Gideon Putnam Resort & Spa

Very clean and very fancy hotel. Staff was absolutely a delight and the décor is classic. We caught a living social deal that included vouchers for the automobile museum, discounted mineral baths at Roosevelt spas and complimentary breakfast.
The bed was super comfy. Sheets were super soft and I fell asleep as soon as I jumped on. Room was really roomy and comfortable temperature.
Breakfast was delicious but our favorite thing was the hash browns that included a variety of different colored potatoes.
There was Also a complimentary shuttle that takes you I the spa and back to the hotel so you don’t have to worry about parking.
There is also free parking at the hotel, although it is ¼ mile away from the entrance so drop your loved on at the entrance with the luggage.

Went here for Christmas dinner since our kitchen is under construction. Food was average at best. Hostess lacked personality. Bartender had a poor attitude. Waiter seamed more like a bus boy. The atmosphere was terrible and tacky. Friday’s or apple bees would have been a better choice.

People here are friendly, the property is historical and well laid out. There are nice sitting areas in the lobby. However, it is old and dated, the main elevator wasnt working, the hallways smelled like old. Old clothes, old carpet, old like a thrift store or senior citizen facility. We were in room 314 which had a big stain on the carpet and the bathroom needed updating. Breakfast room service was good but very expensive $ 40 for one entrée and coffee including tip. I stayed here for a conference for convenience at AAA rate $ 130. It was nice to be able to access the shuttle or walk to the Roosevelt Baths.

Why this amazing hotel only gets 2.5 stars is beyond me. This is my second stay and as a New York City gal with 5 star tastes I was not only impressed by the beauty and location of the hotel but was very happy with the cleanliness of the room and it’s size. My husband and I stayed here over Columbus Day weekend and enjoyed walking around the glorious historic Spa State Park and vising the different natural springs as well as a few spa treatments in the gorgeous Roosevelt Baths (and amazing meals around town — Sweet Mimi’s is an amazing breakfast spot!). At the last minute my husband and I were not able to get a friend to watch our dog and I was surprised to find that the hotel is dog friendly (for an additional fee). We were greeted upon arrival with friendly staff and plenty of dog treats! What a relief! There was also a wedding going on during our stay but it didn’t bother us one bit. No loud partying or crowded hallways of the hotel. The management seemed to place everyone accordingly around the hotel. It seemed to me there were plenty of people staying there that weekend but it didn’t feel overcrowded and we felt that we received one on one service and staff was always friendly and helpful. Love this hotel and based on our stay we plan to make a habit of coming to Saratoga more often and will look forward to staying at the Gideon Putnam every visit. Thank you!

Return visit with the family and bought our dog this time very welcoming and dog friendly. Had s good stay The prices were hiked up a little too ridiculous for Saratoga on labor day. New York City prices and then some. Not worth it. Everything was good and customer service was excellent other than not being offered anything other than a «sorry» for being kept up all night from the post wedding party In room 206 that went on to five in the opening. It took the cleaning people all morning to clean up the room after I sent them up to complain. When we had breakfast on the patio the servers always bought a dog bowl full of water for our dog and paid a lot of attention to her. Not enough people were working the bar and restaurant on the Saturday. Had a forty five minute wait for a drink from the bar. Because of the location and customer service and friendly atmosphere. We would go back –again. A great spot. Thanks for improving the coffee in the roomsand thanks for loving our old golden retriever.

Save your money and book elsewhere. While the location is great if you are attending a concert, I’d rather drive the extra 5 minutes to avoid staying here.
Our room was so small, that we couldn’t even fully unpack. There isn’t even a closet with hangers. There was one tiny window you couldn’t even look out of because of the old air conditioner in the way.
The entire hotel is in need of TLC.
We found dead bugs in the bed and bathroom.
We couldn’t print tickets from the «business center» as none of their printers would work.
The food at the restaurant is below average at best.
I’ve been to Saratoga many times, though this was my first at GP. Won’t be back here.

