A Grand Old Hotel 3/6/21

The Sagamore is a long-standing resort about 100 mile north of Albany, NY on an island on Lake George.

The Sagamore opened in 1883 and soon became a resort for the very wealthy. The hotel was damage multiple times by fire and the current hotel building is mainly from a 1920s reconstruction. As per many other eastern resorts of that period (e.g., Atlantic City, the Pocono Mountains, Bar Harbor) popularity waned as cars made traveling to places like Florida easier. The hotel closed in 1981, only to be saved by a group of investors three years later - the year the resort celebrated 100 years and the resort was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Sources: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sagamore> and <https://www.thesagamore.com/>.

I was at The Sagamore in 2003 for a professional conference sponsored by the Sloan Foundation. At that time, the more recently built lodges/condos were more popular and in much better condition than the main hotel. Between meeting sessions, attendees particularly enjoyed the serenity of the property and on one evening a dinner cruise on Lake Champaign on the 72 ft long Morgan.

The Sagamore was sold again in 2008 to Opal Hotels & Resorts, which made a significant invest to update in the Grand Old Hotel. The web site currently notes:

• 375 room property offers a choice of accommodations

• Condo-style lodges featuring 222 rooms including 111 spacious suites with kitchenettes,

fireplaces and terraces

• 18-hole Donald Ross-designed championship golf course

• The full-service Sagamore Spa & Salon

• The Hermitage, a self-contained Executive Retreat

• Five professional outdoor tennis courts

• The Morgan, a 72-foot replica of a 19th century touring vessel

• 10,080 square-foot ballroom with banquet seating for 700

• A 13,000 square-foot exhibit center

• State-of-the-Art Fitness Center

• 40-foot Indoor heated pool with an open-air-concept

• Outdoor pools with breathtaking views

• The 10,000 square foot REC Center, offering mini golf, wiffle ball, board games, indoor

basketball, billiards, ping pong and foosball and so much more, where there is something for

everyone!