more than 700 guests in the time shares and a smattering of hotel guests yesterday. Two time-share buildings also had some flooding. The Villa Roma should be back up to speed for the busy July 4 weekend, Alvarez said.

Time-share owners, such as Miller, were angry after clerks told them they couldn't get a refund for lost amenities. Miller pays $600 per year in maintenance fees for a double unit. Margaret Goolic of New Jersey, who has been coming to a Villa Roma time share for 10 years with her husband, wants a refund from the resort.

"For the rest of the week, what are we supposed to do? Sit in our rooms and watch TV with the kids?" Goolic said. "We could do that at home."


Flash flood warning

Rain sweeping up from the tropics is raising the specter of flooding in the Hudson Valley and Catskills. A flash-flood warning is in effect in Sullivan. As of yesterday afternoon, 2½ to 4 inches had fallen in the northern and western parts of Sullivan County in the past 48 hours. 

The heaviest-hit portions were in the Delaware River towns and around the Neversink Reservoir, according to the National Weather Service. The southern half of Sullivan received 1 to 2½ inches. Parts of Wayne County, Pa., received 5 inches. 

In Sullivan, the downpour is choking small streams, and rivers are rising rapidly. 

"It is bad," said Dave Nicosia, the warning coordinator meteorologist in the National Weather Service's Binghamton office. "The rain has moved to the north but, oh boy, we have more coming for you." Up to 2 inches was expected overnight yesterday in Sullivan and possibly 2 inches today. Rain will continue well into Wednesday. Although only about an inch of rain had hit Middletown so far, heavier rain was predicted yesterday evening as another wave from the tropics moves through.

"We are concerned about the small streams and creeks," Nicosia said. "Residents who live in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to leave."


----------