I’m from the Saratoga area and came back for the weekend with my fiancé, who had never spent any time up there. All decent hotels were currently sold out, with the Gideon Putnam being the only available hotel, with rather expensive rates. I told my fiancé that it was my treat and that the Putnam had a great reputation as a fine historical hotel and that it would be worth the cost of admission ($ 375/​night).
I couldn’t have been any more wrong!
The hotel itself is in a gorgeous setting in Saratoga. But the inside was unkempt. First impression was the elevator. Elevator was a single elevator, totally dirty and very much unexpected. I know it is caddy to base some of this review off the elevator, but first impressions are important, and it was a glaring red flag to both of us.
Then the room. Poor condition with chipped wood, old finishes, and it wasn’t clean. One of the towels had a pubic hair on it. Pretty gross.
We had high expectations, but left pretty bitter and extremely disappointed. We definitely won’t be back. Way overpriced. We work too hard for our money and would gladly spend extra if the experience will be worth it. Having stayed at several other historic hotels recently across the country that have similar price points (Rosewood Mansion in Dallas, the Crawford in Denver), these places live up to their price tag. Better value and better accommodations elsewhere in the Spa, which is what we’ll consider next time we come to town.

This review is for dinner. The food is average at best; ambiance is meh. The 3 stars is mainly for the server — she was super nice and friendly.
When we first walked in, there was an overwhelming smell of fish. It almost made me turn around and leave, but I still decided to give it a shot. It seems that Tuesday nights are «fish and chips» night… thus the smell of fish… however…fresh fish doesn’t smell fishy.
When I went to sit down, there was a giant, very long blonde hair on my chair. I brushed it off and moved on with my life. I did notice that the floors needed a little vacuum attention… and this was the beginning of the night (only one other table was seated indoors; there were a few people eating outside).
We shared the flatbread with figs, caramelized onions and cheese with a balsamic reduction — not bad but just a tad too greasy.
I ordered the salmon as rare as possible and my companion had the pork chops. The salmon wasn’t rare at all (the waitress noticed it and said that the chef would take it back if it wasn’t rare enough) — but it was fine. Generous portion of salmon and I didn’t send it back. The pork chops had a good review — they were a little dry but still decent.
Seems that this place needs an overhaul to compete with other higher-​end Saratoga Restaurants (like Prime).

Three nights are enough for me. waited for more than 30 minutes for the hotel’s shuttle to downtown. Do not stay in the rooms on the top floor, the layout of those rooms are very uncomfortable. However, the meal is good. salmon and steaks are recommended if you eat there.

I’m sorry but your response has now made the situation worse. Your reason for the restaurant not being open is totally different than the excuse the staff gave us that evening. In other words someone is lying. My companion and I as well as another couple were told they had to do inventory that evening and therefore had to be closed. Like I said in my previous comment I’m very disappointed in what has happened to the Gideon over the last decade. I’m really sorry but I wish that the ownership would just sell the hotel to an operator who will bring it back to what it once was. Honestly based on my own experience and that of so many other comments I’ve read here the hotel has become a dark spot on the city of Saratoga Springs.

I can show you my credit card reciept. I was completely ripped off. And all those emails are me writing to you. This is the worst spa ever. A motel hell has nicer furniture and staff. This is poorly run. I have been to many spas. This is the white trash of spas/​hotels they charge a fortune for everthing and the quality is CRAP. save your money!

