Turning Stone’s Evolution is slated for completion “ahead of schedule”
The Turning Stone “Evolution,” consisting of the Crescent Hotel, Salt Seafood & Raw Bar, and the Grand Expo conference and event center, will debut next year, instead of 2027 as originally anticipated, according to Oneida Indian Nation officials.
Its grand opening is now targeted for June 29, 2026, with the opening of the Grand Expo conference and event center set to be online by Labor Day weekend. The additions to the sprawling resort and casino enterprise, owned and operated by the Oneida Indian Nation, will then feature 200,000 square feet of “beautiful, modern, meeting space,” dubbing it the largest meetings and conventions resort space in the state of New York.
“The Turning Stone Evolution is a transformational investment in bringing new people to Upstate New York and giving them reasons to return,” said Oneida Indian Nation Representative and Turning Stone Enterprises Chief Executive Officer Ray Halbritter in a statement. “Everything the Evolution is creating will allow us to compete with some of the top tourism and events markets in the country–destinations like New York City, Chicago, Orlando and more–and demonstrate what we have always known about Upstate New York: that we have everything these destinations offer and more.”
About Turning Stone’s evolution
A statement from Oneida Indian Nation calls the “Evolution” project the “largest reinvestment into Turning Stone Resort Casino,” partnering with the world-renowned architecture and design firm, Gensler, to bring its vision for “Evolution” to life. Further to the event, meeting, dining, and stay space, the addition will include an expansion of covered parking by 1600 spaces and a medical center.
The $370 million investment is forecast to create a $600 million impact on the Central New York region, creating 3,500 construction jobs, increased vendor spending, and “$161 million spent with businesses in Oneida, Madison and Onondaga Counties.”
The project inspired the issuing of 90 subcontracts, including 60 to New York State subcontractors. The “Evolution” space will also add 350 new jobs to the current workforce of over 5,000, rendering Oneida Indian Nation’s Turning Stone enterprise one of the region’s largest employers.
These investments build upon the growth driven by Oneida Indian Nation investment in central Upstate New York region. In 2022, an economic impact analysis conducted by Oxford Economics, one of the world’s leading global independent advisory firms, found that Turning Stone and Oneida Indian Nation’s other business operations “generated a more than $1 billion economic impact within the region.”
Space for dining, dancing and gathering
The Grand Expo space boasts two ballrooms, including a “Grand Ballroom,” an outdoor terrace, and a 25,000 square-foot courtyard as part of “spacious design” appointed to welcome up to 2,000 guests for gatherings from business conferences to reunions to wedding receptions and more.
The Crescent Hotel, further to adding aesthetic to the Turning Stone campus, also adds 258 luxury guest rooms. While it will offer a dedicated entrance and check-in, guests will enjoy “indoor connectivity to the Grand Expo, Event Center Showroom, restaurants, and the gaming floor.
New restaurant conceived by award-winning culinary team
The Crescent hotel will be home to Salt Seafood & Raw Bar, with the concept conceived by Turning Stone’s culinary team and its “Four Star Award-winning” venues, such as TS Steakhouse, which recently won USA TODAY 10BEST honors.
The venue will offer private dining rooms and heated terraces, allowing guests to define their experience by the occasion. Heated terraces will invite three-season outdoor dining in the four-season locale. Located on the 7th floor of the hotel, the seafood fete features “sweeping views of the beautiful natural landscape” and is promised to “redefine find dining in Upstate New York.”
Booking for The Crescent Hotel will begin in early 2026, while reservations for groups and events at The Grand Expo are being accepted now.
For more information about the Turning Stone Evolution, please visit turningstone.com.
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Turning Stone’s $370M expansion set to open ahead of schedule in June 2026
Reporting by Cara Dolan Berry, Utica Observer Dispatch / Observer-Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
