Oneida Nation buys Verona hotel, will rebrand it as Sandstone Hollow Inn

VERONA, N.Y. — The Oneida Indian Nation announced it has acquired the Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham in Verona and will rebrand the hotel as the Sandstone Hollow Inn.

The terms of the purchase agreement are “confidential,” Joel Barkin, VP of communications at the Oneida Indian Nation, tells CNYBJ in an email.

Located at 5118 State Route 365, next to Turning Stone’s Sandstone Hollow Golf Course, it will make 81 additional rooms available to visitors, the Oneida Nation said in a Wednesday news release.

The Oneida Indian Nation says its newest property is in response to the “growing demand” for rooms at Turning Stone Resort Casino. The Oneida Nation also sees it as “the latest indicator of positive economic growth in the region.”

“The Oneida Indian Nation is making this investment to accommodate the public’s increased demand for Turning Stone,” Ray Halbritter, Oneida Indian Nation representative and Oneida Nation Enterprises CEO, said. “This purchase will add much-needed additional accommodations for the growing number of visitors looking to enjoy the amenities at Turning Stone and people coming to visit the region.”

Turning Stone Resort Casino draws more than 4.5 million visitors from across the country to the area annually, the Oneida Nation said.

The “majority” of Microtel’s 20 employees have been retained to work at the new hotel. Some of the employees chose to leave, and some “weren’t able to meet our standards,” per Barkin’s message.

With the hotel’s occupancy to “increase significantly” after reopening, the Oneida Nation anticipates it will likely require additional staff to meet the demand.

The Oneida Nation has closed the hotel for a few days to complete a changeover to its own systems and branding. The property will reopen to the public as Sandstone Hollow Inn on Feb. 12.

Guests staying at Sandstone Hollow Inn will receive complimentary shuttle service to Turning Stone. Sandstone Hollow Inn — which derives its name from the land’s original use as a sandstone quarry — will also offer continental breakfast service, laundry facilities, and will welcome guests traveling with dogs.

Another hotel is also on the way with Lenox, Massachusetts–based Benchmark Development announcing last fall that it is building a Hampton Inn by Hilton on Oneida Nation lands, adjacent to Turning Stone. It anticipates opening that 64,000-square-foot, 109-room property at 5186 Route 365 this summer.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com