Ecumenical Community of Chautauqua

ECOC

Reservations

Announcement

For the 2024 Chautauqua Season, we still have a few rooms available every week except Weeks 6 & 7. Before submitting a reservation request through our online system, please text us at 716-581-3659 to inquire about current availability for the week (including number of people) you’re interested in.

Manager’s Message

Please consider joining us pre-season or post-season for our Volunteer Work Days. May 30-June 2, June 17-21, August 26-30. See our Volunteer page for details. If you volunteer 16 hours or more in a calendar year, you are eligible for priority registration in the following season.

During the season, we’re looking for presenters for our ECOC Midday Talk series. Please contact Carol Mollohan at imhcjm@outlook.com if you’re interested. Volunteers are the heart of the ECOC that help keep us going!

        Aimee Doershuk and Kathy & Walter Singer

What the ECOC has to offer

Our three buildings are open for guests during Chautauqua’s 9-week season. Our buildings are the Bird-Werner at 23 Roberts Ave, the Shaw at 25 Roberts, and the Westervelt at 28 South Terrace.

Location, location, location! – The ECOC’s buildings are located next to the Amphitheater (Amp, for short) where the morning religious (ecumenical) services, morning lectures, and evening performances take place. So, we are steps away from much of the program activity. The ECOC is one block from Bestor Plaza, the village green, which is bordered by the public library, post office, and most of the shops and restaurants on the grounds. The Plaza is also where one can catch the Chautauqua Institution’s bus and tram services. The ECOC is three blocks from Chautauqua Lake and the Sports Club.

Community – All our houses are shared living spaces with several guest rooms on each floor. Guests share all the porches and meet one another as they prepare and eat their meals in the community kitchens. Each kitchen has a host or hostess who is there to answer your questions and be a resource during your stay. Weekly, we have an ice cream social, Monday  midday talk, and Tuesday afternoon social with refreshments. So, there are many opportunities to build friendships with the other guests.

Affordability – Our buildings bring you back to the earlier days of Chautauqua. We offer old-fashioned, modest-sized bedrooms, each with a sink, ceiling fan and room fan, and vintage charm. Each floor has one or two shared bathrooms. (A handful of bedrooms have half or full bathrooms, but these go first to those whose health require them.) We ask our guests to bring their own sheets and towels and to clean their room before they go. Because our guests are willing to be self-sufficient in these ways and to share a bathroom, the ECOC remains the source of the largest number of affordable rooms at Chautauqua.

What the ECOC provides

  • In your room: pillows, blankets, bedspreads, mattress pads, and pillow covers are provided.
  • On your floor: cleaning supplies and a vacuum are provided for cleaning your room before you leave.
  • In the community kitchens: cookware, small appliances, eating utensils, dishes and glassware, dish soap, and dish towels are provided. Filtered water and ice makers available in all kitchens. You will be assigned a table, refrigerator shelf space, & shelf space for dry and canned food on or near your table.
  • On the side patio: a propane grill, shared by all 3 houses, is also available for guests.
  • In front of the Shaw House, a bike rack and a few ECOC bicycles for occasional shared use by guests.

What the ECOC asks of our Guests/Policies*

  • Observe Quiet Hours ~ 11 P.M. to 7 A.M.
  • Smoking or vaping of any type or kind, candles, or illegal drugs are NOT permitted in the three houses, on the porches, or around the buildings.
  • Wine and beer may be consumed in the three ECOC kitchens and at the table by the grill. Wine and beer are NOT allowed on porches or in the rooms.
  • Rooms have a limit to the number of occupants. Please honor that limit.
  • If you have children (12 & under) with you, we strongly recommend they be enrolled in Children’s School, Club, or Special Studies classes since we do not have a play area and our proximity to the Amphitheater requires relative quiet.
    • We ask parents to have their children (12 & under) always under their supervision while they are in the buildings (including kitchens and porches). Children are not to be left on their own while parents attend programs. And an adult must reside in the room with children 17 and younger.
  • If you bring a bike, it must be labeled with the owner’s name and parked in the ECOC bike rack provided. Bicycle locks are recommended. Bikes cannot be stored in a guest’s room. Sometimes bikes disappear, so registering your bicycle with the Chautauqua Police Department may increase chances of recovering the bicycle if it is borrowed (or stolen).
  • Please bring your own sheets and towels. If you are unable to bring your own linens, please contact ECOCRegistrar@gmail.com for options.
  • We ask our guests to CLEAN their own room and kitchen space at the end of their stay. By doing this, you help keep room rates low.
    • A $40 per room cleaning fee ($65 family room with half or full bath; $100/apartment) will be charged to all guests who do not follow the ECOC room cleaning procedures. This Fee is due upon receipt. If you are unable to clean your room, you can pay the cleaning fee in advance with your room deposit
    • If you are physically unable to clean your room and the cleaning fee is prohibitive, please contact the Registrar.
  • Chautauqua property owners are not eligible to rent rooms.

