UniQuest, a partnership of Uniland Development Company and Acquest Development Company, announced the 150-suite hotel at their 200 Delaware project will carry the Embassy Suites flag. Embassy Suites is part of the Hilton Family of hotels. UniQuest will own the hotel and contract with a local management company to run it.
“As we considered the many options, the quality, reputation and visibility of Embassy Suites is perfectly suited to our vision for 200 Delaware. It’s not simply a nationally recognized brand, but an established leader in customer service,” said Michael Montante, vice president Uniland Development Company.
“As we looked at their brands, we focused on the suite hotel product as being best for business travel and the important family travel segment, which is essential for downtown tourism growth,” added William Huntress, president, Acquest Development.
Embassy Suites was the first all-suite upscale hotel brand to enter the hospitality industry and today has nearly 190 hotels. This summer it won “Highest Guest Satisfaction Among Upscale Hotel Chains” award in the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study. This was the fifth time Embassy Suites won the coveted rating.
Huntress said the downtown hotel will offer all Embassy Suite signature services including spacious two-room suites, cooked-to-order breakfast, manager’s receptions, swimming pool and more.
200 Delaware will include the hotel on the first seven floors, Class A office space on floors 8 through 12 and luxury residential units on the top three floors. Each use will have separate entrances and elevators, but will share many of the Embassy Suite features and services.
“The integration of the vertical community we’re creating depends literally on a solid ground floor. Embassy Suites, with its fitness, conference, banquet, valet parking and restaurant facilities will be a tremendous asset to the Class A office and luxury residential components of the building. Most importantly, it brings 24-hour activity to the street level to enhance an already vibrant neighborhood,” Montante said.
Completion of 200 Delaware, where work is currently underway, is anticipated in early 2009. The concrete window framing that was common to federal buildings built in the 1970s will come down later this winter and be replaced in the spring by a striking glass curtain wall system. Refinements on the final design are continuing as the project is being prepared to go before the Buffalo Planning Board next month.