Turning Stone Resort Casino — Attraction in Town of Verona

Readers be warned!!! My partner and I came to the resort, the photos of the rooms looked nice and spacious. We start our stay off with only two bath towels and asked for more through the accommodation which they didn't follow them, But they did tell us that they will send someone up with our accommodation it only took them 30 minutes to get to the room and bring it the housekeeper just kept his head down and looked at his phone when I answered the door and just push the towels to me and carried on to get the trash that another guest left in the hallway. After that we got up for the next day and asked for more towels and a different blanket since it was not the right size for the bed it took them about an hour and again same type of interaction just looking down at their phone just pushing the towels off to me. Now we on our last night here decided to go to the pool and swim here are all the issues there. 1. You need to check in with the receptionist to get your towels with providing your room number and last name so they can account for the towels. 2. The pool was a dark and mearky color and was obviously not maintained with algae in between the tile and the grates, bonus feature their chlorine tablets or what ever they where just sitting in the pool. 3. The pool was way to cold I normally like a colder water but this was fridged and to uncomfortable to be in. With how nasty the pool was we didn't even bother looking or going into the hot tub because of three older gentlemen with the swim suits sliding down nearly exposing the rear end. 4. THE DRAINS AND LOCKER ROOMS SMELLED LIKE SEWAGE!!!! I have been in the background of maintaining a facilities before this just has not been taken care of and it really shows by how the receptionist was more worried about being a towel police and looking at his phone then to really get up and check on the pool and gym area ( i completely understand people can have their breaks but we walked in on him on his phone to the point we were in the pool area we can still see him sitting there on his phone) they just fool you with the appearance to look nice but its to cover up the way they operate this "resort". We came up after experiencing the pool and called down for more towels because we were sopping wet and dragged up all the dripping wet water for our bathing suits from the pool since Mr. Towel police wouldn't let you leave the pool and gym area without dropping them off in their hampers. They now are not bringing or delivering any towels until they look at their security cameras to make sure that we gave back our dirty towels. It has been 2 hours since then and Sara or whoever is working the front desk at 2am on Wednesday August 13th they are more worried about somebody not giving back their dirty towels than just having a satisfied customer. This place really needs to get their towel policing out of here and have more satisfying stays and reviews. The only thing I have been satisfied with is the room being cleaned when we got here and other than that just employees have been rude or just not accommodating.

UPDATE: before checking out or requesting for my vehicle back they took it upon themselves to pull my vehicle out of their parking garage after it was just washed and left it in the rain and behind a dirty construction truck that left dust and dirt plush the dried rain. When I talked to the valet they said that management had requested to pull my vehicle out for the quick checking out process. Yet the valet and hotel are two different entities. The hotel doesn't even know what your valet number is when you walk up to the front desk you just ask them to validate it and all they do is slap their little stamped on saying hotel so I really dont know which management staff told valet to move the vehicle out or what access valet has with check out time but this was just a message to me that they wanted to push people out and not have to hold up their process even though they have construction and renovation going on. I also their complaints department...

I first went to Turning Stone about 25 years ago when I was a college student. After college I moved out to the west coast for a while (including 9 years in Las Vegas), only recently moving back to New York, so it’s been a couple decades in between visits. To see how this place has grown since then is simply mind blowing!

We recently stayed in the Tower for a long weekend, in part, to see Tom Segura at the Event Center. Our room was fabulous: well-appointed, comfortable, clean, and quiet. Really couldn’t ask for anything more. There are so many beautiful spaces throughout the resort and all are kept well-maintained. One of the many things my wife and I enjoyed are the different bars, lounges, and nooks that fit whatever vibe you’re looking for. Whether you want to people watch in the middle of the action or need a little quiet time after the pinhead sitting in the caboose seat hit a 13 when the dealer was showing 5, Turning Stone’s got a good place for everyone to hang.

But most remarkably, every bite of food and every interaction with a dealer, server, valet, bell hop, front desk clerk, manager, bartender, cleaning staff, and event personnel was top-shelf hospitality. Top. Shelf. Having worked on the Las Vegas Strip for 9 years, I’ve gained a strong appreciation for how the back of house and front work together. Bravo to the management team, training, and systems they have in place! Whatever you’re doing, it’s working!

