‘Surprise And Awe’: One-Of-A-Kind Hotel Ready To Open In Downtown Sioux Falls
Reservations are open, and soon the hotel will be too: Next week marks the first day in business for the new Canopy by Hilton hotel.
It will be ready for guests starting the afternoon of Dec. 4, while reservations already can be made online.
Canopy by Hilton is the final major opening at The Steel District, 120 E. Fourth Place, and the seven-story, 216-room property ranks among the city’s most upscale.
“With everything in place, we’re just getting a lot of surprise and awe that there’s this type of property in Sioux Falls,” said Jennifer Seifert-Brenna, vice president of Lloyd Hospitality Group, which is managing the hotel in collaboration with Hilton.
“We’re really a big-city hotel nestled here in Sioux Falls.”
The hotel, built by Lloyd Construction, can be entered through its main lobby or through a second-story skywalk from The Steel District’s parking ramp. Walk in the main entrance and you’ll be greeted by two custom sculptures and a first impression designed to impress.
“Just coming in and seeing the lights and the staircase and the plants in the lobby is a wow moment,” Seifert-Brenna said.
The hotel is uniquely designed to reflect the history of the former Sioux Steel property and the broader Sioux Falls community, blending Scandinavian with Native American influences in the colors, art and general aesthetic.
Custom rugs, including some that are hand-woven, are found throughout the common spaces, a collection of art already is in place, and more will be coming, including a piece for SculptureWalk next year.
Off one side of the lobby is the full-service restaurant Cascata, offering breakfast, lunch and dinner with an Italian-inspired menu. With the restaurant, adjacent bar and lounge, private dining room and future patio overlooking Falls Park, Cascata will seat about 300 people. The first seating will be dinner on Dec. 4.
While it also will offer room service, Cascata has been developed more like a stand-alone restaurant than what you typically might find in a hotel, Seifert-Brenna said.
The menus “will probably grow, but in the beginning, we’ll keep it a little more trimmed down, and it will change seasonally,” she said. The executive chef “makes most of his dressings and oils and seasonings by hand.”
Chef Chris Hodapp relocated from Minnesota and has experience in hospitality that includes working with Hilton and catering large events. He’ll also oversee the event business at the Canopy by Hilton.
He describes the menus as “Old World Italian cuisine with a modern touch” and a focus on locally sourced ingredients. While the menus include plenty of pizza and pasta, there also are many steak and seafood dishes.
The balance of the hotel’s main level includes multiple common seating areas, which are open to the public, while the second level offers additional gathering spaces.
“Each has its own personality,” Seifert-Brenna said. “Up on level two, it’s a little more collaborative, and on level one, it’s a little more moody with more quiet spaces. There’s lots of corners to find a chair and work.”
The main lobby also includes Torrent Coffee Bar, a coffee and pastry bar featuring coffee from Coffea Roasterie and pastry from Look’s Marketplace. The Spice & Tea Exchange is providing tea for the restaurant and guest rooms.
The rooms themselves are arranged in a way that’s designed to be flexible, Seifert-Brenna said. Some layouts include suites with doors that connect to create larger suites.
“Our north and south suites have views of Falls Park or the Levitt, the east side overlooks Falls Park, and the west overlooks downtown and the Cathedral,” Seifert-Brenna said. “The rooms themselves are open. When you walk in, it’s hardwood floors, which are not often seen in hotels, and open closet areas. It’s a large dressing area, so it’s great to set stuff out and get comfortable for your stay.”
Rooms include refrigerators, espresso coffee makers, a safe and “extra large windows,” she added.
There are touches from Sioux Steel throughout, including steel sliding barn doors and a Sioux Steel custom barrel in king rooms, plus art on the wall that reflects the area’s history and Native American heritage.
The Canopy by Hilton also includes about 20,000 square feet of meeting space. The Legacy ballroom spans nearly 9,000 square feet and can be subdivided, in addition to Parlour meeting spaces with hardwood floors, a fireplace and large windows.
There’s also a boardroom overlooking Levitt at the Falls that includes a patio, while additional meeting rooms offer collaborative space with soft seating and various levels of formality.
“We tried to be as flexible as we can, so most of the spaces break down into smaller spaces,” Seifert-Brenna said. “The combinations are endless. We have weddings taking the ballroom or renting smaller meeting rooms to get ready. And all our rooms have beautiful windows, so there’s a lot of light coming through.”
Events already have booked out into 2028, she said.
“It’s really strong … weddings, socials, corporate events, so a little bit of everything,” she said. “We are seeing more bookings in the last month than in the last six months prior because people can physically see it now and understand what we’ve been trying to describe to them.”
A 65-person team has been hired, but more people are needed, especially on the food and beverage side.
To learn more about opportunities, click here.
“Everything is locally owned — Lloyd Hospitality oversees all the restaurants and the hotel,” Seifert-Brenna added. “A property like this doesn’t happen without thousands of people. Everybody that has been in this building has played a role in getting us to where we are today.”
The grand opening is set for Dec. 18 with a ribbon-cutting at 4:30 p.m. and tours.
“All of us at Lloyd call this our legacy project. It’s that significant,” Seifert-Brenna said. “It’s definitely the pinnacle of my career. I love opening hotels, but this one has just touched all our hearts. It feels like home, and we’re so excited to give it back to the community.”
