Gideon Putnam Hotel, Saratoga Springs

Room was a small closet under an eave on the fourth floor. Had to stand sideways to walk into bathroom. Bath tub needed refinishing, the bottom of the tub was peeling. The shower curtain cut the tub in half. Ridiculous. Bed was a full size though I paid for a queen. Went to front desk and was actually told that although the sheet says FULL on the tag, their sheets fit all sized beds. I couldn't believe the gaul. I told the woman that I measured the bed and it wasn't a queen size and she had the nerve to tell me that, "We get that often." Then do something about it. Ask to see another room with a queen bed and once I saw that the bed was larger, yes I measured it, I asked to be moved. "Really? They are the same bed." I had to argue with the woman about the bed. And I, in my 61 years have never, ever done anything remotely like this before. I don't complain about accommodations. Once I had the new room assigned I told the clerk that I had a facial at the spa in 10 minutes, that I would return to move and was told I was already moved in the computer and had to move right then. I will be seeking out management in the a.m. I was late for my facial. My getaway has been dampered. I feel frustrated, not pampered. And check your room service bills. There is a $3.00 charge which they like to charge twice on the same bill. I'll be bringing that up also. Never here again for me. Never ever.

If by historic you mean old and run down, then yes the Gideon is historic. The finishes were worn, the paint on the ceiling was peeling, there was no fan in the bathroom, the tile was painted, the plumbing fixtures were rusted, and the hot water kept running out. The Gideon could definitely use a modernization. Additional, I found the Gideon front desk to be very unaccommodating. We visited the hotel as party of the wedding party. We arrived early because we had to attend a rehearsal. Not only would they not allow us to check in early, but they also harrassed us when we came back to check in on time (the wedding party reservations were all made under one name). At a very exciting and hectic time, it was frustrating to be treated so poorly. Upon check out, we requested a late check out (we were in the wedding party and had a lot of stuff as well as a brunch to attend). We were abruptly and insincerely told that it would was not allowed. Given all the other hotels in the area, i would highly recommend chosing a different hotel to stay at.

I have always heard the Giddeon Putnam was beautiful...and it is building and ground wise. I decided to take my 82-year-old Dad to brunch with my family. The dining advertising said fresh seafood selections and chef Brian creations. Seriously, the advertising is very deceiptive. Fresh crepes...sitting and drying out in a pan. Fresh seafood...mushy salmon and smoked fish. Baked fish in a sterno. Fresh waffles...you make them yourself like a Holiday Inn. Nothing tasted like Chef prepared. My daughter had a bagel and said it tasted like Thomas bagels. Beef drowned in gravy. Ziti and sauce. Lamb drowned in gravy. Salad bar? Lettuce surrounded by potato salad, a pasta salad (better at Hannafords), and something else. The delectable desserts, still frozen like ones you can get a BJ Wholesale Club. Really, not worth the money at all...We made reservations...and waited over 20 minutes to be seated in the bar area. Really not worthy of a special occasion at all!

I am strongly disappointed at the hotel. I made a reservation for special package by going in directly from the page where special package is offered. I even confirmed with the online representative through live chat and she sent me a confirmation email indicating that special package (which includes dinner, breakfast and wine) is included in the reservation. When I got there, the front desk clerk told me that the reservation was for the room only and there is 100 dollar extra if I want that package included. I showed the printout of the confirmation number. And the manager came and she told me that I still have to pay extra. When I told the manager that I will cancel my reservation, she offered me for dinner only. Even though I didn't get the full package I originally selected, I decided to stay because it was just for one night. And I had dinner at the restaurant on first floor. I ordered two appetizers and two main dishes. The waitress forgot and didn't serve one of the appetizer orders and one of the desert orders. Then I ordered cocktails paid with credit card and gave the tip with cash. When I came back home, I found out they charged three dollars more on my credit card. I don't even wanna argue for three dollars because I'm tired of that hotel. I would never go back to this hotel and this hotel is extremely awful.

I will do this in the style of a review posted below me because I had just as bad and similar of an experience at this horrible hotel. 1. Upon arrival, we were severely disappointed in our room. The pictures on the Gideon Putnam website are incredibly misleading. Our room was very small and outdated. I'll get to the glorious specifics next. 2. The air conditioner in the room is very old and very very loud. The Motel 6 has a nicer AC unit. I basically had to chose to turn it off and suffer heat or keep it on and not sleep due to noise. 3. A handle was missing on our armoire which contained a TV model from the 80s. Classy. Bathroom outlet was broken. The coffee maker had gross buildup and crust in the bottom of the pot. The room service menu had the same food page twice (out of two pages, both were the same) so we didn't know the full extent of the menu and had to borrow one from someone else's room. 4. When we got our room service, the order was incorrect. We asked for a turkey and cheese sandwich with white bread. "Do you want that toasted?" "No thank you." (Continue to order) "So you said not toasted, right?" "Correct." Well, can you guess what came to the room? A toasted sandwich. I didn't realize it was that difficult. We also asked what kind of Naked Juices they had available, as they were advertised on the menu. They didn't know. 5. The same night of crappy room service, we experienced the wonderful plumbing this place provides. The toilet kept running after it was flushed. They sent up their "engineer" to "fix" it and we had to be kept awake until 2 AM. It broke again that night. They sent the "engineer" to "fix" it. It broke again in the morning, and when we left for the day, we asked them to "fix" it, AGAIN. Well, when we returned to the room to hopefully find a fixed toilet, there was a note on the bed that basically told us to flush it a certain way and hope for the best. So out of THREE times, the "engineer" failed to fix it. I had to use the public bathroom on the first floor (we were on the 4th) every time I wanted to use the bathroom. 6. You know how you can place an order for breakfast on a door hanger outside your room and have it delivered the next morning? Well, we did that. Did breakfast show up? No. Also, we left our room service dishes in the room and the maid failed to clean them out for two days. 7. At this point, we complained to the hotel staff and all they did was apologize. No compensation whatsoever. 8. We also left it up to the concierge to get us tickets to the horse races. Were our seats in the area they told us they would be in? Of course they weren't, so we spent 45 minutes trying to figure out where we were supposed to be seated. 9. At midnight one night, we arrived back to the hotel, expecting our car to be valeted as it had been the day before. There was no valet they said, so we had to park and walk a fair way back to the hotel. As we walked up to the hotel, a group of seniors gets out of their Mercedes and their evening wear and inquired about the valet. The hotel said a valet wasn't available but that they would go find one right away! Really? Guess our Grand Cherokee and jeans were just too low class for this establishment. How in the world does this dump get away with charging $300 a night? I feel like an absolute idiot for staying here and paying that much. I promise you, you will find better quality service at a Motel 6 than at this place. The staff here is incompetent and apathetic. Gideon Putnam, you will never see our money again and I will do my best to make sure you don't see other people's money either. I wouldn't come back here if you all paid me.

