
Where Every Elegant Detail Speaks Perfection
Written & Photographed (unless Noted) By Theresa St. John
[From the 2025 Summer Magazine]

Photo provided

“Elegance is not about
being noticed, it’s about being remembered.”
- Georgio Armani

Built in 1870 by Loren Putnam, a grandson of Gideon Putnam, this Second Empire brick hotel, Saratoga Arms, is a luxury 31-room hotel that seamlessly blends historic elegance and charm with modern amenities. During its 150-plus-year history, the building has carried many names. It was first called The Putnam, then The Walton, and finally The Windsor before it eventually became The Saratoga Arms in 1997.
Yet, it wasn’t always a hotel. Alice Bode, a woman from Brooklyn, inherited the structure and ran it as a boarding house from the 1950s through 1995, when she passed away at 93. At the time, rooms were rundown, with one bathroom per floor. The men who lived there paid $42 per month in rent.

Today, the Saratoga Arms is comprised of two adjoining buildings. Shortly after Alice died, Kathleen and Noel Smith purchased two structures—one at #495 Broadway and the other, #497, which was a building directly next to the first. Once they obtained a building permit in February 1998, the couple oversaw extensive, sometimes unexpected, renovations. When it reopened to the public in February 1999, it was a luxurious 16-room inn. Over the years, with more design, remodeling, and the completion of its second building by 2005, those 16 became the 31 rooms of the elegant boutique hotel we celebrate today.
There’s also a fitness center, several offices, and state-of-the-art conference facilities. They serve breakfast (it’s scrumptious!) from 7:30-10:30 a.m. Monday through Friday, and 7:30-11:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday to guests and the public.
“Guests can be vocal when they make a reservation,” Kathleen laughs over the phone. She’s away on a buying trip at the moment (Florida is a great place to buy fabric), but took time to hop on a call with Amy and me. “Some say, ‘That’s my room,’ and book the same every time they visit. Others are determined to stay in a different space each time they reserve with us.” I have to smile myself; I never express a preference when I stay here, but somehow end up with a different suite each time. Pretty cool!
I ask the mother-daughter hoteliers if rooms are really all that different from one another. They tell me the rooms and suites change periodically, needing updates, paint, sometimes a total makeover. “The hotel certainly honors history,” Amy states. “But every suite has a vibe that says ‘we’re not your grandmother’s house.’ We’re modern, luxurious, boasting up-to-date décor trends and have plenty of hot water!” I nod in agreement – the hot water and shower pressure are fantastic!
Amy asked if I noticed the small, upholstered chairs in the hallway on the third floor. I grinned and told her I had taken a picture of them – they were charming. She explained they were called ‘Ladies Chairs’ because they were so tiny. “My mother bought them from a doctor’s estate in the mid-90s.”
Kathleen pipes in, momentarily drawing attention to a couple of her many friends. “Michaela Baruzzi of Carriage House Interiors and Pamela Whitney of Whitney Interiors are fabulous!” I can almost hear her smiling through the phone. “They help me choose just the right pieces, exquisite fabrics, and warm, cheery colors for each room throughout the hotel. We bounce ideas off each other and all have an eye for the elegance, charm, and ease we want to bring to Saratoga Arms.”
Everywhere I look, I see nods to the past: plaster and tin ceilings, gorgeous grand staircases leading up to other floors, and the fireplace in the main common area—one of fourteen originals, eleven of which have been restored. I fell in love with the call box (annunciator) behind the front desk. Amy told me it comes from the former Excelsior Springs Hotel (long gone) here in Saratoga Springs.



During the year, many packages/events are offered to entice folks to visit – and they all sound interesting! Reading Retreat, Reconnection Retreat, Deep Sleep Packages, Hatchlorette Getaways, a Saratoga Date Night Package, and a Me, Myself, and I Package are just a few. They also feature beer pairing weekends and breakfasts, VIP racing packages, and Foodie nights at the hotel. “Mommy and Me was such a big hit, some people actually flew in to attend!” Amy exclaims. It was a weekend centered around mothers, daughters, and an American Girl Doll. “Our staff is fantastic – they came up with the idea and implemented all of these wonderful details, making it a special time for our guests. We can’t wait to run that sold-out event again.”


Theresa St John Flowers

Theresa St John Ladies Chairs
The mother-daughter-run boutique hotel was named the best hotel in Saratoga Springs in U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 Best Hotel Rankings. (2nd year in a row!) The hotel was also named the winner in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2024 Readers' Choice Award – the only hotel in the Capital District to be named a winner (for the 2nd year in a row), landing #14 in the Mid-Atlantic Hotels category. And, if those weren’t enough accolades, they also received AAA’s 4 Diamond Designation in 2017. I’m sure there are some awards I missed, and I’m sure there are many more to come.

Theresa St John Fireplace Main Common Room

Theresa St John Pillows

I will say the crown jewel of this hotel is their beautiful wraparound Saratoga porch. It ties everything together with a bow. No matter the time of year, catching sight of it stops anyone walking by in their tracks. You can almost hear it whisper a warm welcome, extending an invitation to walk up the stairs and take a seat, drink a glass of wine or chilled craft beer, and people-watch the day go by. Because it is a common, open space for guests, complemented with wicker furniture, it’s easy to imagine speaking freely to strangers about everyday events, where they’re from, and what brought them to the Spa City.
“We’re more than an overnight stay, a comfortable place to rest your head,” Amy tells me as I prepare to leave. “We work extremely hard to stand out, to offer an elevated experience and concierge-level service that starts before our guests arrive, and lasts long after they’ve left. We want to be remembered.” Oh, believe me, Saratoga Arms, you are. You most definitely are.
