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.

Historic Rooms

Franklin

Named for the street the building has called home since the 1800s.

Jefferson

A companion name to Franklin, carrying the same historic thread.

Salubria

A name rooted in Watkins Glen's own past.

Watkins

Named for the town this building has always belonged to.

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.