Turning Stone Resort Casino has completed the first phase of its $370 million Evolution expansion months ahead of schedule. The first wave includes the Crescent Hotel, which opened on 29 June with 258 rooms, and Salt, the restaurant on the seventh floor.
When the Grand Expo opens around Labor Day, the resort says the property will become New York’s largest meetings and conventions resort. According to a Turning Stone press release, the project had originally been planned for 2027.
The Grand Expo will add 200,000 sq. ft. of meeting rooms, including two ballrooms and a Grand Ballroom that can be configured in several ways. The design also includes a 25,000 sq. ft. courtyard at the centre of the space and is built to accommodate close to 2,000 guests.
The wider Evolution project also includes a new 1,600-space parking garage, which doubles existing indoor parking capacity, and an on-site medical centre for team members, their families and resort guests. Turning Stone Enterprises said it already has more than 5,000 team members.
The company put the one-time economic impact of the $370 million investment at more than $600 million and said the project will create more than 3,500 construction and related jobs. It also said the expansion has driven $263 million in spending with New York State vendors and more than $161 million with businesses in Oneida, Madison and Onondaga counties, alongside 90 subcontractor awards since work began, including 60 to New York businesses.
Ray Halbritter, the Oneida Indian Nation representative and chief executive of Turning Stone Enterprises, called the Evolution a “transformational investment in bringing new people to upstate New York and giving them reasons to return.” The Oneida Indian Nation said it plans to hire more than 350 new team members in 2026 to support the expansion.
