Winter Retreat in a Penthouse–at the Hyatt Regency Buffalo

It was the ultimate winter retreat. An overnight in a luxurious penthouse atop of a landmark hotel–the Hyatt Regency in downtown Buffalo, New York. The week before, Buffalo had been hit with one of the worst snow storms ever–but you wouldn’t know it. In the downtown area–the streets were clean–the snow did not make any impact.

Like most Torontonians, I had grown up hearing about Buffalo on daily basis because some of our main television channels are Buffalo-based. I had been numerous times to the area for cross border shopping as well. But this was my first trip to Downtown Buffalo.  And I must say–it has a lot of potential.

I immediately liked the hotel which stands regally on a patch of land right in the heart of downtown, surrounded by storefronts.  The historic building was originally designed in 1924 as the Genesee office building  by noted local architect E.B Green. In 1983, when it was turned into a Hyatt hotel, the integrity of structure was preserved by adding onto the building through the addition of a glass atrium.

The lobby is enhanced by the wall of the original office building and classic touches such as high ceilings, vaulted windows and a chateau-like roof, all  add to the hotel’s sophistication.  The smell of steak from the award winning Green Steakhouse immediately made me hungry as we checked in.

It was a Sunday night and it felt like a ghost town,  but Concierge Kyle Johnson went out of his way–staying on duty till we arrived and escorting us to our penthouse suite, all the while explaining his recommendations for dinner and sight seeing. We were looking forward to being driven around in the Mercedes-Benz Shuttle that came with the room, so we planned to dine outside of the hotel.

Striking Living Room of Penthouse Suite

The 1500 foot suite was grander than I could have  imagined. There were soaring ceilings and solid masculine decor that screamed comfort and decadence. The main living space had a comfortable seating area with two leather chairs flanked by two sofas. The cold grays and browns were tempered by the numerous fur pillows and the softest of red throws–immediately inviting relaxation. The 65 inch TV in this area was primed for film watching and there was a long solid wood dining room table in the far part of the room, for dining or business.
In order to make sure that guests, whether leisure or business, are comfortable–the hotel provided well stocked kitchenettes in two different areas of the suite. Every drink imaginable with in the fridge–all kinds of juice, some wine and soda pop, along with milk and cream for coffee and tea-something I always crave in a hotel.

Kitchen luxuries

There was a nespresso coffee machine, a wine fridge and a microwave along with drawers full of interesting coffee and tea pods to try. We were instantly excited to spend the night in this beautiful penthouse. The evening views of Buffalo were pretty and the windows really opened–another pet peeve of mine: hotels where the air feels stale.