The Gideon Putnam is ideally situated in the middle of Saratoga State Park, and is equipped with a shuttle. One shuttle, and when all 124 of the hotel’s rooms are booked, don’t count on it. In inclement weather, parking remains do-​it-​yourself, although if pulling up to the front and unloading, one may ask for valet and help with luggage. This is not available at all hours, and in the off season, there seems to be only one delightful man willing to take on the responsibility.
Blinds are chipped and broken, and the room is dreadfully overheated in the winter, to the point where a guest must turn to air conditioning, and the bath has a radiator under the sink, causing sauna-​like conditions, and it’s a challenge figuring how to turn it down. The dedicated buttons on the phone, such as room service or front desk, are inoperable, and the room lacks outlets for phone chargers, hair appliances, laptops/​phones, and anything else. At long last, we discovered one which was part of the lamp, but the plug swam within the outlet, and did not make a good connection, leaving only the bathroom to charge both our phones and use other appliances.
All of this pales in comparison to the hotel’s dated, tired ways, and the general lack of service offered. Twice in two years, we stayed at the GP in order to attend an event at the Hall of Springs. The hotel’s bar closes at 10:00 or 11:00 pm, even when the hotel has full occupancy as it was both times we stayed, and there is no minibar in the room, which was baffling in itself. To really bring it home, there was no room service offered during the hours one might really need it. A potential guest should imagine that in this way, the GP resembles a motel. If planning to stay, BYOB, BYO food, and other things one would expect at a «resort.»
As for morning room service, on a Sunday shortly before 11:00 am, I was told room service would be impossible, as they were serving brunch. Incredulous, I asked for the manager, and at last, we were able to order a couple of egg plates, juices, and coffee. That delivery had its own issues, but nothing’s perfect. In fact, far from it on all counts at this hotel.
Asking for a late checkout was denied, and I felt the need to express how every answer I received at the GP was always no. I asked specifically whether someone was checking into my room that day, and after much silence, being on hold, etc., they conceded to a 1:00, an hour earlier than I requested, in what seemed like an effort to meet me half way, and under duress. Having been in the service industry, it was an unwritten command to say yes whenever possible, but not so at the GP.
The Gideon Putnam is part of the park, and there are many events, from galas to other gatherings, a stone’s throw away at the Hall of Springs and other locations nearby, an easy walk in good weather. The hotel had no awareness of why they were booked on a Saturday night in mid-​February, and had not the least bit of knowledge about the sold-​out event at the Hall of Springs, in terms of basics, like whether or not there would be valet parking there. It was an important thing to know, as the snow was 3′ deep with icy conditions on the ground and very inaccessible parking available at the hotel. Shouldn’t this hotel be aware of events that bring guests to its doors, and more importantly, knowledge about happenings in the park in general which bring in bodies? There seems no excuse for ignorance about anything surrounding the hotel property.
The bar’s hours are more than inconvenient, and the service speed is glacial. Knowledge of mixology stops at martinis and Manhattans. Beer is an issue, and with the barest of service pleasantness and attentiveness, the whole experience of having guests come and enjoy themselves for a nightcap, which must be before 10:00 or 11:00 pm, is impossible. The dining menu appears not to have been updated in decades, with few small offerings for before or after an evening out, and a serious lack of any interest in wowing anyone.
This is a tired, gray horse of a hotel, swayback and all. I’m unable to ascertain who’s running the show there, it might be NYRA these days, but there seems to be no overseeing body that cares. On a side note, the GP could be Saratoga’s most glorious brunch spot, and the perfect place for a nightcap in the off season, offering those who imbibe special rates if the hotel isn’t fully booked. This hotel, more than others, should be a friend to the community, a special watering hole, and offer a few menu items that are must-​haves, including small plates for before shows and as a snack before bed. There should be a warning to potential guests to BYO for anything needed after 10:00 pm.
After more than several experiences here, I plan never to return as an overnight guest.

I would have given this hovel a zero but that wasn’t an option…
I attended a wedding there two weeks ago. Upon arrival we were starving and ate at the buffet. Not sure if it was the olive from the martini (from the bar) or if it was the coldish sausage I ate (never again– was probably trichinosis), but I spent the night projectile vomiting. My stomach still has not been right since and I am thinking about seeing the doctor tomorrow. Feel like I’ve been on a carnival cruise ship or something…
I have tried reaching out to any and all managers, however, the staff has not been helpful in getting me to the right person. I wasn’t even looking to get a refund but I did want to warn the kitchen that they need to check their warmers/​steam tables/​or whatever it is that gave me the worst food poisoning I ever had.
After being given the run around and leaving numerous messages, I decided to take my frustration out for the world to see.
Run and never, never, never eat at this bacteria factory. Run people!
Aurora