Customer services expected for a hotel of this type were woefully lacking. No valet parking, no one to help with luggage, shuttle service not available (they were to busy). Even though it was raining heavily there were no umbrellas to walk to the parking lot. Room was in great need of renovations. The carpet was old, musty and worn, perhaps to match the upholstered furniture. Hall carpet were no better. Recommendation: Visit Saratoga, it is beautiful, and stay at a economy motel where you will probably get better service and accommodations for a fraction of the price.

My husband, Bill Adams born and raised in Troy, NY, has enjoyed many Augusts in Saratoga Springs, and at the race track. We were married in 1989. Bill lived in the south for many years, working for General Electric and would go to NY in Aug, when possible with General Electric, for the conventions in Albany, NY. He would always go to Saratoga, for the racing season, when in NY. After we were married, we have been to NY three times. Two times we lodged at the Desmond Americana in Albany, and enjoyed their amenities, service and food, very much. We also would recommend, The Americana Desmond, as a place to stay in Albany. Because Bill so much enjoyed Saratoga, we drove around, and stopped in at the Gideon Putnam for lunch, on my first trip to NY. Service and food was excellent. We really like the Quaint area. Because, i was so impressed with Gideon Putnam Resort, I decided, we would make reservations and lodge a visit to NY at Gideon Putnum Resort. WE did, and i surprized Bill. We both were very happy with all the accomodations....and enjoy OUR QUAINT VISIT, back in time, with the furniture, and EXCELLENT SERVICE. We hosted a lovely dinner in the dining room, with several guests. The food was especially delicious, because we were in the company of my husband's dear friends from childhood. Service was excellent and attentive to our guests. WE WOULD RECOMMEND ANYONE WITH A DESIRE TO FULLY APPRECIATE THE HISTORY TO NEW YORK TO MAKE RESERVATIONS FOR LODGING AND EATING AT GIDEON PUTNAM RESORT.

Unlike the previous complaints, I enjoyed my stay and the accommodations were fine. Yes there was a little dust on the valances, however the more important aspects of housekeeping were well covered. The hotel has a lot of charm and history. The dining room was lovely and the service and food were very good. The Day Spa was fantastic, excellent service. I took advantage of a Travel Zoo offer which was a great value. Saratoga Springs has a lot of history which a sophisticated traveler will appreciate.

My husband & I recently stayed at The Gideon for 1 night as our niece was getting married at the Hall of Springs. When I booked the room I advised that I was disabled & was told they would book me a wheel chair accessible room. Which meant the bathroom had no tub, you could bring your wheelchair into the shower. When we checked in I was given a room on the 4th floor, way down a hall & into a small alcove. The room was dusted but nothing else was clean. I wouldn't even shower in that moldy, dirty bathroom. The window was falling apart & wouldn't stay open without a stick. I was terrified thinking if something happened there was no way our for me. I could not believe they would put a disabled person in such danger so far from an elevator & no emergency exit. I was told there was no other rooms. This place needs some serious renovations. I cannot attest to the food or room service as we did not eat there and we didn't use the spa. The parking was also not very convenient. I was really looking forward to staying in what I thought would be a beautiful Hotel. That was my one & only stay there. L & R Casey

When you think about historic hotels -- and the Gideon-Putnam is truly historic in a magnificent setting -- there are charming, stately hotels; and then there are "old" hotels. For those who know New York State, the Sagamore is charming and stately; the Gideon Putnam is, well, just plain old. Xanterra Resorts runs the facility, and it's clear they've made investments, but there is so much more yet to do that I cannot recommend it as a destination. I'd previously stayed at the GP in 2003, and it was disappointing then. I went back this month hoping the years in between included renovations by the owners. Unfortunately, while there may have been renovations, they didn't show. Rooms -- while advertised as renovated -- still have 70s vintage (noisy) wall air conditioning units and clearly need upgrading. The conference facilities are marginal. Internal and external painting work remains to be done. On the plus side, the location within Saratoga State Park and the immediate proximity of the Roosevelt Baths and Spa is terrific. Really -- with an addition infusion of cash this run down "diamond in the rough" could be restored to its former splendor. Until then, enjoy the surroundings, and stay somewhere else.