Despite a few setbacks, including equipment coming in late, the Sheraton University Hotel and Conference Center is still on track for renovation completions before the new year.

The hotel is in its final phase of interior renovations, said Gil Reyes, hotel manager. The hotel is in the middle of renovating the front desk and gift shop area. The front desk is also being transformed into a pod-like structure instead of a traditional hotel desk, Reyes said.

Rachel’s Restaurant, located on the hotel’s first floor, is also being completely renovated. Hotel officials expect the restaurant to be completed by late December, Reyes said.

Despite a few minor setbacks, hotel officials expect the construction to be completed by Dec. 30, Reyes said.

‘Knock on wood, we are on pace to finish about 95 percent of our renovations on time,’ he said. ‘Anything minor left over is due to items arriving late from overseas.’

The hotel’s renovations began last December, with the remodeling of the hotel’s 235 guest rooms, Reyes said. Hotel officials began with the most challenging aspects of their interior renovations first, during a time when hotel occupancy was particularly low, he said.

‘We wanted to focus on the biggest guest impact areas first while our hotel occupancy was down, so minimal guest issues would occur,’ Reyes said.

After the renovations of the guest rooms, the hotel began renovations on the hotel’s bar and grill, Sitrus on the Hill.

‘The complete renovation of Sitrus on the Hill, formerly known as Seasons at the Hill, was a big task because not only did we have a complete facelift to our bar, but we also rebranded it,’ Reyes said. ‘This would call for a new marketing strategy and a new menu to attract more guests to this outlet.’

The hotel’s renovations on Sitrus on the Hill were completed in November, Reyes said.

Despite the ongoing construction, the hotel has received an overall positive response from its hotel guests, he said.

Stephen Mastronardo, a guest of the Sheraton and Class of 1975 alumnus, said he has been staying at the Sheraton during visits to his alma mater for years and is very happy with the hotel’s updates.

‘The rooms look great. They look a lot more updated, and they’re very comfortable and welcoming,’ Mastronardo said.

Despite ongoing construction, his stay at the Sheraton was still comfortable and enjoyable, Mastronardo said.

‘The hotel’s construction really hasn’t inconvenienced me during my stay,’ Mastronardo said. ‘The only thing that I really noticed was that Rachel’s Restaurant was closed for renovations, but the staff has been very accommodating in making me feel comfortable.’

Like Mastronardo, Jacqueline Roskosky said she was happy with her experience staying at the Sheraton during her son’s tour of the SU campus.

Roskosky said: ‘The rooms are very nice and even though the hotel’s restaurant wasn’t open during our stay, there were a lot of other dining options available, so we really didn’t have a problem.’

adhitzle@syr.edu

Published on December 5, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Alexandra: adhitzle@syr.edu | @LexieHitzler