We stayed one night at the resort and visited the spa and overall I would say food and spa were just average but the hotel and spa are just not managed well or being maintained well. It seems they are relying on the beautiful charm of the original 1930s décor and architecture rather than completing it with the service and class this place deserves.
The spa was average priced — we did a 20 minute mineral bath and a couples massage. I loved that they have kept the original 1930s décor and charm — I just wish they kept it cleaner and fresh. The spa was ok but lacked a lot of the details that would make it a classier more relaxing environment — you have to dig through the pile of robes and shoes to get your own set in the locker room, both our robes were stained and old, carpets and paint were stained and chipping. Massages were good but not among the better ones that we have had. When we went to check out my husband asked how much a lotion was and the front desk woman answers with I don’t know you’ll have to look. And in the end they were sold out.
The hotel was most disappointing. It snowed and there was not reliable snow shuttle transport so we got to our evening out but had to take a cab back — sliding all over the road. A simple AWD shuttle would be an easy fix. Lunch and breakfast and even bar service was pretty bleak — waitresses and bar tenders disappear into the back until people have to go looking for them or wait and wait. The bartender didn’t hear me when I asked her something and I was greeted with a «what?» in response. This isn’t a diner, it’s supposed to be a nice historic resort.
Rooms are pretty but again — old and in need of repair and refreshing.
It just seems like they need a major investment to repair and update and new management. Overall, pretty disappointing.

Oh good — the self serving manager felt compelled to take me on publicly on Unilocal.Gloves off sport.
1) I did contact management well before you state — read the review again and you will see that I contacted your staff two days in when the heating went out and the door stuck closed. Door opened, heating not restored.
Mgr 0 Patron 1
2) Read the review, this was clearly written FOR Unilocal and TripAdvisor (and I posted it a few more places, let’s see how many more I can find) and only posted it to your sorry email so you would know what was happening with your night staff
Mgr 0 Patron 2
3) I had already complained to your staff that evening — they claimed they sent someone up who didn’t hear the problem — which of course is moronic because the problem only would be at its zenith wall to wall, not out in the hall. Which means either the staff member who went up to check was afraid of conflict or they never sent anyone up. If the staff had common sense and knew of the layout, they would have simply knocked on the door of the offender and mentioned politely that another patron had mentioned the noise.
Mgr 0 Patron 3
You do an excellent job of snipping back at your patrons. (potential patrons, read his responses to negative reviews). But, that will not change the fact that you manage a worn down has been dump. It’s a dump, get over it, you manage a dump.
I had to come back to visit again and have asked everyone I know for a decent place and mentioned I was and the GP. After the eye roles and snickers and OMG’s, they give me their recommendations. I get LAUGHED at for having been dumb enough to stay there.
Out of town patrons, do your homework. Stay in a B&B if you want quaint.

Situé dans un immense parc de saratoga springs ce vieil hotel nous fait revivre le passé. c’est vrai que ça pourrait être mieux entretenu, mais c’est propre et charmant. advenant une mise à niveau le prix deviendra inabordable et puis j’aime ces vieux hôtels qui ont des choses à dire, qui ont vécu.internet
conviendra pas aux amateurs d’hôtels modernes aux prestations standard.

This review is for the restaurant. I’m visiting my parents in Saratoga and just took my mom here for lunch. I called ahead to see if they could do vegan items for lunch (which seems to not be a given in this area); they assured me they could work with any food needs — and they did. All staff were very friendly and accommodating from the moment we got there.
It was great that it was quiet enough for conversation, the sandwich wraps and sides we had were really fresh and just as ordered, and the bartender was beyond fantastic.
I wish I was in town longer so I could go back. This will definitely be on my list of places to go for my next Saratoga visit.

