For more than 35 years, The Hayner Hoyt Corporation has been a proud partner of the Oneida Indian Nation, working alongside their team on projects that have grown Turning Stone Resort Casino into a premier Regional Destination. Over the past several years, that partnership reached new heights with the Turning Stone Evolution built through a joint venture between The Hayner Hoyt Corporation and TN Ward Company Builders, which delivered three major additions to the resort: The Crescent Hotel and SALT Seafood & Raw Bar, a new Parking Center, and The Grand Expo, which celebrated its grand opening on August 29, 2026.
With the Evolution now complete, here’s what it means for Turning Stone and Central New York.
A $400 Million Investment
The Turning Stone Evolution capital investment project is the Oneida Indian Nation’s largest ever reinvestment into Turning Stone Resort Casino. The project generated a one-time economic impact exceeding $600 million and created more than 3,500 construction and related jobs, with more than 60 local New York businesses awarded contracts.
The Oneida Indian Nation partnered with world-renowned architecture and design firm Gensler to bring its vision for the Evolution to life. THHC/TNW a Joint Venture served as the Construction Manager for the Evolution, overseeing a vast network of subcontractors throughout construction to bring the project to a successful conclusion, months ahead of schedule and millions of dollars under the budget.
"The project is, by far, the largest project we've ever been involved with."
Jeremy Thurston President, The Hayner Hoyt CorporationThe Crescent Hotel & SALT Seafood + Raw Bar
The Crescent’s official grand opening celebration was held on July 17, 2026. As Turning Stone’s fourth on-property hotel, The Crescent adds a striking new silhouette to the resort’s skyline. It brings 258 guest rooms and suites, including 23 suites, finished with modern textures, furniture, and luxury amenities, along with direct indoor connectivity to the Grand Expo, Event Center Showroom, restaurants, and the gaming floor. The hotel has its own dedicated private entrance and check-in experience, plus ground-floor retail and dining, including The Pantry, a grab-and-go café, and Oneida Sky, a heritage shop featuring art, jewelry, and goods created by Oneida Indian Nation artisans. Alongside the hotel, SALT Seafood & Raw Bar debuted as a new fine dining venue conceived by Turning Stone’s award-winning culinary team. The Crescent is also home to Rome Health’s Convenient Care, giving guests, staff, and community members a place to find care right on the resort campus.
“As we prepare to become New York’s largest meetings and conventions resort destination, it was essential that we elevated every aspect of the Turning Stone experience.” — Ray Halbritter, Oneida Indian Nation Representative & CEO, Turning Stone Enterprises (TurningStone.com)
From Hayner Hoyt’s own recap of the celebration:
“It’s the kind of project that reflects exactly why we do this work: building spaces that don’t just serve a single grand opening, but that shape a region’s economy, hospitality industry, and sense of place for decades to come.” (Hayner Hoyt)
The Grand Expo
The Grand Expo opened with a celebration Gala held Saturday, August 29, 2026. It’s the centerpiece of the Turning Stone Evolution, and the project that officially made Turning Stone New York’s largest meetings and conventions resort. The 165,000 square foot facility, combined with existing resort space, brought Turning Stone’s total meeting and convention footprint to 225,000 square feet at completion. The Grand Expo includes a 30,000 square foot Grand Ballroom, the smaller Navajo Ballroom, and nine breakout and meeting rooms, two of which open onto outdoor patios. A 24,000 square foot landscaped outdoor courtyard and terrace can host up to 2,000 guests, and the new White Pine Café rounds out the dining options. The design features expansive pillarless event spaces, towering ceilings, and abundant natural light, along with a direct indoor connection to the rest of the Resort that lets guests and event planners move seamlessly between accommodations, meetings, dining, and entertainment without leaving the property.
Designed in partnership with architecture firm Gensler, The Grand Expo represents the most significant expansion of Turning Stone’s meetings and events capabilities in the resort’s history. With the Grand Expo complete, Turning Stone now offers guests access to four hotels, 1,046 hotel rooms, 26 restaurants, and 225,000 square feet of event space.
Behind the scenes, the Grand Expo’s kitchens were built to match the scale of everything happening out front. The facility includes nearly 19,000 square feet of kitchen space and 22 walk-in coolers and freezers, outfitted with more than 650 scheduled kitchen equipment items. The result is a culinary operation designed to serve up to 3,000 guests per hour, giving event planners the confidence to host everything from an intimate executive dinner to a full-scale convention banquet without missing a beat.
"With the completion of the Turning Stone Evolution and the opening of The Grand Expo, we have fulfilled our most ambitious vision yet for the resort, our enterprises and Central New York. This historic investment to make Turning Stone New York's largest meetings and conventions resort destination will transform tourism and economic development in the region for decades to come, allowing us to continue diversifying our enterprises, attract larger events and compete with the country's top business and leisure travel destinations."
Ray Halbritter Chief Executive Officer, Turning Stone EnterprisesProud to Build It, Together
Turning Stone Evolution stands as one of the largest projects in Hayner Hoyt’s history, and a testament to what’s possible when a long-standing partnership and a shared vision come together. The Oneida Indian Nation and Turning Stone Enterprises have called this new era at the resort “A New State of Hospitality,” and it’s a fitting description of what these three projects deliver together.