Courtesy of Bonacio Construction
By Rod Bacon
The initial phases of Saratoga Springs’ newest resort have been completed and it has started to accommodate guests.
Brookmere, the reimagining of the former Longfellows Hotel and Restaurant, has been under construction since 2023 and the final phase will be finished early next month.
According to Amber Mathias, director of project development for the Bonacio organization, the Regent Restaurant & Bar is open as well as 28 guest rooms in the renovated annex building. Of those guest rooms, four are spa-specific. The building also houses the Arbor Spa.
The final phase is a three-story new building that is connected to the old barn by the new ballroom and courtyard. The first floor is currently open to the public. Next month the guest rooms on the second and third floors will be available to the public.
General Manager Julian Miller said that to introduce the resort to the community some rooms are being offered for $179 a night for the next several months.
Miller brings years of experience in the hospitality business to his new position. He spent 15 years with Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants in both Boston and Manhattan before relocating to Saratoga five years ago where he has been running several Hilton properties in town.
Miller is also excited to introduce the community to the Regent Restaurant & Bar.
“The restaurant is the busiest portion of our business right now,” he said.
The restaurant is being overseen by Chef Christopher Smith, who comes to Saratoga from the Pacific Northwest. He creates French-inspired cuisine with regional touches. These include croque madame, French omelets, and steak frites.
It features a coastal-inspired atmosphere with a bar offering an extensive cocktail menu.
It is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, and on Fridays and Saturdays is open until 10 p.m.
Miller noted that more than 70 staff members have been hired to date and he expects that number to exceed 100 when they are at full capacity.
The property was purchased in January 2023 for $4.9 million from Steve Sullivan and Dave Powers by 9N Medical LLC in partnership with the Bonacio organization.
Construction started in June 2023 with plans to expand the Longfellows footprint from 65,000 square feet to 90,500 square feet. When fully completed next month the resort will house an 88-room hotel, a 200-seat ballroom, the 65-seat Regent Restaurant & Bar, and the Arbor Spa.
According to Mathias, phase one started with interior demolition and reframing of the existing buildings. Crews had to demo a portion of the barn building in the ballroom and then start construction of the new building, which has been underway for about a year.
She noted that right now they’re having a soft opening until everything is up and running with a more public opening in the spring. The Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce has planned a mixer for February 6.
The resort was designed by Balzer & Tuck Architecture with landscape architecture and engineering by the LA Group. Atlanta-based Sims Patrick Studio did the interior design and marketing was handled by Love & War of New York City. The resort is managed by Hay Creek Hotels, a New York City-based firm that manages boutique properties. Rhinebeck Bank of Albany provided $28 million in initial construction financing for the $30 million project.
The Union Avenue site was once a dairy farm with a distinctive barn that has been incorporated into the reimagined resort and was also utilized by the previous owners. In 1977, a grocery store and sandwich shop called the Canterbury opened on the site. That became the Canterbury Restaurant and 50-room Canterbury Inn in 1982. In 1997, Longfellows Restaurant, owned by Saratoga Springs restaurateur Steve Sullivan and business partner Dave Powers, opened. A year later, Longfellows Hotel was built. Another building with more hotel rooms and a conference center was added in 2003.