As work continues at the Hotel Lafayette (see latest update), and developer Rocco Termini solidifies contracts with tenants, the hotel's in-house catering arm is getting underway. Marquis de Lafayette is made up of owners Bill and Molly Koessler (Acqua and Park Lane), a team that has been in the catering business for many years both in Buffalo and NYC. Along with Master Chef Joe Venezia (Executive Chef and Manager of Acqua), Bill and Molly are planning on elevating the city's catering experience by utilizing the historic assets of what will be, once again, one of the greatest hotels in the country.
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After being away from Buffalo for 31 years, and running il Boccaccio Restaurant in LA among other vast accomplishments, Joe (protégé of Wolfgang Puck and Marcella Hazan) has returned with his family and will be heading up the culinary show at the hotel (see Joe's background). Molly has already booked 30+ events before the doors even open, in two ballrooms that can seat up to 150 and 350 people respectively, along with a dance floor. Between the hotel rooms, the various bars, restaurants and businesses, plus the proximity to the Metro Rail, the waterfront, etc., Marquis de Lafayette has got all of the necessary ingredients to quickly become a heavy hitter for weddings, business affairs, and other occasions that demand the utmost in culinary prowess and prestige. This is the type of business that will ultimately draw thousands of people downtown each year. I had an opportunity to sit down and talk to Bill, Molly and Joe... following is the podcast:
Marquis de Lafayette | Opening May 2012 | 716-874-5400
Photo (L-R): Bill Koessler, Molly Koessler, Joe Venenzia
I am likewise pumped for this renovation but come on "One of the greatest hotels in the Country?" You need to get out of Buffalo once and a while.
calm down ... "greatest" in the same sense as The Mansion...which is one of the greatest in the country...so says Zagat. The Lafayette has looks and history (Bethume) on its side so it can be great whether it's on a list or not.
Well, that's an interesting question. What makes a hotel great? People have varying metrics depending on their status -- a tourist in Bali has a different set of expectations from a businessman visiting New York. And then locals have different expectations of what their hotel should be. No hotel can be tops for everyone.
I dont know what the Lafayette can do to be tops in any category, but it can certainly strive. It sounds to me, from what I've read, is that Rocco wants to make the hotel tops for locals, weaving it's functions into the life of the city. I don't think he wants to be just a tourist or business hotel that stands alone from the region, which I think is a good thing for Buffalo.
By being an active member of the community, he creates goodwill and establishes a local base for those inevitable times when tourism slacks off. And besides, I think most of us want to think of this as "our" hotel, along with the Statler. I don't think any other hotel has the hold on Buffalonians as much as those two.
I agree that there are variables however. There are numerous hotels that could be considered before this one. How could you compare this hotel to st Regis, manderian oriental, peninsula, pierre, or ritz Carlton properties? I understand that is not the point, but when you throw out greatest you should understand that you will be drawing comparisons.
Buffalo is still without a true luxury or even entry level luxury hotel. Hopefully that will change some day.
Good luck to Rocco! Great job.
Ps. Wonder if all of those people that had deposits at the statler ever got their money back. I remember seeing something in the paper about that when the statler went under.
I agree there is no true luxury hotel in Buffalo. Such hotels are usually located only in large cities that have a lively tourist and business trade that can afford to pay a several hundred dollars per room per night. There simply is no reason to pay that much in a city such as Buffalo, where rooms average less than $100 per night. And to have a true luxury hotel, you need to charge those rates to support the level of luxury.
I think our best analogy is the Roycroft Inn. The restoration was featured in Architectural Digest, and Arts and Crafts buffs the world over go there. It is a destination point and draws from Asia and Europe, not to mention the whole of the US. If the Lafayette can garner important backing along the lines of that magazine, or some similar institution, and keeps pushing its historic pedigree, it might be able to charge enough and attract the right clientale to support a high level of luxury.
I hope they can, of course, but I don't want them to become a island in the city. Everyone should feel welcome and be able to at least have a drink in the lobby.
Bethune.