After reading the previous reviews I was a bit apprehensive about spending the weekend at the Otesaga Hotel. My mother and I were staying there for mother's day weekend and wanted a relaxing, quiet getaway.
I will address the positives first:
I am not sure if there is a change in management since the last reviews, however we found the dining room staff very friendly and accommodating. They went out of their way to make sure we had what we wanted. The food was outstanding.
The front desk informed us, after we inquired, that we would not need dinner or mother's day brunch reservations since we were in-house quests. However, when we arrived at the dining room we were informed that was not the case. The man in charge for those days worked to make sure we would have reservations and did so without making us feel bad. He went out of his way to help us.
As others have stated, the grounds are beautiful and well maintained. Our room was on the third floor and over-looked the lake. The room was very clean. Each night our beds were turned down and chocolates were left on the pillows.
My only complaint would be with reservations/front desk. They had us down for the wrong nights and as stated above were not informed regarding the dining room policy.
Also, this is small, but part of the mother's day package was chocolate covered strawberries, a gift, and a wine voucher for dinner upon arrival. We had to call and ask for these which was a bit embarrassing.
Otherwise.....great place to stay for a guiet weekend.
With the exception of the front desk...the staff was very friendly.

After reading several of the other reviews, we were hesitant to stay at the Otesaga, but Cooperstown was a destination for us (the Baseball Hall of Fame - my son is a huge Red Sox fan) and frankly the Otesaga is the only large hotel in town so we thought we'd give it a try. It was nice, but... as an destination hotel, they really need to work on their people skills.

We went Friday and Sat of Thanksgiving weekend (after spending 2 nights at the Sagamore Hotel in Lake George which I must say knows how to run a large hotel..) the Otesaga seemed like a reasonable choice. Well... after the Sagamore and it's employees that geninuely care for you and take care of you (i will write a review of the Sagamore later) the Otesaga was a disappointment.

The room was nice - 2 double beds and a couch - spacious enough for my husband and I and the 2 kids, nice bathroom and very clean. The housekeepling staff was great as well. The main bellman was helpful, but frankly the front desk was totally overwhelmed and the dining staff was hit or miss and the resident children's entertainer "chuckles the clown" was downright spooky.

The dining room policy is a total snotty mess. There is no option not to be part of the dining policy and the weekend we were there was out of control. Apparently they were closing after sunday night for the winter (something they didn't tell you, but after chatting w/ some of the staff I discovered they were all depressed about getting "pink slips".)

My husband went down our first morning there to scope out the coffee/breakfast situation and came back with the report - "It's like the Marriott at Times Square down there!" The place was total chaos with kids, parents etc...

Back to the dining policy. Every male must wear a jacket - regardless of their age. Hmmm... this was a problem for my 10 year old, but they let us slide as he had a shirt with a collar and he tucked it in. This policy is fine if the dining room food warrants it (the food was ok ) and if the staff is trained (which some were but most were of the "who gets the mushroom soup" variety). If you expect us to dress, (and not give us a choice - the Hawkeye Grill was totally discouraged, but had much better service...) then you'd better train your staff as well. Staff in sneakers auctioning food doesn't cut in in my book. The menu was nice, but it was totally bizarre ( throwback to male dominated education?) that they would have a kids menu titled "Little Gentlemen" but not one for the young ladies?

The bottom line is - this place is a great old building in great condition but has serious staff issues. Whoever is running this place needs to get out of Cooperstown and check out other great hotels - We have stayed at many great old hotels - the Copley Plaza in Boston, The Sagamore, the Fairmont in San Francisco and Scottsdale, Az, etc and we have never been treated nor witnessed bizarre policies like we did at the Otesaga. Maybe it's because it's the only game in town in a destination city,, but please. Get with the modern program! If I was to go back I would definitely look into another hotel. Yes the location is the best in town, but ...

Hopefully they will take the winter to regroup...

I attended a conference at the Otesaga. There is no doubt that the hotel is quite grand and very beautiful but the one thing that troubled me during my visit was how horribly cold the entire hotel was. Regardless of what floor we were on, it was down right frigid! Staff and guests alike were rubbing their hands together and blowing in them in an attempt to stay warm. A large fire was roaring in the hotel lobby but this did little for the windows which were not insulated and the large front doors that were constantly opening and closing. During my conference I had to wear my winter coat regardless of the room I was in. I did eat a wonderful lunch at the hotel and the food was out of this world. Many wonderfully fresh choices and a delicious dessert buffet! I noticed a waiter taking a cart of hot chocolate chip cookies, chocolate covered strawberries and truffles along with a carafe of milk up to one of the rooms and it looked simply divine. If staying at the hotel in winter months, I would highly recommend bringing along heavier clothing that you could layer--many people complained of the temperature but it did little to improve the situation.

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.