After closing the doors for a month to clean and reassess their approach during the era of the coronavirus, the owners of Saratoga Arms began welcoming guests again on May 1.

What You Need To Know

  • Saratoga Arms reopened May 1
  • Safety listed as their main priority
  • Saratoga Race Course driving force of tourism

“Without a doubt, safety is the main priority,” General Manager Amy Smith said Wednesday. “That is what we did for that month, make sure that not only are our guests but our staff members and anybody who walks through our door feels a sense of safety.”

Smith, whose family has operated the Broadway hotel for more than 20 years, says just about everyone in the Spa City hospitality industry is hoping the state will give the green light to reopen the local economy sooner than later.

“I think everyone is very eager to bring the public back,” Smith said.

“The health experts I have talked to in Saratoga County tell me we are ready, we have hit all of the benchmarks,” said Todd Shimkus, president and CEO of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce. “This is one of those cases where being a part of the Capital region is actually holding us back.”

Shimkus is one of more than a dozen members of a new advisory panel that’s exploring how to reopen the county’s non-essential businesses in the safest way possible.

“This is not like a light switch you flip on and off,” Shimkus said. “We are not just going to open the entire economy overnight, it is more like a dimmer switch.”

For well over a century, the driving force of the local tourism industry has been the Saratoga Race Course. While state leaders have yet to make a decision about the 2020 season, Shimkus is optimistic the races can be safely run with at least some fans in attendance.

“We don’t want anybody to rush to judgment and we don’t want anybody to cancel anything that doesn’t have to be canceled right away,” Shimkus said.

“Yes, we will be disappointed if the large attractions don’t open but I still think there will be people who are coming to Saratoga regardless,” Smith said.

There’s no escaping the fact this summer will be different than all those that came before, but Smith believes her hometown is uniquely positioned to safely weather the storm.

“Our motto is 'health, history, horses' and health is always number one so it can be something we are very much at the forefront of,” she said.