Hotel Brookmere: A Tranquil Retreat Opening in December

SARATOGA SPRINGS — As visitors fill up downtown hotels for the start of track season, less than four miles away, Hotel Brookmere is buzzing with activity. Construction workers scattered across the 90,000-square-foot property only have about five months left until opening day, and there’s still plenty of work to be done before guests can arrive and kick their feet up.

Come December, this active construction site will transform into what Brookmere General Manager Julian Miller called an “all-encompassing resort where folks can get everything right here.”

Nestled on nearly 10 acres of tree-filled land (the former home of Longfellows Hotel & Restaurant), the 88-room luxury hotel will include a ballroom, courtyard, outdoor swimming pool, and fitness center. But the two jewels of the property will probably be the appropriately-named Arbor Spa, and Regent, a French restaurant and bar that Miller said would be “approachable” and “not stuffy.”

“We want the restaurant and the ballroom and the event spaces to really feel like the living room of Saratoga, in a way,” said Amber Mathias, director of project management at Bonacio Construction. “We want people to come here and for this to be their go-to choice.”

Unlike some of the bustling accommodations on Broadway, Brookmere advertises itself as a tranquil retreat. The hotel’s interior design “plays with upstate New York and the change of the seasons,” Mathias said. The ballroom and lobby will have a blue, wintery vibe. The restaurant area will be brighter, invoking summertime. The guest rooms will have an autumnal feel, with green walls, dark brown furniture, and stag-covered wallpapers that bring the Adirondacks to mind. 

Indeed, nature is a recurring theme throughout the property. Step outside the spa where the swimming pool will be and you’ll find the entrance to a nature trail. Launch a golf ball towards the trees and it might land on a fairway at the Saratoga National Golf Club. Stroll towards the golf course and you’ll come upon Lake Lonely, which borders the property.

The amount of space at Brookmere, both inside and out, might be its defining feature when compared to other Saratoga hotels. So it’s probably no surprise that Miller is already booking events scheduled for next year. 

“People are already looking at Belmont next summer. People are already looking at racing season events. And weddings, we’ve already had 2026 inquiries,” Miller said.

Although the hotel won’t be open until December, guests may be able to start booking rooms as soon as August. Brookmere will also be working on beefing up its staff in the coming months. Miller said he expects the hotel to hire around 90-100 employees. Positions are currently open for executive-level staffers.

To learn more about Hotel Brookmere, visit www.hotelbrookmere.com, or follow their recently-launched social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram.