Syracuse University is looking to develop a hotel near its campus, a move that would help address a need for more hotels in the downtown area of the upstate New York city.
The university is eyeing a site at the corner of University Avenue and Harrison Street, across from a university-owned parking garage, according to a news release. Syracuse University is in discussions about partnering with a hotel brand and management company. The hotel is expected to open in the fall of 2027.
The Syracuse region is preparing for two major commercial projects that community leaders said will transform the area. Micron Technology is planning to develop a $100 billion semiconductor factory north of downtown Syracuse, with construction expected to begin in late 2025. Additionally, the state of New York is demolishing the Interstate 81 raised freeway that passes through downtown Syracuse, creating space for commercial development and public amenities such as parks and trails.
The downtown parcel where Syracuse University plans to develop the 200-room, full-service hotel is a short walk to the school’s southern border, a part of campus that includes the School of Management and College of Professional Studies. The private university has an enrollment of about 22,700 students, including both undergraduate and graduate students.
Syracuse University earlier this year converted the former Sheraton Hotel at 801 University Ave. into a dormitory called Orange Hall.
“Following the transformation of the former Sheraton Hotel, it was clear that there was still a significant need for additional hotel and event space in the area immediately adjacent to our campus,” Brett Padgett, the university’s chief financial officer, said in the release.
The school also recently acquired the Hotel Skyler Syracuse, a Hilton property located next to the lot for the proposed new hotel.
At least one other major hotel development project is ongoing in downtown Syracuse. Onondaga County in June announced it is seeking a development partner for a 200-room hotel at 431 Harrison St. next to the Everson Museum of Art.
Separately, the Crowne Plaza Syracuse at 701 E. Genesee St., also near the college campus, closed in October in advance of its planned conversion into a multifamily property.