Does Buffalo need another downtown hotel? This is the question many asked when Uniland announced their downtown mixed-use conversion project, Avant. And Uniland Development Company answered not with just another “downtown hotel” but with the premier hospitality, residential and office space in Buffalo.
The Embassy Suites Buffalo at Avant has quickly become the choice location for business travelers, meetings, weddings, and tourists alike. The project has been such a success that the hotel was recognized by parent company Hilton Worldwide as “best conversion” among its North American hotels.
If occupancy is any measure of a hotel’s success then the 153-room Embassy Suites hotel is a superstar. In the age of Expedia and Hotwire, it seems as though hotels are clamoring to fill beds at rock bottom prices. However, if you are lucky enough to get a reservation at this hotel you won’t be paying anything but full sticker price; the hotel has enjoyed a 90 to 100 percent occupancy rate since opening in July 2009.
“Families on the weekend; business travelers during the week” describes Michael Longo, Uniland’s Director of Planning and Design when asked about the hotel occupancy rate. He explained that Uniland went with Hilton and the Embassy Suites chain after much research into various hotel chains’ reservation systems. Embassy Suites attracts a good mix of guests allowing for strong occupancy throughout the week and weekend.
The Embassy Suites hotel fills the first seven floors of Avant. Each chic suite is a multi-room space, perfect for any traveler that stands out from other downtown Buffalo offerings. Suites feature a separate living room, desk and dining area, refrigerator and microwave. There are two flat screen televisions in every suite.
The hotel features a full-service sales and catering office offering various meeting rooms from an executive board room to banquet-style space accommodating groups up to 200 guests. Whether you’re planning a wedding or hosting a corporate meeting, Embassy Suites offers professional event planners to coordinate details and finishing touches.
As well as attracting outside tourists, Avant has much to offer area residents. Spend an afternoon at Avant with lunch at Della Terra, the building’s Northern Italian restaurant, and end with a spa appointment at Capello II salon. Della Terra offers lunch weekly from 11 AM to 2 PM, which is a major draw for downtown employees, and dinner throughout the week and weekend from 5 to 10 PM, with a lounge and bar open till midnight. The restaurant offers a heated outdoor patio during the non-winter months which was very popular this year along with live music events that were hosted on the patio this summer. The lounge and the Avant Beanery are also located on the first floor.
Next year, Uniland is planning to install a permanent outdoor covered dining patio.
Hotel guests have access to a lap pool and fitness center on the second floor, meeting rooms and banquet facilities. Capello II, Avant’s in-house salon and spa, and one of the premier salons in the Buffalo region, offers a wide-range of services for hotel patrons, residents of Avant, and the community.
From the hotel’s stunning lobby, complete with custom local artwork, the panoramic views of Buffalo, to the full-service offerings of this mixed use building, Avant provides just the kind of unique energy that downtown Buffalo has been lacking for so long.
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Get Connected: Uniland Development Company, 716.834.5000; Embassy Suites, 716.842.1000