An extended-stay hotel is expected to open next year in downtown Syracuse, adding to the recent wave of development and revitalization happening in the city’s southern downtown area.

A Hyatt House Hotel is being built on East Onondaga Street as a place for guests who need more amenities during their stay. The hotel will be located in a building previously occupied by additional space for the Marriott Syracuse Downtown.

Gary Thurston, CEO of construction company Hayner Hoyt, said the Hyatt House Hotel is meant for guests who wish to stay for about three to five days, or more. In addition to the bedrooms, the rooms will also include kitchens and a living area.

The rooms are “a home away from home,” said Thurston, who is also a senior partner on the Hyatt project.

Thurston has been involved in the project since 2007, when his company was hired to convert the old Hotel Syracuse rooms into apartments, he said. The Hotel Syracuse, which the Hyatt House building is connected to by a pedestrian bridge, reopened as the Marriott Syracuse Downtown in August 2016.

The Hyatt construction project was expected to be completed much earlier, but production stopped due to an issue that needed addressing, Thurston said. He didn’t disclose the issue that stopped production.

Thurston said he hopes to complete the project in 2020. The Hyatt House will impact the downtown area by completing the construction of one of the last remaining buildings on East Onondaga Street, he said.

“I think it will add to the significance of that area,” Thurston said.

The new extended-stay Hyatt House will especially serve families of patients in SUNY Upstate Medical University, Crouse Hospital or Saint Joseph Health Hospitals, said Ed Riley, owner of the Marriott Syracuse Downtown.

The demand for the Marriott came after a convention center in the city’s downtown area began hosting large events, drawing more people to the city, Riley said. The hotel is currently in the process of obtaining approvals necessary to construct 54 new guest rooms, he said.

Since the hotel has been open, Riley said he’s seen increased activity along Warren and Salina streets. He said the Marriot is “very fortunate” to be a part of that recent growth. Not only do people now come to that area to stay at the hotel, but also to visit the restaurants and bars, Riley said.

The Hyatt project ties in with Mayor Ben Walsh’s Syracuse Surge initiative, a plan to revitalize the downtown area, said Eric Ennis, the city’s director of economic development. The initiative includes other projects such as the renovation of the old Central Tech High School into a STEAM high school, which will teach science, technology, engineering, art and math.

“The amount of ancillary benefits to these kinds of projects is enormous when we look at the future of Syracuse and the future of downtown,” he said.

While the soon-to-be Hyatt House building is now surrounded by fencing and barricades, Ennis said he hopes the finished product will bring an energy similar to that of Armory Square — a vibrant area where people will want to walk through, explore, shop and eat. Armory Square is located in downtown Syracuse.

The Marriott and its affiliated restaurants, like Shaughnessy’s Irish Pub and Eleven Waters, bring street life, employment and visitors to the southern edge of the downtown area, Ennis said. Both the new rooms in the Marriott Syracuse Downtown and the opening of the Hyatt House will increase the city’s ability to attract visitors, he said.

“It has all the makings of an exciting economic development opportunity for the entire area,” Ennis said of the Hyatt House.

Published on October 6, 2019 at 9:28 pm

Contact Sarah: scalessa@syr.edu | @sarahalessan