When you book Grayhaven Motel for an event you are booking private access to our eleven acre property. Our Reception / Bar , Guest Lounge , Patio , “Camp” and other communal areas are available exclusively for your guests.

We have a maximum capacity of 100 guests (including overnight guests staying on the property) for events, wedding ceremonies, receptions and retreats.

We have 16 rooms on site year-round, and a vintage camper that is available seasonally; 5 Queen rooms, 3 King rooms, 5 Double rooms, 2 Cottages, 1 Suite, 1 Vintage Camper (May – Oct). Our normal overnight capacity with 2 guests per bed is 44, maximum is 50 utilizing fold outs and 4 available cots. For event rentals there is a minimum accommodation requirement of 2 nights and all guest rooms must be booked for the party. High season, holiday and area event weekends may require a 3+ night minimum for your guests.

The 2023 cost for a weekend property rental, in addition to accommodations, is $1500. All rooms on property must also be booked by your group. The property rental fee includes:

• Organizational and on site support
• Use of Main House stage-in kitchen for caterers
• Assistance with setup
• Cost of additional trash removal & recycling
• Use of venue items (AV projector, additional folding tables, coolers + other sundries)
• Assistance with vendor and catering drop offs.
• Coordination of all vendors and catering is available for a small surcharge.
• Exclusive use of the property including the Reception / Bar , Guest Lounge , Patio , & “Camp” area.

It is most common for rooms to be paid for by your individual guests as they book. Our typical booking policies apply, which means a deposit is required to book a room and all guests are required to meet the minimum night booking requirements. If desired, your event package can be set up to include all of the rooms paid for by the booking party (this would mean the cost of the rooms added to the $1500 event fee). If this is something you are interested in, please reach out with your dates to the email below for a quote.

All events must be catered. We can offer full-service packages that include organization of catered breakfast, lunch, and dinner for your group. There is a service charge of 15% of catering costs for us to arrange catering. Our preferred caterers list is below, we are also happy to work with one of yours.

The Lawn has space for a 40’x40′ tent between pétanque and berm. The Camp has space for a 30’x40′ tent at the center, leaving space for tables at the edges. The Patio has space for a 20’x30’ tent and has vintage patio furniture with seating for 50.  

For overflow accommodations we recommend Bed and Breakfasts & Vacation Rentals of Greater Ithaca (bbithaca.com) to house your other guests within a five to twenty-five minute drive of the Motel. We’ll be happy to point you in their direction. There is no camping allowed on site at Grayhaven Motel (outside of our seasonal, 1964 Shasta camper).

Aside from the patio furniture, Adirondack chairs and picnic tables, the venue is NOT furnished, so you will want to rent your own tent, tables and chairs etc to suit your exact needs and style. We do not provide outdoor ceremony chairs, although there are 5 large rustic farm tables, several picnic tables and lounge chairs you are welcome to move about the property wherever you’d like! There are several rental options in the area. We recommend Auburn Party Rental + Rick’s Rental World.

We are in the process of constructing a small woodland chapel on our 11 acre property that will be available to 2024 wedding guests.

For recreation there is a bocce / pétanque court, corn hole, playground, several croquet sets, and badminton; as well as 3 fire-pits, several hammocks and Adirondack chairs to lounge on, and 11 acres of walking trails to explore.

Amplified music must end by 10pm and festivities in general should begin winding down then. Everyone (including caterers and anyone cleaning up) must be entirely off property by 12am. Overnight guests are welcome to enjoy the rest of the grounds as late into the night as they’d like as long as they do not pose a disturbance to the neighborhood. We are happy to set you up for an after-party bonfire for you as well!

Parking is available on site for up to 37 cars. Bus and shuttle drop offs are welcome and especially encouraged for large groups.

Grayhaven Motel has a bar on premise that serves beer, wine and cider. We carry an awesome selection of local + regional beers, wines, and ciders, and can honor most requests for special orders with advanced notice. An “open bar” package can be arranged at designated times for your guests if desired. All alcohol to be consumed on premise must be purchased on premise.

If you would like to have a bar with hard liquor, a proper event liquor license is required. Most caterers will have their own. You can also contact a local lawyer who can take care of it for you. BYOB is not permitted.

We don’t require that you work with any vendors in particular, but here are some of our personal favorites (in addition to the many wonderful restaurants listed on our explore page): Word of Mouth Catering, Feast & Co Catering, Silo Food Truck, Darling Cake, Plenty of Posies, Foxi Flora, Jeffrey Foote Photography, Sarah Clapp Photography. 

Event insurance is required, our insurance agent recommends eventhelper.com 

A 1 million liability policy is required, with Grayhaven, Inc. and Custom Deluxe LLC added as additional insured certificate holders on the policy.

Planning a wedding? We are proud to be listed as part of the Sweet Bough Wedding Collective community, along with vendors of all shapes and sizes who abide by similar principles of respect, inclusion, and compassion. The site has a growing set of resources for couples getting married in the region. We hope this can serve as a valuable resource in your wedding planning!

Email us at info(at)grayhavenmotel(dot)com with your desired date(s) and your total number of guests and we will get back to you ASAP with our availability and rates. We are of course more than happy to answer any additional questions you might have and to show you around the property in person. 

Congratulations on your upcoming event and thank you so much for thinking of us! 

Warmly, Alexis and Mark