6 Best Hotels in Albany and Central New York, New York

There's something almost collegiate about the stately Otesaga—maybe it's all the brick, or perhaps it's the cupola or the neoclassical entryway. The same studied grace runs throughout the interior. But it would be hard to hit the books here, thanks to such distractions as the Leatherstocking Golf Course and fishing or canoeing on Otsego Lake. In the luxurious dining room, massive windows look out onto the grounds. The four-course dinner is quite formal, with jackets required for men. The ever-changing menu lists contemporary dishes such as boneless chicken glazed in honey and lavender and sautéed sea bass.

The impressive lobby of one of the city's original late-19th-century hotels has slightly worn divans, elaborately stenciled walls and ceilings, and trompe-l'oeil details. The grand staircase leads to three floors of guest rooms and common spaces, including a second-story piazza overlooking Broadway. Bedroom styles—from Victorian and French country to Adirondacks and Arts and Crafts—are diverse. The bar, which spills off the lobby and into a courtyard, is a favorite evening gathering spot for drinks and desserts.

With white moldings, delicate plasterwork, and a flying staircase, the interior of this 1812 brick inn is as Federal as its exterior. A stay here gets you access to all the facilities at the nearby Otesaga Resort—including discounted greens fees and meal prices—as well as to those at a sports center down the road.

Rocking chairs are set all along the front porch, which runs the width of this inviting Second Empire building with its dormer windows. Guest rooms are uncluttered, making them seem even roomier than they are. Crisp clean walls, king- and queen-size beds, and wall-to-wall carpeting lend modernity. Pastel quilts in traditional patterns and period reproductions are nods to this inn's history and its place on the National Register of Historic Places.

Paper-bag inventor George West had this 23-room villa built in 1866 across from one of his mills, 7 mi west of Saratoga Springs. Today it serves as a luxurious B&B where special services may include being picked up at the train station by the inn's Bentley or having cocktails delivered to your room on a silver tray. Intricate moldings, mirrors, and mantels grace rooms with 14-foot ceilings and Victorian furnishings. Some rooms have four-poster beds; all have down comforters. In warm weather you may opt to have breakfast on the long porch overlooking the mansion's gardens and ponds.

You have three lodging options at this lavish resort: the all-suites Lodge at Turning Stone, the 19-story Tower at Turning Stone, and the modern Hotel at Turning Stone. Rooms in the hotel have contemporary furnishings and dramatically lighted marble bathrooms; some suites have whirlpool tubs and patios. In the tower, the third floor is devoted to a health club and a 65-foot-long indoor lap pool; a rooftop terrace crowns the building. The more intimate and luxurious lodge has chic suites with balconies with lovely views. The resort's broad (and rich) dining options include steak, regional Italian, Brazilian, and American.