Tough call on the rating, but I think «Meh» sums up my experience at the Gideon Putnam. For our purposes, the hotel could not have been better, since it was about 600 yards away from the SP Performing Arts Center. We were able to walk to and from the concert we had flown across the country to see, so basically I was happy with my choice. Here’s where things went sideways.
No Greeting!
When I pull up to a 4-​star hotel, I expect a bellman or valet to greet me, welcome me to the hotel, and offer to assist with my bags. None of those things occurred. There was one guy standing around with a tag that said «valet» on it, but he didn’t know where the cars went, didn’t offer to help with bags, didn’t greet us or tell us what to do with our car. Lame.
The Elevator!
What the fuck was that about? Vinyl tiles, plastic «wood» paneling, old and creepy. Um no.
The Staff!
The 2.5 hour drive we were told by that bitch Siri was more like 4, so by the time we checked in, it was getting close to the start of the concert. We hadn’t eaten lunch or dinner, so we booked it down to the restaurant and asked what was the fastest way to get food in us. The host recommended we sit at the bar, which we did. Oh joy. If you look up «Curmudgeonly Ol’ Crabbypants» in the dictionary, this dude’s face would be all over it. We felt like interlopers. Sorry, grandpa, my money is green like everybody else’s.
The room was fine but the bathroom was tiny and old-​fashioned, so no counter space and nowhere to put anything. For the price, I would have stayed somewhere cheaper and taken a taxi to the show. Yeesh.

I stayed here a few weeks back for a concert I was attending at SPAC.
I’ve stayed at the Ritz, I’ve stayed at Hotel Del Coronado, I’ve stayed at many high end resorts. This isn’t my first rodeo.
This place is pretty much similar to a five star, albeit in a small town. I saw a few reviews wondering about customer service, but I didn’t have any issues! The management was wonderful. I had a dinner in the restaurant and LOVED the duck! My only complaint was that the servers all seemed lazy (my server smelled like cigarettes every time she came by… which was twice), although the management staff was more than willing to pick up their slack. So kudos to the management for being there, hopefully their servers learn a thing or two.
The room was gorgeous, the lobby was nice and everything was handled quickly and with no complaints. I’d come again, for sure, although I’d avoid the restaurant unless management becomes their servers!

I stayed at the Gideon Putnam for my birthday over July 4^th weekend and was so unimpressed by the way the hotel is managed. The hotel itself is nothing too great, though I will say, the park grounds it’s on are gorgeous. Besides not being impressive, the Gideon Putnam needs major help with their employees customer service techniques. I rarely stay at a hotel not run by a larger company, unless it’s a small bed and breakfast, and you can tell the Gideon Putnam doesn’t spend enough time/​money in training their managers. I had multiple issues from the time I checked in to the time I checked out and all were handled by employees and managers in an offensive, unprofessional manner. I also witnessed other guests spoken to in the same condescending, offensive, unprofessional manner when they brought their issues to the employees running the front desk.
Here are some specifics:
1. At check in, there was a discrepancy with the rate we were quoted vs. the rate we were being charged. Instead of going over the misunderstanding in a professional manner, we were treated like we were trying to scheme the hotel out of $ 75 per night. We were reminded multiple times that this specific employee had been working at the hotel for 6 years and never heard of the rate we said we were quoted, when we knew for a fact friends of ours paid less than that the night before. This was a misunderstanding that we just wanted to discuss without being treated like peasants.
2. When I spoke to a manager about the way I was treated upon check in, I was told to move on. I will say, she ultimately honored the price we said we were quoted, which was very nice. However, she honored it after telling us they pulled up the phone recording of our initial conversation and we were quoted the higher price. We asked to listen to the tape because if this was true, we would of course pay that price. She said that wasn’t possible because the people who recorded the conversation were in California. Then how did she listen to it? And if she was going to ultimately honor the $ 75 less, couldn’t she have skipped trying to make us look and feel stupid? She is in the service industry, we are the guests — very unprofessional.
3. We overheard a guest complain about the elevator situation and asked the front desk to look into opening the service elevator so all the guests in the hotel weren’t waiting to use the one running elevator. When he walked away, both agents at the front desk looked at each other and said «why is that our problem». Enough said.
4. We saw a guest stopped when he tried to bring 2 friends to his hotel room. The girl at the front desk (same girl we dealt with upon check in) said he wasn’t allowed any guests and if he wanted to bring two guests upstairs it would be an additional $ 20 per person for the night! He said they were only coming up for a couple hours to hang out and he would not pay $ 20 per guest. I just don’t understand in what world this is acceptable behavior and an appropriate way to speak to your hotel guests. She was basically giving him a noise complaint and kicking out his guests before they even went up to the room.
… I can go on and on, but ultimately, I checked out with a bad taste in my mouth and felt ripped off and like my stay was a complete waste of money. A tip to the Gideon Putnam — all your employees need customer service training. You guys are getting away with giving guests terrible service because you’re the only hotel of its kind on the grounds of the state park. If a Four Seasons, St. Regis, Ritz etc. was built on the park grounds, you would be out of business.

