March 25, 2024

The new Canopy by Hilton hotel is about six months from opening in The Steel District in downtown Sioux Falls and will include a full-service Italian restaurant, coffee shop and bar.

Hristiyana Ralinova has been named general manager and brings with her extensive experience with the Canopy brand, which she helped launch in the United States.

Ralinova, who grew up in Bulgaria, moved to Sioux Falls from Washington, D.C., where she was employed in the hospitality industry for a decade. She worked at Hilton brands, including the Embassy Suites Convention Center, and discovered the original Canopy while traveling in Iceland.

“I told my friend ‘I really love it. If they open in D.C., it’s where I want to be,'” she said.

Six months later, she was offered the job opening Canopy’s Wharf Hotel along the Potomac River.

“When I went to Canopy, it was a breath of fresh air,” she said. “It’s an extension of the neighborhood … so it’s totally a different experience in each Canopy.”

Her fiance, a Nebraska native, recently took a job in Sioux City, which brought the couple to the area and caused Ralinova to discover Canopy was opening in Sioux Falls.

“I was like, are you serious?” she said. “We took a walk down to the Falls, and it was a beautiful day, and I said: ‘That is really nice. I think I should apply when the position comes available.’ I felt like I really, really liked the area.”

That hasn’t changed since she moved to the city a few months ago.

The 216-room Canopy is “going really well thanks to the weather because it was such a mild winter,” she said. “The development is really on track.”

The design features rustic, dark wood and steel as a nod to the former Sioux Steel property. There’s both northern European and Native American influences, as well as nature, in the design, she said.

Some rooms are suite-style, and some corner rooms include balconies.

“We’re going to have really amazing views facing Falls Park but also facing the Levitt music venue, and we’re having Jacobson Plaza built next to us,” Ralinova said.

Inside the hotel, the full-service restaurant will be Italian and called Cascata, which “means ‘waterfalls’ in Italian,” she said. “It’s going to have a really beautiful view toward Falls Park, with a private dining room inside and an amazing patio.”

The restaurant is a continuation from the bar and social seating included in the lobby.

“It’s nice and spacious,” Ralinova said. “It’s a lot of flowing, open space.”

A coffee shop called Torrent, which means “rush of water,” is envisioned to include locally sourced beans, she said.

“Our lobby and indoor meeting space will have a fireplace and very cozy ambiance for people,” she added. “We want to do small parties and receptions or celebrations.”

The broader event area includes about 20,000 square feet of meeting space.

“And that also will have a patio overlooking the Falls to do private receptions outdoors, and we have a very nice boardroom facing the Levitt, which can be nice for small receptions,” Ralinova said.

Guests also can take advantage of Canopy’s many extras, from filtered water stations to a mother’s room and a bike program with customized routes.

Ralinova is starting to hire her team, which she estimates will grow to at least 100 people. Director of sales and marketing Richard Fischer brings more than 25 years of sales and marketing experience.

Most recently, he served as director of sales and marketing for Homewood Suites by Hilton Edina Minneapolis and before that held roles at Hampton Inn & Suites Minneapolis/Downtown, Embassy Suites by Hilton Minneapolis Downtown and DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Minneapolis Downtown.

“I’m slowly starting to build my team, but I’ll have more food and beverage positions this summer,” Ralinova said.

The goal is to open the hotel, restaurant and meeting space in October, though events aren’t being booked yet until early next year.

“Everyone is so friendly and sincere here,” Ralinova said. “I really like it … and we really want to be part of the fabric of the local community.”