Athenaeum Hotel of Chautauqua Institution Reviews

We couldn’t have asked for a better venue for our wedding weekend! Everything, from the setup to the cleanup, was executed to perfection. We felt like we didn’t have to worry about any of the details, including specifics on decoration and dietary restrictions, because the Athenaeum handled everything so professionally. Working with Gloria was a breeze–she was super responsive and considerate about our unique wedding needs. Her experience and recommendations also elevated our wedding so beautifully. Many of our friends flew in from across the country, and from the welcome party on Friday evening, to the wedding on Saturday, to the farewell brunch on Sunday, the Athenaeum’s hospitality was unparalleled. We received countless compliments on how amazing the weekend was.

We highly recommend staying at the Athenaeum–with all our wedding guests on site, it felt like the perfect weekend retreat. The scenery is stunning in the early summer. We were also amazed by the quality and quantity of food and drinks. It exceeded our expectations on what a hotel kitchen could deliver. The chef, Carrie, worked closely with us in formulating the perfect menu. We couldn’t be happier with the result!

The personalized level of service is what we would experience at a 5-star hotel. We were blown away by the professionalism of the hotel and how smoothly they handled the logistics. The weekend was highly personalized, so we especially appreciated the level of flexibility and individualized care from the Athenaeum. The staff were amazing and there was always someone available to help, before we even anticipated the need!

The Athenaeum was the PERFECT place for our wedding. Carrie Gifford and her staff went above and beyond. They made an unforgettable weekend seamless for us! I could not recommend Carrie and the Athenaeum enough! We loved every minute. As for pricing, they were reasonable in every area and honored their contract despite a few small hits the hotel itself took. Best. Weekend. Ever. You will not be disappointed.

Carly Davis was amazing to work with. She had to deal with a variety of personalities in my family, which can be a challenge. She went above and beyond our expectations in every aspect, and made my wedding day a truly enjoyable experience. The venue was beautiful and very accommodating to each unique need our guests had. My only advice for anyone with guests staying overnight would be to have the guest welcome bags (if you choose to have some) at the front desk, because in our case, we chose to have them delivered to the rooms, but many of our guests never received them. Also, I would encourage guests to call the hotel instead of using the online booking system. The staff is super friendly, whereas the online booking system had errors, which resulted in about 10 of our guests thinking the hotel was full and reserved a room elsewhere.

Carly was amazing. Everything was outstanding.

Carly Davis, Apryl, and the staff of the Athenaeum were an absolute dream to work with for my wedding. They were extremely professional and responsive throughout the whole process, and were able to adeptly juggle all requests from myself and my mother-in-law. From start to finish, they did a great job and I was completely at ease on my wedding day. They known what they are doing, but also transparent about any limitations. I highly recommend this venue!

From the time I was a little girl, I've always dreamed of having my wedding at the Athenaeum Hotel, and it was exactly what I imagined. Everything was absolutely perfect! Carly Davis, the wedding coordinator at the hotel, was incredible to work with and made everything, (from the initial contract to my wedding day) run so smoothly.
My guests raved about the history and beauty of the hotel. They loved having a glass of wine on the porch rocking chairs during cocktail hour and taking in the view of Chautauqua Lake. The food and service were also great. It truly is a one of kind venue and it was the perfect location for my wedding reception.

I cannot say enough about how wonderful this place is. The grounds alone are breathtaking, you could not ask for a more peaceful or beautiful location for such a special day. Carly (the special events coordinator) was very responsive to every email my mom and I sent. She was so helpful in getting every detail just right. The staff was amazing from the servers to the bartender, and the food was out of this world. My guests would not stop raving about how much they loved the food. If your torn over this location, my only advice would be do it, you won't regret it.

Our wedding planner Carly was amazing! I cannot say enough about how she took care of us an our wedding. From the day we first met with her she was always available for any questions we had (and there were plenty). She was extremely flexible with our out of the ordinary ideas. She took care of our wedding day and our breakfast seamlessly. I can't say enough about how amazing the food was! It was the best truffle ravioli I have had anywhere, not just for wedding food! Our guests included many foodies and they were impressed. Of course the location is gorgeous and historical, but everyone was friendly and helpful including Alexis the bell person who was at the bridal party's service throughout our trip. Scott the AV specialist was also great meeting with us at the rehearsal and flawlessly pulling off the tech for the ceremony. Request Carly and you will not be disappointed.

The staff (Apryl , Kristan and others) were fantastic. The venue is perfect and charming as can be. The food was the best we ever had at a wedding. My daughter and son in law had the best day ever.

We had a wonderful experience! Carly was extremely professional, very helpful, and responsive to our needs. My daughter's wedding reception was just fabulous thanks to great food, service, and perfect attention to every detail.

First and foremost, this venue is lovely and beautiful and full of charm and uniqueness. Here is my review:

1) the food is excellent and working with Chef Travis is fun and he is creative and top of the line. talk to him about working outside their traditional menu because he has tons of creative ideas and they have the ability to work with local (and organic) venues nearby. We offered Filet mignon, Salmon and a scooped Buttnernut Squash with quinoa and rice. The beef was from grass-fed local farms and many of the other sides were local and VERY fresh. We also offered our guests at check in massive bowls of local apples and pears which everyone loved. Chef Travis is incredibly accommodating as we had MANY allergies (gluten, dairy) to plan for.

2) Be careful about the weekend you plan your wedding - they WILL book multiple weddings during your weekend. We planned our wedding in 7 weeks and one of our stipulations was that we wouldn't share the weekend with other weddings because we wanted to rent the venue and the entire hotel for our guests. I would HIGHLY recommend doing that - it feels like a vacation and all of the guests end up knowing each other because they are all there for the same event.

3) you basically get bare minimums here - if you want premiums you will pay for them. (i.e. valet parking, premium alcohol, golf carts, better food, etc.)

4) the staff is wonderful and very kind and we adored working with (almost) all of them.

5) the Hall of Philosophy is the most wonderful location to get married - we got married October 11 and it was 70 degrees, sunny and heavenly.

6) one of my biggest gripes is that they charged many of my friends "smoking" fees who were definitely not smoking in the room

7) the hotel is old. built in1886 old. just be aware of that when putting your guests up here. it is certainly charming but there is nothing luxurious about it. i will say, however, that $109 a night was an extremely reasonable rate.