Before I begin, note that this review is not about the hotel itself, but rather the housekeeping staff that I had dealt with following my stay at the Gideon in the hopes of retrieving an item that I left behind in my room.
We stayed at the Gideon in April on the way back from a combined family/​business trip to Boston. I own a business, and have a client in Boston, so we decided to make it a family trip as well. Following our trip, we stopped down in Saratoga to visit friends and stayed at the Gideon for one night. My husband and I had stayed at the Gideon before (pre-​baby), and it was fine for just one night. The room served its purpose, and my 2-​year-​old enjoyed the time there as well, but my issue is what occurred after we left, when I called back a few days later to retrieve an item I left behind in the room.
I realized a day or so after returning from our trip that I had left a sweater in the room. This was an article of clothing that I had for about 5 years, which was given to me by my mother. It has sentimental value, for personal reasons I won’t go into, so it wasn’t about the money. If it was just a sweater, I could have gone to any department store, and just replaced it.
I called the Gideon to explain to them what happened, and the front desk person transferred me to Tanya, who is in charge of housekeeping at the Gideon. I also asked for the housekeeping direct line so that I wouldn’t have to go through the front desk if I needed to call again. I left Tanya a message explaining the situation with my name and phone number. In her defense, she did call me back a few hours later and left me a message saying she would find a way to get my sweater back to me. Now here is where it gets dicey, I called Tanya back again, and left another voicemail, asking her to call me back, and that I would give her the information to ship the sweater to me. I wouldn’t even have minded paying to have it sent UPS, FedEX, etc. However, this call, and several other messages that I left (both via the housekeeping voicemail and with live housekeeping staff) were never returned.
I must have called at least 5 or 6 times, leaving a message on both the housekeeping voicemail and also with various staff members who informed me they would make ensure they would relay the message to Tanya. Of course, I never got a call back. I am not sure if the messages were never relayed to Tanya, or if she just never bothered to call? However, if she was never given the messages, then that’s a bigger issue that needs to be addressed with the staff or person that is in charge of relaying messages.
I finally got a call back from Tanya today (after almost a month of no call back), and she informed me that «because she never heard back from me on my item, that they have a policy to donate all items left behind in the rooms after 30 days, and it was now past that time!» What??? So, basically because of the Gideon’s incompetence, there is now someone walking around Saratoga County with my sweater. Lovely!
I am not only angry about the Gideon giving away my sweater, but I am also just frustrated that I was very diligent about trying to retrieve my item, and now, because of sheer incompetence by the staff there, my item was given away because they were under the impression that I didn’t want it back. Umm, if I didn’t want it back, why would I have bothered to call initially??? It’s called good customer service, and following up when you think there might be an issue.
In Tanya’s defense, she did apologize several times for the misunderstanding and the lack of communication, and asked if there was anything they could do to make the situation better. I asked if they could get my sweater back for me, but unfortunately, since all of the «donations» go to clothing drop boxes around the area, there was no way they could do that.
So if anyone at the Gideon is reading this, if there is something YOU think you can do that will make up for this situation, then I am open to any suggestions. Until then, we won’t ever be returning to this hotel, simply because of the frustration that I’m feeling now.