In Brief: Sugar House Hotel has opened in Winooski, Vermont, with 115 guest rooms. The property is Marriott International’s first globally designed to achieve all-electric, net-zero energy operations and LEED Platinum certification.
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Sugar House Hotel, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel – Image Credit Marriott International
Sugar House Hotel, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, has opened in Winooski, Vermont, with 115 guest rooms. It is Marriott International’s first property globally designed to achieve all-electric, net-zero energy operations and LEED Platinum certification.
The hotel is the first in Winooski. Nedde Real Estate and Lodging Capital Partners developed the property, which is operated by Fathom Companies.
The building runs entirely on electricity, including its commercial kitchen and has no gas lines or fuel tanks. Rooftop solar panels are designed to generate roughly one-third of the building’s energy needs. A geothermal well system provides heating and cooling and supports hot-water production.
Water conservation measures include water-efficient plumbing fixtures, such as low-flow showerheads. The property also uses reclaimed materials, including timbers from Vermont’s North Hero drawbridge in the Treetops bar and elevator lobby tables.
The hotel will offer eight electric vehicle charging stations and an all-electric Volkswagen shuttle serving Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport and downtown Burlington.
The property sits beside a 104-acre nature preserve and the Winooski River, near Winooski’s downtown circle. A 180-foot wooden bridge connects the hotel to a 1.2-mile loop trail through the Winooski Gorge Natural Area and nearby Salmon Hole fly-fishing waters.
Planned guest programming includes wellness sessions, guided naturalist walks and artisan workshops with local partners.
The hotel’s design draws on Vermont’s maple sugarhouse traditions, local makers and natural landscape. A living roof planted with greenery sits above the porte-cochere and MOSS entrance. Guests can make a maple creemee at a station during check-in.
The lobby has a central lounge with a 20,000-pound Green Mountain Schist boulder hearth and a 20-foot indoor maple tree. A spiral staircase leads to a mezzanine library. Each guest room is named for a Vermont sugarhouse and has timber-paneled walls, custom glass-blown sconces and works by local makers.
Treetops Restaurant is the only rooftop restaurant and bar in the Greater Burlington area. It serves seasonal cuisine and has an outdoor terrace and floor-to-ceiling views.
MOSS Café + Bar, beneath the lobby’s maple tree, serves coffee and locally baked maple pastries in the morning, along with deli fare, small bites and seasonal cocktails.