The Westin Buffalo — Hotel in Buffalo

Hello, I just returned from a weekend away in Buffalo at the Westin. The hotel was beautiful, clean and the staff were mostly friendly and attentive. However the mother daughter weekend that was supposed to be relaxing and fun was ruined by staying at this hotel. When we entered we were told we had to “clear the lobby” because a large group was coming in. So immediately after checking in we had to either go to our room or stand inside their restaurant until this “large group” was checked in. I received a phone call and due to the music in the restaurant I had to take the phone call outside so I could hear. To my surprise when I tried to come back inside the hotel I wasn’t allowed because this “large group” that turned out to be a hockey team we were seeing that weekend had arrived. So there I was standing outside freezing in downtown Buffalo by myself. Is this how Marriot treats paying customers? One takes president over another? To the point where I have to wait outside? This was beyond ridiculous and quite frankly terrible first impression. I tried to keep it to myself because I did not want to ruin the weekend for my mom and I. Later that night some friends joined us and we were looking forward to watching a baseball game at the lounge in the lobby. Upon check in the girl told us it was open from 5-9. But it was a ghost town. Nobody was working and apparently the tv did not work. So we quietly sat in the common area by the fire place talking with our friends. The large group was returning again and we were told we cannot address them. Which was fine. However their security was extremely rude and kept walking by us shaking his head at us as if we were doing something wrong by sitting in the lobby. (Another mother/daughter had complained about this as well to the manager). So again, we felt like second class citizens staying here. After we went back to our room to watch the blue jays game with friends because there was literally nothing to do at this hotel in the lobby. The next morning we went down to the little cafe and got coffee. (Little cafe was great). Then as we were waiting for our friends another mother and daughter joined us to have coffee. We were sitting there talking when the manager came over and said “we have a large group coming in and we need to clear the lobby”. So once again we had to either go back to our rooms or stand in a restaurant until they go back to their rooms. We said to the manager we will not move and would like to finish our coffee and we are in the corner by the main door on Delaware and will not interrupt the group. Well that yet again wasn’t good enough and we had to retreat back to our rooms like children that didn’t behave. I have never been treated like that ever during a hotel stay. When I booked this hotel for myself and my mother there was nothing written on the reservation about large groups and having to be sent back to my room whenever they decided to come and go. This was not a relaxing weekend. And after paying $400cdn for a room I’m even more upset. And $200 for mediocre food in their restaurant. When we left we asked to speak to a manager who literally just fed us lines from a typical HR background. He was zero help and stated that this large group had all of this written in their contract. But we were paying customers too and didn’t deserve to be treated this way. As a Marriot Bonvoy member this is especially disturbing and will make me reconsider my stays with them...

This much belated review is one filled with immense thanks and gratitude for the incredible hospitality team at the Westin Buffalo. This was our second time visiting the City of Buffalo, and our first time staying at the Westin Buffalo. Our 10 year wedding Anniversary was in October, and we were visiting friends for the Buffalo Bills game AND getting in some much needed quality time/R&R together after a hectic and stressful couple of months. ||Ryan, their Front Office Supervisor, and Tom, their GM, went out of their way to ensure our visit was special and it went off without a hitch. There were a lot of complexities around our visit due to the limited number of flights from our home city and my husband's work schedule while we were there. Both Ryan and Tom ensured that our stay was seamless, comfortable, and incredibly special. ||We just adored the entire Westin team while we were there--from Cody at Check-in, to Taylor from the Front Desk who we met while at a restaurant in Buffalo, to Olivia from the Front Desk, to Jairo Torres & Bruneilda (part of the fabulous Housekeeping team), to Yoga/Yogi who helped us with Check-out--we felt loved, appreciated, and so well taken care of our entire time there. What a testament to Tom and Ryan's leadership and care for curating such a special team--you can just feel the unity, camaraderie and pride that each of the Westin family has for each other and for their beautiful property. ||If you are mobile and enjoy to walk, your rental car is in great hands with the Westin valet and it's quite fun to explore the city by foot--with a wide variety of restaurants and bars within stumbling distance. We did take rideshares as it rained for part of our visit, but otherwise had a great time poking around different neighborhood corners and stopping in for a drink here and an app there. ||There is something really special about the City of Buffalo, Buffalo Bills fans, and the entire hospitality industry in the city. We've really fallen in love with the city and its fans, and, of course, our now extended family at the Westin Buffalo. ||Sidenote--there was actually a wedding taking place the weekend of our visit, and though the lobby was busy and the team was juggling a few things, we never felt like the Westin hospitality team skipped a beat. (Also--pro tip--when you do call down for your car to be pulled around, specify if you want it in the covered area "valet circle" area or out in the uncovered front on the main street of the hotel--due to weather, this is a huge benefit!).||A huge THANK YOU to the entire Westin Buffalo team!!! We are so looking forward to returning to Buffalo again soon and having the opportunity to stay at your beautiful property and visit our newfound extended family! This specific visit and this specific time in our lives (and the much needed respite) meant so much more than you will ever know.||Wishing you all a beautiful summer ahead and know that we are sending big hugs, love, and gratitude...

This review is based on our wedding reception at the Westin Buffalo:

There are a lot of choices in the Buffalo area to have your wedding reception and we were one of the first couples to have our reception at the Westin Buffalo (June 2017). Since they have only been open since late 2016, we were a little worried that they would not have the kinks worked out before the big day. The hotel was still under construction when we went for our first tour. I think anyone who has seen it knows that this hotel and reception room turned out beautifully. We could not have asked for a better place to have our reception. The whole entire day went without any issues or problems. The service team and the setup was everything we had asked for and discussed prior to the big day. We were so thrilled with the entire reception from start to finish.

Dianne, the wedding coordinator and director of events, was fabulous to work with. She has a wealth of experience as a wedding planner and delivered on absolutely everything that we discussed and agreed on prior to the wedding day. We did not experience any issues whatsoever and it was very comforting knowing that Dianne had everything taken care of. The room setup was just perfect and we did not have to worry about anything throughout the course of the event. We could not recommend Dianne more to someone looking to book their reception at the Westin Buffalo. Prior to our big day we were a little worried about how the service would be and food would turn out, only because we were one of the first weddings. After our event, we looked back and could not find a single thing that could have been done better.

The lobby downstairs and courtyard where we had our cocktail hour was the perfect size. The moment you walk into the building you know that this is a first class hotel, and it's a nice feeling knowing all of your guests were impressed from the get-go. Our guests raved about how beautiful the reception room was, as well as the food and drinks. The food was definitely a highlight of our event. The space overlooking Downtown Buffalo is really unique.

I could write a separate review of how nice the hotel rooms are, because this is easily the top hotel in Buffalo at the moment. The rooms are gorgeous and extremely clean and new. We booked most of our rooms on the same floor as our reception, and not one person complained of noise or any other issues. The hallways are extremely wide for a hotel and I feel like that helps cut down on the noise. Our friends and family had a very pleasant stay. It's very convenient to be able to setup a room block at the Westin and also have a parking ramp available for your event. The SPG points and free suite are also great perks when booking your wedding at the Westin.

If I could give this more than 5 stars, I would. Thank you again to Dianne and the Westin staff for the wedding...