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...
This historic hotel in downtown Utica reopened to considerable fanfare in 2001 after a nearly 30-year hiatus, upgrading to a four-star classification in 2009. Dating back to 1912, it boasts some notable history: FDR campaigned here in the '20s, Lionel Hampton played here in 1939, Judy Garland sang here around 1950, and Bobby Kennedy stayed here on a campaign trip. The renovations have stayed...