Buffalo Rising Online

I remember reading not that long ago that Marriott was intending to purchase this hotel, make certain updates, and brand it with their Marriott Marquis brand status. Does anyone know if this was just a proposal that never materialized or is this still a possibility? While I'm not sure of the need for a more premier hotel in the downtown area, a Marquis level of Marriott would seem to be a nice upgrade.

Its time for a new convention center and a new hotel.

When that happens, I hope we can get Genessee Street back even if it means getting rid of that atrium.

I like the Hyatt but I its business model is going to have to change when the convention center leaves and the street grid is returned back. Perhaps focussing more on the local Life Sciences Corridor, the Government and financial sectors downtown.

We can have a successful Hyatt, a great restaurant and our street grid.

Plus, do I need to say it. We lost a 10 story terra cotta buildings for that glass atrium....and no I dont think it was worth it.

Ick, the Hyatt.

In addition to destroying the original street grid and causing the demolition of several other architectural gems, after 22 years, the hotel itself is now in major disrepair.

Upon stepping inside the "luxurious" lobby, one feel as if they have been transported back onto the 1984 set of "Dallas." Bronze glass mirrors hang from the ceiling, brown granite trim adorns the walls, and hideous marquee lights outline everything.

The rooms themselves are no better, and have not been renovated in over 15 years! The furniture is falling apart, the linens are old, and everything just feels "worn."

It's a disgrace, and it finished up last year with a 54% occupancy rate.

The talks about re-flagging have been going on for quite some time now. Hyatt originally wanted to pull their name off of the hotel and negotiations were entered with Sheraton and Marriott. Starwood was dimissed and Marriott (sadly) is still in the running. Hyatt will only keep the property if renovated completely.

The property is so mismanaged that I doubt anything will change for a long, long while.

Under the ownership of Snyder this development has done nothing but slide. He has investments elsewhere that occupy his time and money. In the meantime the Hyatt sits in a stalled-out 1980's funk. An utterly ghastly patio fronting the pedestrian mall and across the street a row of buildings laden with potential that never got beyond a chintzy facade improvement program that made me even more nauseated than I already was. The city needs a new convention center and I cannot understand for the life of me why, with the closing of the Niagara Falls Convention Center, somebody with money hasn't jumped on this idea. Only then will the Hyatt be able to make a come back because the current owners are not going to do much with a self-limiting convention center and a dated hotel. Hell we can't even get a decent sign in front of the convention center that already exists much less a new one and nobody seems concerned about it. This is no way to get more people in town.

Talk to Geiger from the CVB, expanding the current convention center at its present location is not possible and has been abandoned. They know that the new convention center has to be in the cobblestone district with the Casino just as they have posted on their website at Scott, Perry and Mississippi.

http://www.bfloconventioncenter.ene.com/

I just hope that they build it before the Senecas build their hotel for the casino.....Im very concerned about unfair competition with our local hoteliers and convention business.

As far as the Hyatt, its a grand building and if it cant make it as a hotel....then could easily be converted to condos, apartments or class A office space all of which Buffalo desperately needs.

I agree with Lou. Atriums are a dime a dozen now, but terra cotta buildings will be a memory. What is an old atrium but a dirty glass greenhouse after it has served its purpose. The future of Genesee St. will depend on the direction Bufffalo takes. Right now the Queen City is still struggling for an identity.

if there was a demand for hotels downtown, the hyatt wouldn't be so eager to get out and they might even renovate the rooms, but Buffalo is just not a city with much need for hotels. Outside of visitng NHL teams and convention people, there is no demand for a $200 a night stay in downtown. I wish just as much as anyone that genesee was not blocked but it will cost too much for such cash-strapped city, county, state, and federal govts...so expect to see the hyatt and convention center for a while

Well, right now Buffalo isnt so much searching for an identity for a city in lloonngg tteerrmm transition.

