A longtime Saratoga establishment, one that saw countless weddings, dinners, conferences and fundraisers hosted within its walls, is closing after more than 25 years in business, its owners announced Thursday.
“We’ve spent over a third of our lives being good stewards to this property,” Longfellows co-owner Steve Sullivan said about the hotel, restaurant and conference center. “Believe me, this has been the toughest decision we’ve ever had to make. It’s been a great 26-year run. Now it’s time for someone else to bring this wonderful venture forward.”
Sullivan owns Longfellows as well as the Olde Bryan Inn, which will stay open, with his wife, Yvonne and business partner, Dave Powers. Since opening Longfellows Restaurant in a former dairy barn in May of 1997, the trio expanded the venue to include Longfellows Hotel in 1998 and a conference center in 2003. Longfellows currently employs 78 people, and ownership is working with contacts in the hospitality industry to help those employees find new jobs.
While the announcement said that an offer was accepted from a group of investors/operators to purchase the Longfellows property, it’s not yet clear what the new owners intend to do with it. A Times Union article released earlier in the week reported that the buyer, a non-local company, intends to expand the property into a resort.
“We’re grateful for the wonderful vendors and suppliers we’ve worked beside and maintained relationships with,” Sullivan said. “To all of our customers who stayed with us, dined with us, and celebrated with us, this is not ‘goodbye’. We look forward to seeing you at the Olde Bryan Inn!”
