Buffalo has undergone a once-in-a-lifetime transformation over the course of the past several years, and its proud history and incredible architectural legacy weave their way into every aspect of the visitor experience. This includes where visitors stay overnight, as a series of boutique hotels have made the most of the city and region’s stunning architectural fabric. Here are five examples:

Hotel @ the Lafayette

THEN: Designed by Louise Bethune, the first female architect accredited by the American Institute of Architects, this was one of Buffalo’s grand downtown hotels at the turn of the 20th century. It fell onto hard times and was considered a flophouse by the late 20th century.

NOW: The hotel was meticulously restored in 2012 and also features a microbrewery (Lafayette Brewing Company) and coffeehouse (Public Espresso) on its first floor.

The Mansion On Delaware

THEN: Constructed as a private residence in 1870, the Charles F. Sternberg House also spent decades as a restaurant before languishing vacant for over 20 years.

NOW: The Mansion on Delaware Avenue opened as one of Buffalo’s first boutique hotel offerings in 2002 and offers high-end amenities like a butler driving service to nearby attractions.

Inn Buffalo

THEN: Industrialist H.H. Hewitt owned this stately house in Buffalo’s Elmwood Village dating back to 1898 before its conversion into a rooming house in the 1940s.

NOW: Owners Joseph and Ellen Lettieri converted the house into a ten-room inn in 2015.

The Curtiss Hotel

THEN: The Harlow C. Curtiss Building was an ornate early 20th century downtown office building that  was abandoned by the 1990s.

NOW: The Curtiss Hotel, a 68-room boutique hotel featuring an all-weather urban hot springs, rooftop patio, restaurant and revolving bar, and other high-end amenities opened to much fanfare in the summer of 2017.

Roycroft Inn

THEN: Opened in 1905, the inn accommodated artisans and guests of the adjacent Roycroft Campus, one of America’s foremost communities in the Arts and Crafts Movement.

NOW: Fully restored and reopened in 1995 and dedicated as a National Historic Landmark, the inn features must-see handcrafted furnishings and décor from Roycroft artisans.

Coming Soon

The Richardson Hotel

A hotel set in one of Buffalo’s most architecturally significant settings opens in 2023. The Richardson Olmsted Campus, a 19th century National Historic Landmark by acclaimed architect Henry Hobson Richardson, originally functioned as the Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane before sitting disused for over 30 years. Its rehabilitation enters its next chapter this winter with the opening The Richardson Hotel, an 88-room urban resort and conference center honoring the building’s original architectural features. Grab a drink or a coffee at Forest Street Bistro and Cafe Calvert, and walk around in awe at this property that embodies the city’s broader rebirth.