I could go on and on about the excellent meals we had, so I will. The Upstate Tavern is a well-oiled machine that has impeccable service and even better food. We’ve visited this restaurant the most (4-5 times) and every bite and sip has been on point. Not to be missed is the Signature Corn Chowder, which in and of itself is a destination dish. The Tavern Wedge Salad ain’t like no wedge salad I know. Very well thought out and balanced between the funkiness of the blue cheese, the sweetness of the Whiskey Glaze (yes, you read that right), the salty savory of the bacon, and the freshness of the crisp, quality iceberg and heirloom grape tomatoes. Other noteworthy dishes are the Fish and Chips, Chicken Rochester, and Tavern Everything Melt. For the pub-style burger lovers out there, Chuck’s Tavern Burger was a tremendous rendition, perfectly seasoned and at a coast-to-coast medium rare. It’s simple food consistently done right. And to throw the indulgence factor into overdrive, the Boozy Milkshakes are phenomenal. I can’t say enough good things about the Upstate Tavern.

Brunch at the NY Rec & Social Club is also a quality choice. Kicking the gastropub vibe up a notch, the Triple Threat features a Banana Split Waffle, S’mores Pancakes, and some happy happy Baklava French Toast. If you have a sweet tooth, or really any kind of tooth, it’s a brunch spectacle to behold. Another home run is the Benedict Trio which features a Classic Benny, a Steak with Truffled Hollandaise edition, and a Country style with Ham and Biscuit. They all feature a kicked up spicy hollandaise as the base, which was absolutely delicious.

Lastly, no casino can be complete without its 24-hour cafe, and the Emerald Restaurant is pound for pound one of the best I’ve been to. Great service every time we’ve gone, the food is consistently delicious, and the prices are more than reasonable for what you get. The Country Fried Steak and Eggs was a pleasant surprise with house-made fried steak and a lusciously rich potato pancake as a base. If you’re looking for something a little lighter, the Cobb Salad uses great groceries and hits the spot as a Cobb Salad is known to do. And while I’m here, I need to give a shoutout to two things I love at the Emerald: 1.) They offer single pancakes to scratch that itch as needed. And 2.) They give you a carafe of coffee at the table, which is a welcome delight day or night.

Overall, it was one of the best experiences I’ve had at a casino resort. Thank you to everyone at Turning Stone for such a wonderful weekend. I already can’t wait...

Had to laugh at the situation I witnessed on the evening of 4/8/2025 with a pit boss at the only active BJ pit. I've been going to Turning Stone since they opened, and it had to make me wonder how clueless they must be with maintaining customers, not that casinos need to. I was sitting with my son at a BJ table, and had a great table and dealer. Pit Boss comes up to a younger person with a very small bankroll that just sat down on the customer side of the table and asks to talk to him. Proceeds to state that the cameras had caught him being paid out on a $20 bet at another table that he should not have won and made comments to get him to give back the money without directly asking. Obviously, they have every right to do so, and if he refused, they can ban anyone from the Casino. But this tall bald pit boss (sorry, easiest way to describe him), really pressed him and eventually the person left the chips on the table and left. While they were talking, I had yelled over are you really hurting that bad for money? He proceeded to come over to me and ask me if I would want my money if I was not paid. I responded of course, but I have never and don't believe that they would proactively do that such as they did here if roles were reversed, without me first pointing it out. He disagreed and said he does it all the time. So, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, although I told him I didn't believe a word. But here's the deal.... They give free play out well in excess of that small amount, and there is a reason they do it. Keep customers coming in, and they spent the free play, and lose more money on top of that. The guy was sitting down at a table with about $50 in chips and the minimum at that point was $25 a hand. Do you think he was going to walk away with money? Almost guaranteed not. What do you think this person's impression of the casino is? Do you think they are likely to come back if they have other choices? Really poor optics on this and the pit bosses need some better training. I'll support them with the claw back if it was a significant amount, but a $20 bet?!?! Holy cow, give me a break!

Assume they now have AI programs analyzing the cameras, so they are having fun with their new toys. Sure, this honestly didn't impact me in the least, but I felt badly for the couple, and really was laughing at how proud the guy was to get $40 back for the casino. Another question is how do they account for those chips left on the table, that's okay to just rake them into the other table's chips?

All he had to do was talk to him and let him know that the cameras saw he was paid, and that nothing would be done this time, but if it happened again, they will ask for the money back and he could be removed from the casino. That would allow him to relay that he was being watched closely, but not completely alienate two or more potential long term donators.

Hope this guy was proud! Casino will be very thankful to have its $40 I'm sure that it would have gotten anyways in 10 minutes by...