The Avant in Downtown Buffalo opened on July 8th, with the first 7 floors dedicated to Embassy Suites. According to General Manager John Gurren, it received the highest pre-opening sign-off scores ever awarded by the Embassy team for a new hotel in all of Embassy's history. But then, the Avant, a Uniland development, is so much more.
Once a concrete-clad federal office building, the Avant is a shining tribute to the ability to transform. Reusing the buildings bones, the Avant now houses 26 luxury condos (two are doubled), that go from $450K to $1.7M, and 5 floors of office space, 2 of which are occupied by the Damon Morey law firm.
Amenities offered by Embassy Suites at the Avant include a Northern Italian restaurant, Della Terra, as well as a lap pool, fitness center, banquet facilities and an espresso bar. Capello will open a 1,500 square foot salon and spa later this summer, and the view of Buffalo in all 4 directions is stunning from the glass tower.
Uniland Vice President and Project Developer Michael Montante was enjoying a light lunch at the bar on opening day. He proudly stated that the hotel's weekends are sold out all the way from last weekend's Taste of Buffalo to the end of the summer.
Gurren's experience in 30 years of opening hotels has put him in all the largest cities in association with the best of venues. Though he says there's nothing like this in Buffalo, he's ready to stack it up against the top 3 or 4 percent of hotels anywhere, he says.
Guerren says the fitness room and pool are "above and beyond," and he's equally proud of the suites, with their wet bars and spacious rooms.
"Do people in Buffalo like to have fun?" Gurren asks. He's hoping the answer is yes, because he has some planned. "See this patio?" he asks, referring to the Delaware side of the building just outside of Della Terra. "It's going to be jumping. We'll have a barbeque, tables, umbrellas, music. It's going to be the place for everyone to be - especially 30 and up. It's really going to be fun."
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Music by Mary-Jo Cala Casasanta.
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I'm just going to sit back and wait for somebody to say something pessimistic about this building....it's stunning....
Oh don' worry...there are plenty of wanna be architects and designers on here preparing their "expert" analysis of the finished product. I personally think it's too nice, too classy, too glass, too expensive, and too tall for Buffalo. Please see my renderings at "iliveinbuffaloandthinkiknoweverythingabouteverything.com"
You and galaxyjay are just being snarky. The Avant has been covered many times on BRO and the overwhelming sentiment of comments has always been very positive. This mixed-use project was executed well and it should set a standard of what developers can achieve when quality and good design are the priorities. (If only Carl Paladino would get the hint.)
you're a bully