Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - The results of a comprehensive tourism market study were released by Visit Buffalo on Wednesday with a key finding: A new full-service Convention Center hotel is vital for the region’s continued growth as a host of meetings and conventions.
The study, conducted by leading hospitality consulting firm HVS, recommends that the community prioritize and open an upscale downtown hotel, with at least 400 rooms, near the Buffalo Convention Center.
The report highlighted a clear need in Buffalo. While the city offers quality downtown hotel options, it lacks a "headquarters" style property that can offer large room blocks and the full-service amenities needed to attract bigger conventions and events.
This style of hotel would enhance the performance and competitiveness of the Convention Center, as well as better position Buffalo as a destination for meetings and conventions.
Visit Buffalo president and CEO Patrick Kaler says the group will use the results to advocate for a headquarters hotel, and share the study with local elected officials and developers, as it demonstrates the viability of the project.
"Buffalo has the venues, attractions, and walkable downtown that planners want. What we lack is a hotel with enough rooms to accommodate big events," said Kaler in an interview with WBEN. "The study and its findings confirm what we have long known: In order to attract large-scale conventions and gatherings, Buffalo needs to have enough rooms at a single hotel that is an easy walk to the convention center."
The report also shows that meetings, groups, and domestic demand are the drivers for a convention-focused hotel of this size. With the addition of 400 rooms, HVS projected that the broader downtown hotel market would have stable, average annual occupancy rates in the mid-60% range.
"From a tourism destination perspective, adding a 400-room hotel to the downtown is part of a long-term strategy," Kaler said. "Meetings and conventions attract year-round business, fill rooms midweek, and boost spending at restaurants, attractions, and small businesses. A headquarters hotel would enhance the entire downtown ecosystem."
The study concluded that the proposed hotel is a realistic, market-aligned project that would allow Buffalo to host larger conventions and events. By increasing the number of rooms near the convention center, the hotel would bring economic benefits to other downtown hotels, restaurants, attractions, and local businesses.