VERONA, N.Y. — Big changes are on the way for the Oneida Indian Nation’s business enterprises including a new hotel and event spaces at Turning Stone Resort Casino and a new name for the business organization.
This fall, Oneida Nation Enterprises, the parent organization of the Nation’s businesses, will change its name to Turning Stone Enterprises. The change, which takes effect Oct. 1, recognizes the important role Turning Stone plays in setting the standard of all the Nation’s businesses.
The Nation announced a $370 million capital investment project to transform Turning Stone with a new 77,000-square-foot conference center will feature eight meeting rooms, two ballrooms, an outdoor courtyard with event space, and indoor parking garage.
The project also includes a new 258-room hotel called The Crescent with a seafood fine-dining restaurant. Existing lodging at the resort will also be refreshed and The Hotel will change its name to The Brook. In December, The Lounge with Caesars Sportsbook will move to the NY Rec & Social Club, formerly Lava Nightclub, in Turning Stone’s Exit 33 entertainment area.
Other planned additions at Turning Stone include an onsite medical center in partnership with Rome Health and a golf practice area. The Nation also plans to install more than 120 electric-vehicle chargers across its lands.
“The Turning Stone evolution is much more than just an expansion,” Ray Halbritter, Oneida Indian Nation representative and Oneida Nation Enterprises CEO, said in a press release. “It is nothing less than a full evolution of the region’s premier destination and its role as an economic leader.”
The Nation expects to break ground early next year on the two-year project. Gensler is the project architect and design firm. The Nation expects the project will generate a $616 million one-time economic impact, creating 3,600 one-time jobs, and generate $22.1 million in state and local tax revenue.
For much more on this story, see the Revitalize Mohawk Valley publication in the Aug. 7 edition of The Central New York Business Journal.