SARATOGA SPRINGS — Each of the 31 rooms at the Saratoga Arms Hotel is uniquely designed to feel like you’re stepping into a space of your own.
That decision to have each room be different is what owner Amy Smith said has helped set the hotel, located in downtown Saratoga Springs, apart from many, if not most, of its competitors over the years.
Smith’s parents, Kathleen and Noel Smith, purchased the property in 1997. The brick hotel is rich in history, according to the company website. The hotel was built in 1870 by Loren Putnam, the grandson of Gideon Putnam, who founded Saratoga Springs in the 1780s. Alice Bode inherited the hotel in the 1950, and until her death in 1995 she ran it as a rooming house.
“We had opened up one of the first bed and breakfasts in Saratoga in the 1980s and my mother always wanted to have a presence on Broadway,” Amy Smith said. “She saw this property and decided to take a plunge and renovate it.”
The Saratoga Arms Hotel at 497 Broadway in Saratoga Springs Wednesday, December 20, 2023.
After renovating the building for eight months, Amy Smith's parents opened it in the spring/summer of 1998.
It’s been a staple in the community since then, marking 25 years in 2023.
“It’s a great opportunity to be part of the fabric of this community and we feel very lucky to be part of that for so long,” Smith said.
Over the two-plus decades in business. the hotel has changed a bit. When it originally opened, it had only 17 rooms. An addition constructed from 2003-05 brought the number of rooms to 31. A conference room, larger kitchen, office, storage and a gym were also added.
The foyer at the Saratoga Arms Hotel at 497 Broadway in Saratoga Springs Wednesday, December 20, 2023.
However, the Smiths kept many of the distinctive features about the place from over the years, including the tin ceilings, two grand staircases, moldings, Cloisonné hinges and hardware. Of the 14 original fireplaces, 11 of them work and some of the original clawfoot tubs are still used.
Hotel manager Rachel Boggan said the hotel isn’t just unique but the service they offer is as well.
“We have a very warm and welcoming staff that truly enjoy giving our guests an incredible experience here and I would say that is not the same experience that you would ever get at a larger chain property,” she said.
Boggan said that prior to visiting the hotel, the staff reaches out to guests to curate their room to their tastes and help them make any other arrangements for their stay, such as dining reservations.
Smith said following the COVID-19 pandemic, when it felt like everyone was becoming more contactless, they decided to do the opposite and double down on personalization. She said they are constantly trying to figure out how to make the guests experience even more special.
They said that perspective has helped them build their business as they find ways to market themselves against their competitors.
The dining area at the Saratoga Arms Hotel at 497 Broadway in Saratoga Springs Wednesday, December 20, 2023.
“We have to be very creative in our marketing to show people we are a property that they would want to stay at,” Smith said. "It’s gotten better over the years, because the internet has been a great equalizer.”
The hotel is also looking at new programs it can offer. Boggan said the hotel has launched an experience calendar — one geared toward hotel guests, and one toward local residents.
For hotel guests, they are curating weekend adventures — such as programs focused around, wine, history wellness and racing.
“So, it’s really an immersive experience,” she said.
For residents, there will be events like a book club.
“Just really being a center of some really fun and unique community programming,” she said.
One of the newly redecorated rooms on the third floor of the Saratoga Arms Hotel at 497 Broadway in Saratoga Springs Wednesday, December 20, 2023.
Smith said the hope is that this will really set them apart from other places. She said in the past they kept their programs to just guests, because they didn’t have the infrastructure in place to go beyond that.
“Now that we do we are now opening up our doors a little bit more to the community,” she said.