We are bringing back the Canal District at the Western Terminus of the Canal,Theater, Fruit Belt, Allentown, the Cobblestone (aka Warehouse) District, the Buffalo River, Inner Harbor and Outer Harbor area as all being distinct sections of our cit. Some never really had much distinction other than being dominated by industry.

Now (even though we lost the Century and other downtown theaters), the theater district is expanding and our government district, financial district and technology districts are all expanding (albeit slowly). The next big transition will be the construction of the Buffalo Casino and the transition of night life from Chippewa to the Cobblestone District (not to worry the theater and business sectors of the city will fill it in fast).

As the BNE/BNP has stated numerous times...Buffalo needs Class A Office space....so the more the city can do to support more high density infill construction...the better it will be for the city and the region as a whole. Buffalo and Erie County must stop taxing and invest, invest and invest!

We need to write off the Hyatt as it is and build a new convention center and a new hotel.

Convert the Statler and the Hyatt to Class A office space and that will make a huge difference to downtown Buffalo.

The present location of the Hyatt and the Convention Center wont be there much longer so any investment is just wasted money.

No way -- the Statler should be a combination condo/boutique hotel.

Sulley, condo/boutique hotel/apartment combination works fine with me.

The Statler would make a great location for condo/boutique hotel. However downtown Buffalo is in need of a new convention center and at least one Luxury Hotel. When I think luxury in downtown hotels I think the Mansion on Delaware . If someone can duplicate that into something with about 400 or 500 hotel rooms that would be an awesome fete.

What Buffalo REALLY needs is private sector JOBS!

All will take care of itself with job developement that doesn't involve taxes, public financed legacy costs, etc.

Get people & property back on the tax base & provide frustrated over qualified workers with interesting MODERN jobs and disposable income. You'll see how fast things happen!

NYS tax dollars pay for the education of thousands of people & then send them to the "growth cities" to improve their economies.

Let look at the "value added" of THAT situation!

I could not agree with you more Shopitall. When I think of all the thousands of people that left Buffalo 30 years or so ago I can't help thinking what would Buffalo have been like had it not lost most of its citizens . A lot of these people moved on to become entreprenuers ,or created business in other cities then when they return home to visit family and friends they comment about their hometown's condition . Well what did we expect when so much of our talent base left the city to make a life for themsevles someplace else.

"The next big transition will be the construction of the Buffalo Casino and the transition of night life from Chippewa to the Cobblestone District (not to worry the theater and business sectors of the city will fill it in fast)."

I'll believe this when I see it. Who will want to establish redundant services next to a buisness entitiy that has no taxes and needs to follow no laws (for example smoking laws). What kind of buisness decision would that be? Oh right, I can go up to to the Falls and see how many have made that decision. The Seneca Casino there has spurred all of that type of development around it. I forgot.

Chippawa was created by a few visionaries willing to take a risk and then everyone followed. Recently we have seen a lot of in-fill, healthy projects anounced here for the delaware area and Elmwood. Silver bullet projects (like the Arena, etc) don't do anything but makes us day dream of the unrealistic possibilities spoon fed to us. The casino area is a circumventing gov't creation allowing a for a non-controlled, non-taxed, non-regulated enity. Its a shame we have become so downtrodden to grasp at this backroom Governor deal.

To get back on topic. I appreciate the Hyatt for the adaptive reuse of the historical structure. I too regret the loss (breakup) of our unique radiating street pattern by this, the convention center, the court ramp, etc.

MJ, I think the comment was that the Casino was going to be a 24/7 operation and thats going to attract the 20s and 30s crowd while the theater district is going to attract a more affluent and more mature population which integrates better with the residential infill but thats just speculation. Its not fact.

I have to agree with one thing. The sooner Buffalo gets a new convention center and hotel the better! The time has passed for the Convention Center to be in the Central Business District.

And what the Central Business District needs is a smaller hotel than the Hyatt and at the Statler (both of which are within walking distance to the business district).

Buffalo needs more Class A Office Space, more rental apartments and more condos which will create the business growth and residential growth that the city needs.