MANLIUS — By July, the 23-year old Craftsman Inn & Conference Center in the town of Manlius will have a new look and the inn’s Limestone Grille may have a new name. Phase one of the two-phase renovation plan has begun, explains Robert Richie, director of sales and marketing at the Craftsman, located on East […]
Get Instant Access to This Article
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
- Critical Central New York business news and analysis updated daily.
- Immediate access to all subscriber-only content on our website.
- Get a year's worth of the Print Edition of The Central New York Business Journal.
- Special Feature Publications such as the Book of Lists and Revitalize Greater Binghamton, Mohawk Valley, and Syracuse Magazines
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
MANLIUS — By July, the 23-year old Craftsman Inn & Conference Center in the town of Manlius will have a new look and the inn’s Limestone Grille may have a new name.
Phase one of the two-phase renovation plan has begun, explains Robert Richie, director of sales and marketing at the Craftsman, located on East Genesee Street. The 69-room inn, on the west side of the property, is undergoing renovation. Part of the work involved selling furniture that would not be needed after the renovation.
However, Richie tells CNYBJ, that the Craftsman Inn will continue to feature Stickley furniture, a signature of the inn since it opened in 1995.
On a recent morning, workers could be seen tossing items into a dumpster in front of the main building while printed signs directed visitors to the temporary registration desk in the building on the east side of the property. Work is being carried out by crews from DeWitt–based Widewaters Group, Richie says. Widewaters purchased the property to become part of its Widewaters Hotels in 2016.
Phase one of the renovation involves updates to the rooms and the lobby of the inn section. It should be done in April, Richie says.
Phase two will involve renovating the east-side building, including 21 suites, meeting rooms and the Limestone Grille, he says.
The work will require the restaurant to close from March 4 until sometime in July, Richie says. When it returns, much will be changed.
“The restaurant is going to have a brand new concept that Syracuse has never seen,” he says, declining to offer more details on the concept.
Architect renderings of the renovations show added space under cover matching the craftsman style of the existing buildings. Part of the new space created, a covered patio with infrared heat, is meant to allow diners to extend the al fresco season, Richie says. Changes may even include a new name for the Limestone Grille, though that isn’t settled yet, he says.
Richie says the independent hotel is stressing that it is a “community hotel,” a place where families can mark life’s major milestones with wedding receptions, baby showers and even post-funeral gatherings. “We get to know who everybody is,” he says of the hotel located on the Fayetteville village line.
“We work with local vendors and give back to the community,” he adds, noting upcoming charitable fundraisers. “People know we are a community hotel,” he says. That is reflected in who uses the hotel on weekends, he adds. People check in for events at Syracuse University or Cazenovia College, as well as to attend local weddings.
More than 100 meetings of various kinds are hosted at the hotel and conference center each year. With 4,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, Richie says the Craftsman Inn can accommodate up to 200 people in a single room for an event.
According to the Widewaters website, the company has 21 hotels, including three being renovated or under construction.