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Saratoga Springs Saratoga’s most versatile innkeepers have turned their attention to the growing boutique hotel they opened in downtown Saratoga. Noel and Kathleen Smith restored a Second Empire brick hotel built in 1870 by Gideon Putnam’s grandson, transforming what had become a derelict rooming house into a place of charm and beauty. “It was horribly neglected but never abused,” said Kathy. “We found the original chandeliers, fireplaces and woodwork beneath layers of subsequent renovations.” To that in 2005 they added a three-story wing that blends seamlessly with the original and provides fifteen more guest rooms with high-end amenities. The Smiths, who moved from their former Saratoga Bed & Breakfast and motel into quarters in the hotel, keep the front entrance locked to ensure privacy for guests. A wraparound front porch, outfitted in wicker and colorful with enormous hanging baskets of impatiens, overlooks the Broadway scene. The main floor of the original building holds a formal sitting room with a black floral carpet and two prized chartreuse chairs in front of the fireplace. “We’re clean-cut Victorian – not goofy Victorian,” Kathy points out. Beyond are not one but two dining rooms. “We have a lot of guests to feed for breakfast,” she explains. A modern elevator takes guests to fourteen rooms on the second and third floors of the original hotel. All have tiled baths (some with whirlpool tubs, others with clawfoot tubs), telephones and TVs. Six have restored gas fireplaces. Beds are king, queen or twin-size. Each room has at least one fine piece – an armoire here, a full mirror there – along with antique and reproduction furnishings and the splashy decor that is Kathy’s trademark. Rooms differ in style and size. A third-floor room with kingsize poster bed is decorated in black and white French toile, from wallpaper and draperies to bed coverings and shower curtain. Another with two queen beds is colorful in moss green and lavender florals and adds a small sitting room just big enough for two chairs. A colorful wooden piece serves as a headboard above the king bed in another room. Light from tall windows lends a bright and airy look to each high-ceilinged room. Expect to find coordinated fabrics, hand-painted dressers, and custom-made Kleenex boxes and wastebaskets hand-painted by a local artist. Two premier rooms are situated on the walkout lower level, opening onto a sunken front terrace. Each with a fireplace and cool ceramic tile floors, they come with kingsize beds, two-person jacuzzi tubs and separate showers. One has a small kitchenette and, with a separate outside entrance, is like a maisonette apartment. The new wing harbors two suites, whose bathrooms are unusual for the TV screens embedded in half of the mirrors, as well as six rooms with Juliet balconies. The wing also has a fitness room and an executive conference room. Massages and facials are offered as well. Aforementioned artist has inscribed a local quote or factoid onto a tile at eye-level in each shower bath. The most notable carries the blessing of Marylou Whitney, “the Queen of Saratoga,” with a crown slightly askew. The inscriptions make for good ice-breakers as guests swap secrets at the breakfast table in the morning. Breakfast is a hearty affair. Noel handles the
cooking while Kathy converses with guests. The fare was vegetable or
cream cheese and herbed omelets the day of our visit. Irish scones often
accompany. Thirty-one rooms with private baths. Doubles,
$210
to $375 mid-May-October, $350 to $625 racing season, $195 to $375 rest of year. (518) 584-1775. Fax (518) 581-4064. E-mail: For more information: www.SaratogaArms.com
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