Howard Johnson's Motor Lodge and (former) Restaurant located at 454 Main St. in Niagara Falls,NY. The HJ Motor Lodge is still operating as of February 2019 although a rumor has recently surfaced that suggests the site will be razed for a new Hilton Hotel. The restaurant was most recently occupied by a souvenir shop which operated under the name Three Sisters Trading Post. The large "Concept 65" restaurant opened in 1965 alongside the five story motor lodge which never featured a gate lodge but merely an A-Frame facade over the entrance of the building although it still featured the trademark orange roof and was topped with a "Lamplighter" weather vane. Unlike most HJ properties this location featured a third orange roofed canopy complete with a weather vane that was constructed over the indoor pool. The A-Frame canopy over the motor lodge lobby was removed by the early 1990s although the orange roof over the pool has remained intact (as of January 2019) minus its weather vane. I was shocked to see that during my visit to the property in June 2015 the onsite Heliport which was built in 1965 was still functioning 50 years later! I happily took a ride over Niagara Falls and received a 20% discount for staying at the Howard Johnson! The restaurant closed in the late 1990s and was converted into Three Sisters Trading Post which as of January 2019 is in the process of closing. The reviews and recent photos posted on travel websites suggest the property has deteriorated in recent years (since my 2015 visit) although for being a 50+ year old property some "wear and tear" is expected.
UPDATE: The property dropped its HJ affiliation in May 2019 and now operates under the name Niagara Inn (as of June 2019).
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