The construction at Destiny USA for a hotel intended to bring more tourists to visit the city of Syracuse has reached a milestone: The outer structure of the building is complete.

The hotel, Embassy Suites By Hilton Syracuse-Destiny USA, has 209 rooms and will open in fall 2017. The project will also feature an on-site restaurant and pool.

From now until next year, construction workers will work on the interior of the hotel, said Aiden McGuire, the director of marketing at Destiny USA.

The cost of the construction is $48 million and financed by M&T Bank, Berkshire Bank and Tompkins Trust Company. The hotel will be operated by Aimbridge Hospitality, the nation’s second largest independent hotel management firm.

Destiny USA, McGuire said, is an international tourist destination. Destiny USA was the sixth largest shopping complex in the country and the largest one in New York state, he said.

“We are not your typical shopping mall. We are truly a destination,” McGuire said. “We have outlets. We have an entire floor dedicated to entertainment. We are truly so much more than a mall.”

McGuire said the hotel would be yet another tool Destiny USA will have to grow itself as a destination and bring people in from further destinations for longer periods of stay.

“This project was done with tourism in mind,” he added. “This is going to be another great way for traveling families from Canada and other parts of the globe to extend their stay in Syracuse.”

He said aside from the obvious highlight of the hotel, which is being the only hotel on property, the hotel has several important features. Every room was in a suite format that is intended to attract families looking to “play and stay,” which was a unique attribute of the project, McGuire added.

McGuire also said the fact that they could customize their packaging with the hotel was another important aspect of the project.

“We very much see our hotel not as a competitive threat to other hotels in Syracuse but as a part of a joint effort to bring more tourists to central New York,” McGuire said. “We are working with the entire hotel community to bring more people here, as a collective effort.”

Nikita Jankowski, Visit Syracuse Communications Manager, said the Destiny USA hotel would offer “so many benefits” to the local community.

Published on December 6, 2016 at 11:42 pm

Contact Deniz: dsahintu@syr.edu