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Blog Archives
On this day in Saratoga Arms history
On December 19, 1997, Kathleen and Noel Smith purchased a dilapidated old rooming house on Broadway. It took great vision (and a very helpful local bank) to renovate, restore and reopen this 1870 building as Saratoga Arms a sixteen-room hotel in 1998. As we reflect upon the past 14 years, we are thankful for the [...]
Posted in Family Business, History, Room Renovations, Saratoga Arms, Saratoga Springs
Tagged Amy Smith, Downtown Saratoga Springs, Executive Meeting Room, History of Saratoga Arms, Kathleen and Noel Smith, Saratoga Arms, Saratoga Springs, Saratoga Springs Hotel, Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation, Sheila Smith Sperling
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80 years difference, but so much in common!
THE GUESTS WE MEET… My 5 year old son Everett, grandson of Saratoga Arms owners Noel and Kathleen Smith, is an avid Little Rascals fan…the original series from the 1920s. He checks out the old VHS tapes from the Saratoga Springs Public Library on a weekly basis. About three weeks ago, Kathleen called me from [...]
A Room Redo…Part III
It has been awhile since we updated the saga of the room renovation Kathleen embarked upon this Spring. Let’s pick up where we left off. (Hint: If you need a refresher click on Room Renovations .) Kathleen and Pamela shop the Springfield, Massachusetts store. Lots and lots of fabric, but the place has never been [...]
A Room Redo…Part II
The first telephone call is made to Pamela Whitney now living in the DC area. Pamela is the decorator who worked with Kathleen on all the rooms in the addition. (www.pamelawhitneydesigns.com) She designed all the furniture and had it made in a factory in Mexico. Television armoires that also serve as dressers, desks that double [...]
Posted in Family Business, General, Room Renovations, Saratoga Arms
Tagged fabric choices, interior design, Pamela Whitney, room refresh.
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Springtime in Saratoga Springs…there is no better place to be!
The calendar affirms what our minds and hearts have been longing for… Spring has arrived in Saratoga Springs! The waist high snow banks are melting, giving way to brown grass and winter debris. It’s not yet green, but it is a welcome sight to see landscaping crews raking and cleaning up. Soon the crocus, daffodils [...]
Posted in Family Business, General, Saratoga Arms
Tagged PAII, renovation, Saratoga Arms, spring, updating
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FORTY YEARS LATER
Wesley Armstrong, the best plumber in American and the second most important man in my life, was in the hotel last week getting the air conditioning operational. Wesley told Noel and me the story of one of his many brothers doing two tours in Viet Nam almost forty years ago. Warren had been wounded twice, [...]
Posted in Family Business, General, Saratoga Arms
Tagged Boy Scouts, merit badge, Vietnam
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I’m Back
I returned to Saratoga Springs last week after a wonderful winter on Sanibel Island. I drove down in January by way of a fabric mill in South Carolina. (The sign on the door of the mill advised, “No Loaded Firearms Allowed Inside”.) I stopped in Atlanta for America’s Mart, where I ordered some wonderful lamps [...]
Posted in Family Business, General, Saratoga Arms
Tagged Florida, hotel, Sanibel Island, Saratoga Springs, vacation
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A Child’s Eye View
During the Christmas holidays, I was asked by a niece to review her college applications. Such pressure on young people! I was reminded of our youngest daughter’s application process many years ago. After much thought, she wrote an essay that could be tweaked with a sentence or two and it then worked for each of the colleges to [...]
Remains of the Day (Part III)
A lady telephoned on Monday (December 10, 2007). She stayed at Saratoga Arms in early November but couldn’t remember which room. She is packing for a Christmas trip to Mexico and cannot locate her charger. Did she leave it here? Tech-savvy daughter asked what brand. “No idea”, says she. “It’s very different looking” was the only clue [...]
Posted in Family Business, General, Saratoga Arms
Tagged iPhone, lost and found, phone charger
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The Remains of the Day
We have just finished another busy weekend at Saratoga Arms. That means on Monday morning the telephone calls start. “Did I leave my phone charger in Room 218?” “Did you find my thyroid medicine in Room 103?” “Oh…I left my favorite pillow there!” We start shipping on Tuesdays…but only after we receive an email [...]