*Booking a room with us means you agree to abide by these policies.

How to Reserve a Room

  • Clergy & Volunteers can submit a reservation request beginning in December. If you volunteer 16 hours or more in a calendar year (e.g. helping open or close the buildings, serving as a Board Member or a Committee Member), you are eligible for priority registration in the following season. Returning Guests can submit starting in January, and New Guests beginning in February.
  • Rooms are rented by the week from Saturday afternoon to Saturday morning. Guests can stay a maximum of 3 weeks. Please indicate several room and alternate week choices on your Reservation Request. The 2024 Chautauqua season starts Saturday, June 22nd and ends Sunday, August 25th. Information about the season’s themes can be found at CHQ.org.
  • No specific room or certain kitchen is guaranteed from year to year. First floor rooms with half baths or full bathrooms will be given first to those whose health requires them. Preferred kitchen requests will be honored, if possible.
  • All guests’ names must be included on the Reservation Request form at the time of booking. Changes must be reported prior to Check-In.
  • A deposit of $100 per week is required for your reservation. The balance of your room rental is due when you Check-In. (You can also choose to pay your balance before you arrive. Please contact the Registrar to do so.) All payments must be in US funds.
  • The ECOC has no endowment or source of income other than room rents and gifts. This optional charitable gift can be considered tax deductible and will help us maintain and improve our facilities. The Upkeep gifts also enable those who can give more to do so, which helps keep our accommodations affordable for those who need a lower-cost option. Room assignment follows ECOC registration guidelines and is NOT dependent on including a Voluntary Building Upkeep Gift.
  • Gate passes are required and can be purchased from the Institution in advance. If you drive to Chautauqua, you will also need to purchase a parking pass. These are not included in the room rate. See CHQ Gate Pass Prices for more info.
  • ROOM RATES: The room rate depends on if the room has a private bath or half bath and whether the guest is clergy. Rates do not include taxes. Please bring your own sheets and towels. If you are unable to do this, please contact the Registrar, and there will be an additional fee. We have single rooms, double rooms, family units and two (2) studio apartments that sleep up to six (6) people.2024 Weekly Rates, not including taxes:
    • Sleeps 1 – $248.40 (twin bed, only 2 rooms available)
    • Sleeps 1 0r 2 – $318 (double/queen or 2 twins)
    • Sleeps 2 with a half bath – $456
    • Sleeps 2 with a full bath – $594
    • Sleeps 3 – $386
    • Sleeps 3 with a half bath – $594
    • Sleeps 3 with a full bath – $662
    • Sleeps 4 with a half bath – $662
    • Sleeps 4/5 with a full bath – $732
    • Sleeps 6 (studio apt w/kitchenette & full bath) – Apt A – $792; Apt B – $780
  • We have a limited number of First-time Visitor Scholarships available that cover the cost of a gate pass and accommodation for one week. If interested, please download the application from our website .
  • Check-in time is Saturday between 2:30 P.M. & 6 P.M. at the Office in the Shaw House at 25 Roberts.
  • If necessary, alternate check-in arrangements can be made ahead of time by contacting the Registrar at 716-581-3659.
  • Check-out time at the end of your stay is by 10:00 A.M. on Saturday. Please remember that your weekly gate pass also expires at 10 AM, and you may be liable for an additional Gate Fee for late departure.

Reservation Details

  1. NEW FOR 2024 – You can now submit your reservation online – click here to fill out the Online Reservation Form. After completing the form, you can either pay your deposit online or send a check.
  2. By Mail
    1. Download, Print, & Fill out the Room Reservation Request Form* and ECOC Policies Agreement/Emergency Contact Sheet.*
    2. Mail forms in with your Room Deposit check and, if you choose, a Voluntary Building Upkeep Gift of $30 or more per week/per room.
    3. The Reservation Request Form, the ECOC Policies Agreement/Emergency Contact Form, and Room Deposit are all required before we can process your reservation.

After you Submit Your Reservation Request

    1. If you pay your deposit online, you will immediately receive an email confirming receipt of your deposit and reservation request. If you pay with a check, you will receive an email when we have received your deposit and reservation request.
    2. By March 1st, we will email you to confirm whether we have space for you in your desired weeks. Then you can purchase your gate pass.
    3. By May 1st, you will receive your room assignment and check-in instructions.
    4. If you send a check, it will not be deposited until after we have sent your room assignment.
    5. If your desired weeks are not available, we will notify you that you have been put on our waiting list.
      1. If you find it necessary to CANCEL or RESCHEDULE your reservation, please notify the Registrar immediately ECOCRegistrar@gmail.com or (716) 581-3659. Deposits will not be refunded after May 15 but will be accepted as a tax-deductible gift; a receipt indicating such will be emailed to you. Requests to RESCHEDULE will be accommodated on an ‘as available’ basis.

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