Jonny5
Senior Member
I love seeing this thread pop up like a zombie rising every year, much like Harry with a new press release about how close a project he's been working on for 15 years is to finally launching.
Things are potentially a bit rosier in Buffalo for Stinson, although uncertainty remains:
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Buffalo's largest hotel may reopen soon
Buffalo Grand Hotel aims to reopen rooms by summer, potentially easing the local room shortage.www.wgrz.com
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The former Buffalo Grand Hotel was damaged by arson in late 2021 and still hasn't reopened. Now, the owner of Buffalo's largest hotel says he plans on reopening some of the rooms this summer.
With nearly five-hundred rooms, the continued closure of this hotel has impacted the events Visit Buffalo Niagara can get to come to Buffalo. Patrick Kaler, Visit Buffalo Niagara's President and CEO, last met with hotel owner Harry Stinson before Christmas.
"There's a lot to be done in this property, and I don't believe that anything has been done since I last toured," said Kaler.
Stinson told 2 On Your Side on Tuesday over the phone that he plans to have two to three floors of rooms available by early this summer, late June or early July.
"I have toured the property, and I would say I would be cautiously optimistic that he can pull that off," said Kaler.
If you go to the hotel's website, you'll see a message saying the hotel and event space are reopening in 2024, which did not happen. Kaler said not having those rooms available is contributing to the shortage of hotel rooms in Buffalo, which led to Western New York losing out on hosting 21 events last year alone.
"I'm not talking to meeting planners about the possibility of this until I see a flag on this hotel, that rooms are operational, and that he's got staff in place. There's just nothing I can do until I have complete confidence that this is an operating hotel," said Kaler.
Meanwhile, Stinson told 2 On Your Side the hotel is "not going away" and he's talking with three hotel brands and is deciding on which one to choose. Stinson also said he is close to finalizing the refinancing of the property.
"The fact that he is entertaining conversations with three brands, that gives me some hope, but they also need to come and see what they're getting themselves into," said Kaler.
2 On Your Side did ask the City of Buffalo if any new permits have been issued for construction or occupancy, but have not yet heard back. We'll update this story when we learn more.
So much for that.
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City moves to seize the vacant Buffalo Grand Hotel
Buffalo officials have announced plans to take control of a long-vacant downtown hotel. Here’s why they’re taking action — and what could happen next ⬇️www.wgrz.com




