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Marriott Syracuse Downtown adds 54 New Rooms and Rock N' Roll History

Credit John Smith / WAER News
(L-R) Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon, Marriot Syracuse Downtown Owner Ed Riley, and Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh cut the ribbon on the new entrance of additional rooms that have been renovated.  The rooms were not a part of the original renovations when the hotel reopened. 

Another update has been finished at the Marriott Syracuse Downtown with the addition of 54 new rooms.   The new “Hotel Syracuse Suite 1924” has memorabilia from the like of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Elvis and President Jimmy Carter who all stayed at the Hotel.  Owner Ed Riley gave dignitaries and the media a tour.

“You’ll see pictures on either side of the John Lennon event that was here for his 31st Birthday and them singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to him.  These are the copies of the two letters he wrote when he was staying here… on Hotel Syracuse stationary.”

A cabinet seen in the photo of Lennon’s Birthday party is also part of the offerings.  Riley says within the short time the additional rooms have been open, hotel occupancy has already reached record highs.  He is excited to show-off the new additions as well as the artifacts and pieces of Syracuse history but, he also wants to keep looking toward the future.

“I’m hopeful that we can get more the people that go to the (Lakeview) amphitheater.  We get a lot of entertainers here that go to the amp who stay.  We’d like to get pictures of them and add them to the walls.  We just don’t want to see the old days, we have a lot of new things exciting happening here, we want to make sure that’s documented too.”  

Mayor Ben Walsh and County Executive Ryan McMahon were in attendance for the ribbon cutting ceremony.   McMahon says ventures like the hotel adding rooms goes to show that the COVID virus is on the run and Syracuse is on the rise.

John Smith has been waking up WAER listeners for a long time as our Local Co-Host of Morning Edition with timely news and information, working alongside student Sportscasters from the Newhouse School.