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

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.

The owners of this 1850 mansion are opera lovers, and the inn tends to book up with other opera buffs during the local company's summer season. The house, on a tree-lined, flower-filled yard created from three city lots, includes rooms painted in salmon pink, malachite green, burgundy, and pale yellow. Each guest room is unique, and a coach-house apartment—a good value—has a bedroom, a living area, and a kitchenette. Breakfast includes fresh berry pies and fruit crisps as well as such standard fare as quiche. Note that a dog also resides here.

The ornate architectural details of this High Victorian Gothic stunner include dormer windows crowned with clamshell arches and a mansard roof of alternating bands of red and gray slate. The common spaces include porches, a living room, and a dining room that seats 20. Two long plush-velvet couches invite lingering in the library. Congress Park is across the street.

Otsego Lake is the focal point at this well-run motel, which has its own beach with docks, paddleboats, canoes, and gazebos—there's even a waterside swing set. The central building has large guest rooms, a sweeping porch, a lounge, and a room with pinball machines. There are also 11 freestanding cottages, the largest of which can accommodate 10 people, but these are much more expensive than the guest rooms.

The cheerful brick inn a block from the Hudson River is a good alternative to chain hotels. Standard rooms tend to be a bit run-of-the-mill and have either two double beds or a king. Suites, double the size of the standard rooms, have king-size beds, an adjoining sitting room, a refrigerator, and a whirlpool tub.

Atop a hill off Lake Street, this old mansion has lake and mountain vistas and provides a country-manor-house experience. The resident dog and cats pay you visits in the spacious public rooms, which have wood details, paneling, and floors. In the dining room the windows open so wide that you feel like you're on a porch. Guest rooms are done in dusty pastels, whites, and florals.

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.

Brick courtyards, hand-painted wooden signs, Early American furniture, and staff in 18th-century attire give this large hotel the air of a colonial village with modern conveniences. Some rooms have king-size canopy beds; all have large bathrooms with phones. The complex includes a casual all-day eatery (many patrons favor the cheese blintzes for breakfast); a fine dinner-only restaurant; and a lounge with cushy upholstery seats.

Two graceful Victorian homes form this peaceful bed-and-breakfast. Most rooms have queen-size beds, and all are decorated in a period style of florals, lace, and wicker. Wireless Internet access is a bonus.

This lovely Georgian revival–style brick hotel sits amid the 2,200 acres of Saratoga Spa State Park. Tall windows look out onto front and rear gardens, and the interior is decorated in a gracious, traditional style. The Sunday brunch buffet of hot and cold entrées is a favorite among locals and visitors alike.

A former fur trapper's trading post–turned–Dutch mansion provides a swish backdrop for a room and a meal on the Mohawk River. Standard rooms have two queen beds; junior suites have a king-size sleigh bed, a desk, and a seating area. The decor throughout is a harmonious blend of patterned fabrics and wallpapers in elegant palettes. Candlelit tables set with fine china and table linens fill the pre-colonial dining room, which has two decorative fireplaces and hand-hewn beams. A cavelike, stone-walled pub downstairs offers lighter fare.

Judy Garland once sang from the mezzanine to fans in the lobby, and Mae West, Rita Hayworth, and Jimmy Durante all spent the night at this 14-story Renaissance revival–style hotel in the downtown business district. The two-story lobby of the grand 1912 building has a coffered ceiling, faux-marble pillars, large crystal chandeliers, a piano, and lovebirds that serenade you from their antique cage. Guest rooms, spacious and attractive, have swagged window treatments and traditional furnishings; many have Mohawk Valley views.

Rooms at this single-level motel, on the grounds of Howe Caverns, have mountain and valley views. Choose between a queen, a king, or two double beds; family suites have four doubles. Interiors are basic, but some rooms have whirlpool tubs. The restaurant is open from July through Labor Day.

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.

At this 1848 inn, Victorian-inspired rooms with dark-wood furniture and tailored swags include such modern conveniences as high-speed Internet access. The four suites, in the Brunelle Cottage in the back, have heated floors. Your room key grants access to the fitness facilities at the YMCA.

