It was designed by Esenwein & Johnson, an architectural firm from Buffalo, for United Hotels Company of America.

Famous guests included Judy Garland, Mickey Mantle, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, Hopalong Cassidy, Mae West, Bobby Darin, and then-current Vice President Dick Cheney.

Loan payments were a problem for the hotel and the City of Utica, which had been spending around $500,000 a year to cover unmet obligations.

[4] The Corning, NY, based company currently owns and operates over 40 hotels in New York state including several already in Utica.

[6] On August 13 2018, Donald Trump spoke at a fundraiser for congresswoman Claudia Tenney at the Hotel Utica.