Pearl River Hilton Prepared for Convention

This may be the first time Rockland County has hosted an Ancient Order of Hibernians New York State Convention, but holding big events is not new for the Pearl River Hilton.

This is just part of a big week at the hotel.

"This is nothing brand new for us," said William Maloney, the hotel's general manager. "Our eyes have been on this for well over a year. It's amazing the week we have here. We're very used to doing large events. We're known for our weddings on the weekends and Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. We host(ed) an incredible event (the weekend before), so it's a quick changeover to the AOH event. Our catering department is fantastic at running events like this."

The ability to use the Hilton as a home base was one of the things Pearl River was able to offer in its bid for the convention.

"The Hilton is the largest hotel and convention center we have, aside from the Crown Plaza, in the county," said Rockland County Tourism Director C.J. Miller. "Pearl River is the place to go for a large convention or gala. It is a great facility. I work with the County Executive's office. We had several galas there. They do a terrific job over there. It's the place in Rockland County for a gallery of over 300 people."

Maloney said that Rockland County is underrated as a potential location for conventions and similar events.

"Rockland is perfect for state conventions like this," Maloney said. "It has the big draw of being right over the river (from New York City) and being a little more accessible for upstate folks. Rockland sometimes suffers from being grouped into upstate New York."

The Pearl River Hilton was recently honored as the top-ranked Hilton in the stri-state area in overall service and guest loyalty.

"We're incredibly proud of that," Maloney said. "We feel a little under-recognized for that. So this is a nice way to expose ourselves to a larger area of the state and the tri-state area."

Maloney also acknowledged that what is good for the community is good for the hotel.

"This is a Rockland event. We're excited about that," Maloney said. "As more people become familiar with what Pearl River and Rockland have to offer, that is good for our hotel as well."

That comes back to something many of the people involved with organizing the event keep pointing to -- the opportunity this convention offers.

"It is really important for us to do a good job for this," Maloney said. "We know how hard Rockland worked to draw this in. We're one of the pieces working hard to pull this off, but all of Pearl River and Rockland will be up for a good pat on the back when this goes well and we expect it to be great."