Lee Coleman
The Daily Gazette
June 11, 2009
The operator of the Gideon Putnam Resort celebrated completion of the first $1.8 million in renovations Wednesday with an open house in the historic hotel and the nearby Roosevelt Baths and Spa.
“We are excited to introduce the renewed Gideon Putnam and share it with the community,” said Tim Smith, the resort’s general manager.
Delaware North Companies Parks and Resorts, which is based in Buffalo, signed a 20-year contract with the state in early 2008 that included the operation of the 1930s-era hotel at Saratoga Spa State Park and investing ultimately between $18 million and $20 million in the property.
Smith said the current economic recession has had an impact on the hotel but not a severe impact.
He said there is more hotel competition in Saratoga Springs than past years and “the economy makes it challenging.”
Smith added that room bookings for this summer tourist season are about the same — “flat to even or slightly down” — compared with the 2008 season.
“Summer bookings look pretty strong,” Smith said. “We are looking forward to a pretty good summer.”
The hotel’s lobby has been redecorated and refurnished. The portico behind the lobby that leads to the Georgian dining room has been turned into a gallery with panels about the history of Saratoga Springs and a large image of the Congress Hall and Union Hall hotels in the 1820s.
The hotel is named after Gideon Putnam, one of the city’s founding fathers, who came to Saratoga Springs in 1789 and built the city’s first hotels.
All 120 guest rooms at the hotel have been renewed with new bed linens and blankets as well as new window treatments and blinds.
The gift shop and fitness center have been moved to new locations, making them more accessible to hotel guests.
The hotel’s smaller restaurant, now called Putnam’s, includes a new bar area and bistro-style tables and dining on the patio, weather permitting.
The Roosevelt Baths and Spa, a short walk from the hotel in the park, has also been renovated. A new waterfall greets spa visitors as they walk down the hall to the bath area.
Michelle Calzada, the spa director, said the fitness center, once located in the spa, has been moved back to the hotel. In its place is a large relaxation center with comfortable chairs, the waterfall, a fireplace and complimentary snacks and coffee.
The spa has also been repainted and modernized. However, Calzada said the historic integrity of the building has been maintained, including the white tile on the walls as well as the original mineral bath tubs.
The spa has 42 mineral bath bathing rooms. Four of these rooms use just the mineral water heated to 98 degrees. The remaining 38 mineral tubs use a mixture of mineral water and hot tap water, she said. More people prefer the mix of hot tap water and mineral water than the straight, heated mineral water for their soothing baths, Calzada said.
The lobby of the bathhouse has also been redecorated and renovated.
Business at the spa was off during the first quarter of the year, especially business from hotel guests, Calzada said.
“We are starting to feel a little relief,” she said. Business has improved in the past month or two, Calzada said.
Smith, who moved to Saratoga Springs from Virginia earlier this year, said next year Delaware North will be investing millions of dollars in structural repairs, such as roofing work and exterior renovation work.
Delaware North Companies Parks and Resorts is a subsidiary of Delaware North Companies. The company’s portfolio also includes the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and the Yosemite, Sequoia, Yellowstone and Grand Canyon national parks.
