Winooski's first hotel, the Sugar House, is open with a maple theme and a rooftop restaurant

Winooski's first hotel, the Sugar House Hotel, opened Nov. 5 after decades of planning, and a welcome party Tuesday night was filled with applause. It's a Marriott Tribute hotel with a sugaring theme: each room is named after a Vermont sugarhouse, and guests can even make their own maple creemee on arrival.

• Where: off Abenaki Way
• Eats: Moss Café on the first floor, Tree Tops on the eighth
• Event space: eighth floor, up to 235 people
• Tree Tops: reservations recommended, and you needn't be a guest

It's the first net-zero energy LEED Platinum Marriott in the world, and manager Arnold Vainqueur pointed to the rooftop solar panels and geothermal heat pumps. Mayor Thomas Renner said the hotel could bring much-needed tax revenue to Winooski as communities face rising costs.

“Having a big establishment like this... is going to be a huge influx into the city's coffers.”