About Us

This building has been part of downtown Watkins Glen since the 1800s, home to a string of different businesses over the decades and even a fire along the way. A full historic rehab in 2024 brought it back as The Benjamin — original character intact, comfort brought up to date.

Rooftop Deck and Designated Parking

New This Year: Our Private Rooftop Deck

Rise above it all on our brand-new private rooftop deck. It's the perfect place to start your morning with coffee and open skies, or to wind down in the evening as the sun sets over the horizon. Reserved just for our guests, it's a quiet escape right at the top of your stay.

Free, Easy Parking on Madison Avenue

Skip the hassle and the parking fees. Guests now enjoy designated complimentary parking right on Madison Avenue — so you can pull in, check in, and get on with your trip. No meters, no stress, no added cost.

It's been more than one kind of place

Long before it was a hotel, this building on Franklin Street had already lived several lives.



Built in the 1800s, the space has been home to a rotating cast of Watkins Glen businesses over the generations — the kind of building a small town keeps reinventing rather than tearing down. It even survived a fire that swept through town, and came out the other side still standing.

Most recently, it was home to a café and brewpub — the kind of place locals still bring up by name. In 2024, it was purchased and rehabbed into The Benjamin Hotel. The goal wasn't to erase what came before — it was to keep it. The exposed brick stayed. The character stayed. Everything worth keeping was left right where it was.