My visit to the Otesaga was part of a business trip. At that time there were a total of three organizations listed as having functions in the Hotel. The grounds were absolutely beautiful and the location perfect if you like walking a short distance to town.

The lake is stunning, the pool was kept clean and the rooms are very nice considering this is not a modern hotel. Mine was a bit small but the bathroom proved adequate. Linens are top shelf and housekeeping staff proved to be friendliest of the assorted groups of employees.

There is a definite need for improved customer skills among employees throughout the place. The dining room proved to be the worst in that respect. We did encounter one young waitress who went above and beyond the rest of the group but for the most part they were rude and pushy. As for requiring jackets during dinner, they need to ensure the temperature in the dining facility is conducive to wearing a jacket, or remove that restriction.

Relative to the dining experience, I totally agree with the other reviewer's suggestion to purchase a package without meals if possible. The breakfast buffet is fantastic, worth the cost and includes a special order section with pancakes, waffles and omelets but lunch and dinner are quite average. It would be nice to dine out for more variety, less cost and more flexible hours. The dining room is very large yet all three groups hosting events at the hotel were crammed into too few tables while half the room's tables were left empty, further detracting from the dining experience.

I did not notice any youngsters at the hotel but based upon my experience and observations, I would not attempt to bring any there unless they happen to be "Stepford" children.

To sum it all up, this place has the potential to be five star and in reality is almost there. Since cleanliness is at the top of my list when traveling, I certainly would consider staying here again as they rate a five in that area. No doubt the positives outweigh the negatives.

Our weekend at the Otesaga was a bit on the disappointing side, from the viewpoint of value for the dollar, as well as some service issues. The property's lakeside location was stunning, as well as convenient to downtown Cooperstown, if you are interested in baseball. (We were there for a soccer tournament.) It's really the only place to stay in the area that's on the upscale side, so it was our only choice. It's a beautiful grand old hotel, and we were hoping to encounter matching service, befitting the place.

We were greeted by a quiet front desk clerk who offered no welcome or information on the hotel. The room was adequate for an older establishment, with a comfortable bed and clean spacious bathroom, although the bellman didn't offer any welcoming information either.

We enjoyed the grounds, which were beautiful. They had a nice pool (although noisy with kids) but access to it was in a roundabout way. You had to trudge through a bog in the grass with no sidewalk. They offered fishing poles and canoes for guest use, which was nice. We were disappointed to find that even though a canoe was available, the lifeguard wouldn't let us take it because they "were out of lifejackets." No attempt was made to find any for us, nor was an apology given.

This was a common theme around the place . . . no one seemed to want to go out of their way for the guests. Their basic service was their best. They really could fine tune the service aspect, from the bellstaff (who halfheartedly greeted us as we arrived by car), to the front desk, to the concierge to the waitstaff. Everyone was about the same with basic service, nothing extraordinary or special.

The resort only offered rooms with food plans, although I seemed to recall someone else's review on this site that mentioned they were able to get away with breakfast only. I asked via email several times if we could limit the meals on the plan and they flat out refused, telling me I must have read it wrong on Trip Advisor.

The meals were ok, but the timing could have been better. If you entered the dining room at 9:55 (breakfast was over at 10), you had better be prepared to eat fast, as they were actually rushing us out of there by 10:20. Same thing with dinner - you had to be there before 8:30 p.m.!! I thought that was ridiculuous, especially for the money they charged! They offered coffee and danish in the lobby in the morning, but this was hit-or-miss. Most mornings the danish weren't even there.

We wanted to order a few appetizers for dinner one night at the Hawkeye (the more casual restaurant), as we weren't in the mood for a big dinner. They actually only allowed us to have 2 and then charged us for the other 2 or 3 because "only 2 are allowed with dinner." We didn't even have an entree!! They need more flexibility.

Oh, and bring along the bug spray as the flies are everywhere. I guess that was an offshoot of the lake.

We just came back from the Otesaga (stayed June 16th) as a Father's Day present for my husband. What a relaxing place! We arrived early, they checked us in, and gave us a room upgrade (2 bedroom). We have 3 children and the additional space was nice. The service was terrific and everyone was so pleasant. We did not select the dinner/breakfast package and choose just the breakfast package. We sat outside on the veranda overlooking the lake in the morning. The breakfast was amazing. There is a pool on the grounds (which overlooks the beautiful lake). We plan to make the Otesaga a Fathers Day tradition! Overall, service was top-notch!

We spent four days in May 2007 at the Otesaga Resort as part of a group of vintage car drivers. The Otesaga is in a wonderful setting at the south end of Otsego Lake. The rooms are comfortable though not huge. The bed was very good and excellent toiletries were provided. The staff was unfailingly courteous and helpful. Unfortunately we were not able to obtain a lake view room. Ours was on the third floor overlooking the entrance. Noise was not a problem, but the lights for the entrance portico are very bright and consequently one had to have the room's shade down at night. The reception tried to find a different room for us, but the hotel was fully booked. Others in our group reported dissatisfaction with rooms on the fourth floor.

The hotel dining room and grill room both served acceptable, though not outstanding food, with the exception of breakfast which was excellent. The wine list is fairly limited.

The hotel offers various dining plans. I would recommend taking a plan that only includes breakfast. We found some interesting restaurants in Cooperstown.

Cooperstown is very interesting to visit, whether or not you are a baseball fan. There is much to do beyond the baseball Hall of Fame, especially in the summer when the Glimmerglass Opera is performing. The countrside around Cooperstown is gorgeous.

We had a satisfactory experience and will certainly return, though only when we can get a lake view room.