The Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Utica is a historic hotel building in Utica, New York. It was designed by Esenwein & Johnson, an architectural firm from Buffalo, and is located on the northwest corner of Lafayette Street and Seneca Street for United Hotels Company of America. The hotel was restored with public funding and reopened in 2001.
History of Hotel Utica
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The Hotel Utica (circa 1912) was originally built as a 10-story building of fireproof construction with 200 rooms, four dining rooms, a ballroom, an assembly hall, a restaurant for ladies and a grill and cafe for gentlemen. The top four floors were added in 1926, which increased the total number of rooms to 250. Famous guests included: Judy Garland, Mickey Mantle, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, Hopalong Cassidy, Mae West, Bobby Darin, and then current U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney. As business declined, the hotel ceased operating in 1972. It then became two adult care residences, the Hunter House and then Loretto Adult Residence. After a period of vacancy, it was purchased by local investors Joseph R. Carucci and Charles N. Gaetano. They undertook a $13 million rehabilitation from 1999-2001 that was patterned on the restoration of The Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C. In 2001, The Hotel Utica became a member of The National Trust for Historic Preservation's Historic Hotels of America.
Loan payments have been a problem for the hotel and the City of Utica, which has been spending around $500,000 a year to cover unmet obligations. The nearby Radisson Hotel has had a special assessment deal on its taxes. The Hotel Utica was listed for sale at $10.7 million in 2009. After years of Carucci and Gaetano failing to pay property and school taxes, and falling behind on the remaining $6.3 million on what originally was a $5 million U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development loan. In 2006 the Hotel Utica became a franchise of the hotel chain Choice Hotels International, though ownership remained private.
In May 2016 Hotel Utica was purchased by the hotel management company, Visions Hotels. The Corning, NY, based company currently owns and operates over 40 hotels in New York state including several already in Utica: Hampton Inn Utica, Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Utica, and Fairfield Inn & Suites, Utica.
Renovations at Hotel Utica started in the fall of 2016, after Visions Hotels secured an agreement with Hilton Worldwide to complete a Property Improvement Plan and convert to the hotel chain Doubletree by Hilton.
Beginning in May 2017 the hotel debuted their new rooms with the top two floors being available to book. Totally renovated, the rooms feature all new flooring, wall vinyl, ceilings, and completely redone bathrooms. The new furniture includes new Doubletree beds, reading lights, all new cabinets with refrigerators, and coffee makers. The bathrooms include very large sinks and vanities including lighted personal make-up mirrors as well as a huge lighted main mirror, along with all new tubs for the Queen bedrooms and walk-in showers with glass barn-doors for the King bedrooms.
The hotel celebrated its grand reopening as the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Utica on October 24, 2017.
References
External links
- [1] Hotel Utica website
