Ecumenical Community of Chautauqua

ECOC

Reservations

Manager’s Message

Sending our warm wishes for a year full of love, happiness, good health, and peace. We are looking forward to seeing old friends and making new friends during the 2023 season!

Please consider joining us pre-season or post-season for our Volunteer Work Days. See our Volunteer page for dates and details. During the season, we’re looking for presenters for our Brown Bag Lecture 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, potluck, brown bag lunch lecture, and open house 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 ($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, a paid-in-advance fee of $40.00 ($100/apartment) can be added to the Reservation Request. 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

  • Print out the following forms (see links below): Room Reservation Request, ECOC Policies Agreement/ Emergency Contact Information. Fill these out and mail them in with your Room Deposit check and, if you choose, a Voluntary Building Upkeep Gift of $30 or more per week/per room.
    • 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 gift also enables those who can give more to do so, which, in turn, 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.
  • The balance of your room rental is due when you Check-In. Please pay with cash or check made payable to ECOC. Credit Cards are accepted for in person Check-In. All checks & money orders must be in US Funds.
  • The Reservation Request Form, the ECOC Policies Agreement/Emergency Contact Form, and Room Deposit are all required before we can process your reservation.
  • We have a limited number of First-time Visitor Scholarships available that cover the cost of a gate pass and accommodations for one week.

Reservation Logistics

  • 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. See www.chq.org for the dates and themes for the upcoming season’s 9 weeks.
  • All reservations will be processed beginning FEBRUARY 6th. In addition to processing by date sent, reservations will be filled in the following priority order: 1) Clergy, 2) 2021 & 2022 Volunteers, 3) Returning Guests, 4) New Guests.
  • 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.
  • 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 Rates and Sales Schedule – Chautauqua Institution for more info.
  • 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.

2023 Weekly Rates, not including taxes:

  • Sleeps 1 – $248.40
  • Sleeps 2 – $318
  • Sleeps 2 with a half bath – $456
  • Sleeps 2 with a full bath – $594
  • Sleeps 3 – $386.40
  • Sleeps 3 with a half bath – $525
  • Sleeps 3 with a full bath – $663
  • Sleeps 4 with a half bath – $594
  • Sleeps 4 with a full bath – $732
  • Sleeps 6 (studio apt w/kitchenette & full bath) – Apt A – $792; Apt B – $780

After you Submit Your Reservation Request

  1. You will receive an email acknowledging receipt of your Reservation Request.
  2. We will start processing requests February 6th.
  3. Confirmation emails with a receipt and check-in instructions will go out March 6-13.
  4. Your check will not be deposited until after we have sent your confirmation email.
  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). 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.

Check-In/Check-out

  • 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.

2023 Room Reservation Forms to print out & mail with your check

*requires Adobe Acrobat Reader