The boutique Saratoga Arms Hotel occupies a unique niche among the many types of accommodations tourists can choose from when visiting Saratoga Springs, New York.
Other choices in the city include retro-restored motels, chain-brand hotels (notably Hilton, Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn, and more), and small bed and breakfasts. But this one has all the comforts of home.
With only 31 guest rooms and suites, the hotel is small enough to feel intimate, warm, and welcoming. Someone always seems to greet you with a smile and make sure you have what you need. It also offers all the luxury amenities you would hope to find at a much larger property.
An Ideal Location On Broadway
No, not that Broadway. Broadway is the name of the quaint “main street” in Saratoga Springs that runs through its walkable downtown.
From the hotel’s inviting wraparound porch, you can look up and down the nearby blocks bustling with one-of-a-kind shops, galleries, restaurants, bars, and cafes. Better yet, take a stroll and poke your head into the shops. The Saratoga Arms is also the perfect base for exploring the wealth of nearby Saratoga Springs attractions and museums including America’s first spa and the historic Saratoga Race Course.
A Hotel With History
The Four-Diamond Saratoga Arms Hotel is beautifully restored, located in a building originally designed in the classic Second Empire style in 1870 by Loren Putnam (a grandson of Gideon Putnam, who founded Saratoga Springs).
This historic building has lived many lives since then. It served as a lodging house for almost 40 years before it was purchased by its current owners in 1995.
Saratoga natives Kathleen and Amy Smith, the mother-daughter team who own and manage the hotel, totally transformed the deteriorated 16-room house into its current form in 1999, adding guest rooms, a restaurant, a conference room, and a fitness facility.
With an eye for design and commitment to preservation, they have restored the rich patina of the period hotel.
Complementing its modern amenities (no need to worry about the plumbing, heating, and AC) are two grand staircases, turn-of-the-century period furnishings, and 11 of the 14 original fireplaces, restored plaster and tin ceilings, plasterwork, and chandeliers in common rooms (including the parlor).
Talk about history! The family owners are descendants of President Ulysses S. Grant, and some family heirlooms are displayed on the main floor.
Attention to Detail and Comfort
We stayed in a tastefully appointed Classic King room, one of nine categories of rooms and suites at the Saratoga Arms. The spacious and immaculately clean room looked anything but cookie-cutter with custom upholstery and throw pillows.
Because we are frequent travelers, we tend to notice little things.
We appreciated the toilet paper that was as soft as (if not) Charmin, the ample lighting in the bedroom and bathroom (appreciated by older eyes), the convenience of an eye-level safe in the closet (rather than one on the ground), a responsive individually controlled AC system, ample towels and washcloths, and the quick as lightning free Internet. The room also had a writing desk and chair.
Each day, the housekeeper refreshed our mini-fridge with what else? Complimentary Saratoga Spring water (both sparkling and flat)!
We also had 24/7 free access to a first-floor Guest Services Pantry, which offered a wide array of complimentary sweet and savory snacks, tea, coffee, and other non-alcoholic beverages. The pantry held diet-busting temptations like M&Ms, Saratoga Potato Chips, and chocolate bars.
Bespoke Service
Before our arrival, we received an email from the Smiths with explicit information about parking (which was readily available), an offer of help with our luggage, if needed, and information about restaurant recommendations.
During our stay, a concierge or friendly staff member was always available to help us find our way from one place to another. Having vested onsite management with a passion for the community has the effect of keeping a hotel machine well-lubricated.
The hotel also organizes seasonal pop-up gourmet wine-pairing dinners and serves breakfast on-site by reservation.
In 2024, U.S. News & World Report named the Saratoga Arms Hotel the best hotel in Saratoga Springs. While sitting on the wraparound front porch with a glass of wine, we knew we had found a happy place that felt like home.
All photo credits: Jerome Levine, unless otherwise noted (notecard courtesy of property)
IF YOU GO
Hotel Website for information and reservations
Disclosure: We were guests of Discover Saratoga, but any opinions expressed in this post are our own.
Also on MoreTimeToTravel: 9 Top Reasons To Visit Saratoga Springs, New York
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