An expansive front lawn rolls from Chestnut Street to the sheltered entry of this truly grand 1856 Italianate mansion. Common areas are large and sunny. Gleaming wood floors and attractive furnishings are found throughout. Beds and chairs are so plump you can't resist flopping onto them as soon as you enter your room. Many rooms have special showers or tubs; one has an 11-head shower. Full breakfasts are served in a formal dining room.

Inside the Morgan State House, a late-19th-century town house on Washington Park, rich cherry wainscoting complements high ceilings, hand-glazed walls, and fireplaces. Although the house is in the center of town, the views are of either the park or the inn's well-tended flower beds. Each room is different—yours might have a fireplace, a claw-foot tub, exposed brick walls, a skylight, or a reading area—but the overall look is refined. Studios are available three doors away at the Washington Park State House, a sibling property with an elevator. Breakfast is served in the town house.

This sunny bed-and-breakfast offers family-style hospitality, lovely furnishings, a common parlor, and card games on the weekends. The rooms are housed in a late-19th-century home, and attended to by the owner.

This mammoth three-story brick home once belonged to the Oneida Community, a utopian religious group founded in 1848. Today it houses private rental apartments, a museum, and eight large guest rooms, most of which feel like a bedroom in one's own home. Most rooms include comfortable upholstered chairs, and the decor throughout is tasteful and restrained. You may stroll through the more than 33 acres of lawns and gardens that surround the mansion. The restaurant serves up tapas and other rich dishes.

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 more popular choice in town, the Herkimer Motel gets lots of compliments on cleanliness and service. Inexpensive though it is, it offers an outdoor pool and fitness room, and is conveniently located for further excursions into the area.

A cupola crowns this handsome three-story brick Italianate villa built in 1866. The B&B has two large porches, a parlor with a marble fireplace, and bathrooms with claw-foot tubs. One guest room is on the first floor; the others are on the second floor. Most rooms have a queen bed, and all have rose-print bed coverings and down comforters. The Wine and Roses room, where walls are the color of claret, has a queen and a double bed.

The Smith family greets you at this gorgeous Second Empire hotel in the heart of downtown. Rooms have country-cottage or Victorian furnishings; some have fireplaces or claw-foot tubs. Printed fabrics outfit beds and windows, and every room has a CD player. Shower stalls contain a tile with a quote about local history, characters, or landmarks painted on it. The wraparound porch is roomy and has antique wicker chairs.

The intimate, neoclassical town home is near the state capitol, museums and other attractions, and restaurants. Rooms have either one king bed, one or two queens, or one or two doubles; some have working fireplaces. Guest-room furnishings include large flat-screen televisions. Breakfast is served in a parlorlike space with a fireplace and a European feel.

This inn, part of the 52-acre Beeches estate, is the best place to stay in town. Rooms, dressed in French-country style with floral patterns, have a king bed or one or two queen-size beds; bathrooms have marble trim. The suite has a sitting area and a whirlpool tub. The restaurants alone are worth the trip.

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.

This hotel dramatically transformed the Parker Building, a narrow structure that was the city's tallest building when it was erected in 1906. An antique cage-style elevator takes you to contemporary rooms with dark-wood furniture and floral-fabric accents. Maroon velvet curtains and vintage movie posters in the lounge downstairs are a nod to the inn's neighbor, Proctor's Theatre; before and after shows, a chic crowd gathers for drinks, dinner, and snacks.

Before its latest incarnation, this three-story Federal-style building in the heart of the Stockade served as a bank and an exclusive men's club. The Victorian-style rooms, all on the top floor, have plush carpeting and reproduction antique poster beds; six have gas fireplaces. The first two floors hold a swanky restaurant, which has upholstered armchairs, high ceilings, and chandeliers; a billiards room; and meeting rooms.

This 1802 Federal-style hotel is one of Cooperstown's oldest brick structures. It was first used as a general store before being transformed, in 1848, into a hotel. A restaurant with an old-fashioned tap room adjoins the hotel, which is near the Baseball Hall of Fame and other village sights.

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.