Photos by Max Flatow, courtesy of Little Cat Lodge
Located in Hillsdale, the Alpine-inspired resort invites skiers, snowboarders, and outdoors lovers to Columbia County.
The wonderful thing about a mountainside getaway in the Hudson Valley is that it’s charming in all seasons. From spring through fall, it tempts locals and out-of-towners alike with nearby hiking and biking trails, swimming holes, and golfing galore. Once winter arrives, it transforms into a cold-weather hub for skiers and snowboarders who want to make the most of the region’s picturesque slopes.
Little Cat Lodge in Hillsdale is precisely that sort of place. The lodge, which made its grand debut in the Hudson Valley in August 2022, is an Alpine-inspired hotel and restaurant located at the base of Catamount Mountain. Because it’s smack dab between the Hudson Valley and the Berkshires, it’s an ideal homebase for anyone in search of winter fun in the region.
“It’s an alpine lodge in style, setting, and program,” enthuses co-owner Noah Bernamoff. “Its location is very unique, especially the four-season activities at our doorstep. The feel of the property is old-school charming, without any of the sleek modernity of many other accommodations in the region.”
For Bernamoff, a James Beard award-nominated restaurateur, Little Cat Lodge is an exciting extension of his presence in the Hudson Valley and New York City hospitality industries. For this project, he once again partners with longtime friend and fellow restaurateur Matt Kliegman. Between the two of them, they’re the minds behind The Smile, Grand Army, The Jane Hotel Ballroom & Rooftop, Black Seed Bagels, and Pebble Bar in NYC, as well as Otto’s Market in Germantown.
After first considering the location in summer 2020, the two got to work to transform the space, previously home to Swiss Hutte, into an European-style lodge. In just 16 months, they infused the 100-year-old setting with the natural textures, bold colors, and old-world charms that define a stay at Little Cat Lodge.
Now open for Hudson Valley escapes, Little Cat Lodge boasts 14 cozy rooms, including two two-bedroom suites, the latter which are ideal for hosting larger parties of up to six guests. All rooms feature custom-built beds made from milled and kiln-dried maple trees sourced from the slopes of Catamount Mountain. They also feature unique vintage items that vary from room to room, including everything from arm chairs to art to mirrors and more.
And that’s just the start. Beyond the rooms (which are pet-friendly!), Little Cat Lodge treats guests right with amenities galore. In the warmer months, a seasonal swimming pool and pool bar are ideal for lounging under the sun (and so are the lounge seats, umbrellas, and poolside service on weekends). For a bit of pampering, the barrel saunas in the woods are just the thing after a long hike on the walkways that connect the property to the Catamount Mountain Resort. Beyond that, guests can also enjoy complimentary breakfast, a central minibar in the lobby, and boxed lunches for day trips away from the grounds.
“We’ve both lived in the Hudson Valley for years and love being part of the community,” Bernamoff and Kliegman explain. “As patrons of Swiss Hutte, we were excited when the opportunity arose to acquire this historic asset and deepen our roots in the area.”
To craft the chalet-style retreat, the duo teamed up with LOVEISENOUGH, the design firm behind Atelier Ace’s Sister City Hotel, Le Crocodile, Rule of Thirds, and more. The overall vibe is a delightful medley of 1950s and ‘60s Western Massachusetts ski culture and cabins in the Swiss and Italian alps.
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“We approached this project like a storybook village mountain house,” explains LOVEISENOUGH founder Loren Day. “Each space feels like a familiar holiday home with warmth, discovery, and charm. It’s its own mountain world.”
Of course, this mountain world wouldn’t be complete without dining options, now would it? To satiate hungry skiers and hikers, Little Cat Lodge boast not one, but two eateries onsite. The first is The Tavern, a 45-seat bar designed for casual drinking and dining after a day on the slopes. The second is The Dining Room, a 70-seat restaurant with a year-round covered terrace. The dining program is led by Executive Chef Jason Bond, a James Beard nominee previously at Bondir Cambridge and Clover Food Lab.
“The [dining] program is alpine-inspired (like the whole property) with influence from the variety of food cultures that intersect in the alpine region of Europe (French, Italian, German, and Austrian),” Bernamoff notes. “We’re also cognizant of our immediate geography and our access to beautiful, local produce, so our menus seek to celebrate our region without being, strictly speaking, a ‘farm-to-table’ concept.”
Now open in Hillsdale, Little Cat Lodge is excited to welcome guests throughout the year. In addition to overnight stays and dining, the lodge offers a private dining room that’s perfect for larger gatherings and celebrations in the Hudson Valley. Looking ahead, Bernamoff and Kliegman look forward to adding to the destination’s cultural, recreational, and culinary programming as well.
“We hope Little Cat Lodge continues to feel like an intimate mountain lodge, a place to connect with nature, a jumping off point for hiking trails or ski slopes, a comfortable spot for R&R, or a destination for tasty food and drink,” they explain.
To learn more, visit Little Cat Lodge’s website.