"Why we love it: A pedigreed stay that perfectly marries fin de siècle charm with modern luxury The Highlights: - A French Renaissance–style building designed by America’s first female professional architect - Fireplaces and deep-soaking tubs in some rooms - An in-house craft brewery that serves pints in a “bar-cade” with pinball machines The Review: When The Lafayette opened in 1904, it was immediately hailed as one of the country’s finest hotels. America’s first female professional architect, Louise Blanchard Bethune designed the seven-story, redbrick-and-white-terra-cotta property to blend “the best that science, art, and experience can offer for the traveling public,” which at the time meant telephones and hot water in every room. Renovations in the late 1940s introduced several Art Deco elements that still remain, while a 2012 restoration helped bring the hotel into the modern era. Today, The Lafayette is part of the Wyndham Hotel Group’s Trademark Hotel Collection and features 13,500 square feet of meeting space. It’s also home to a 15-barrel craft brewery, where guests can enjoy beers and pub fare while playing arcade games; a small-batch coffee roastery with freshly baked pastries; and an outpost of Groom Service Beauty & Dry Bar for blow-outs, professional makeup, manicures, and more. The 57 rooms and suites feature wall murals of vintage photos, designed to complement a palette of plum, brown, and dusty gold. Some have fireplaces, deep-soaking tubs, and full kitchens, too. If you’re looking to indulge, book the Lafayette Suite, which includes a Juliet balcony, double-sided hearth, and dining table suitable for large gatherings."
Please DO NOT BOOK YOUR STAY HERE. The room smelled musty, smoky, and drenched in air freshener. Keep in mind, we paid extra for a non-smoking room. The smell made my sister and I nauseous breathing it in. We asked the front desk for assistance to see if we could change rooms or have one where we could at least open the windows to air out the room. The answer was no, they didn’t have rooms available and all they gave us was some fabric spray to try to mask the scent. We couldn’t stand the smell so we checked out of the hotel and had to cut our losses. The hotel also looks rundown and has a weird smell throughout the hallways. It’s very pungent and was hurting our stomachs. We booked this place under Chase's hotel deals/rewards. We will be reaching out to Chase’s travel portal to please take this hotel off of their list as it is an injustice to recommend this place to its customers. I wish the hotel would have the decency to refund us. We were only there for less than an hour and it was unbearable. Please learn from our mistake and misplaced trust on previous reviews for this hotel.
Molly Allen
Google
Great location. Historical hotel with great details. Room was amazing with a sitting area, really comfortable bed and nice shower. Will be back. Front desk reception person was super friendly.
Pantherboy
Google
A nice 3 night stay in this beautiful old historic hotel. Lots of history to explore with informative explanation boards. My room was huge and clean, as was the bathroom. The bed and pillows were very comfortable allowing a great sleep. Very quiet. Convenient PowerPoints and charging points. Good hot water and water pressure. Good Wifi. Room had a microwave, fridge, iron, room safe, lounge and desk. Easy check-in. Excellent Cafe on the ground floor. Perfect central location at Lafayette Square. Lots of restaurants and bars close by and easy walk to light rail (street car), Amtrak Station, Bus terminal, Buffalo Bisons stadium, City Hall and Theatre District. Relaxed stay and would definitely stay again.
Dilani
Google
Rooms were alright but dark with no day lights. We were there for a wedding and what I was surprised was that entrance was not kept cleaned. When the bridal party was leaving we took pictures and I can see crackers other dirt was on the picture. Lobby could be brighter. Staff were friendly and the coffee shop in the lobby was great.
V X
Google
Not a great stay. All the photos on booking sights show bright, relatively spacious rooms but the one I ended up in was dark and cramped that was too small for that little seat you see in the promo photos. The room was on the second floor and only had a single dirty window behind the bed that faced out into the interior of the roof and directly into another room. Because of the placement there was hardly any natural light. One of the lights on the nightstand was a completely different bulb and gave off a fraction of light as the other, plus the ceiling light flickered repeatedly.
The toilet has it's own door but, again, the dirty window faces the same walled area across from another room and a plastic bag full of cans someone dumped. There is a single ceiling light above the toilet but it barely gives off any light.
The bathroom is strange. Instead of a wall between the shower and bedroom it's a pane of glass, so basically a window from the bed into the shower & bath. There is a curtain you can pull down, but it's not fully opaque so you can still see the person bathing. I have no idea what the utility of this is would be except watching someone in the shower.
No mini fridge so you can't bring leftovers back from going out which is a shame because there are some good breweries and tap rooms nearby.
The bed was loud. I don't think I've ever slept on a hotel bed that creaked so badly when someone turned over. Same for the floors, just ugly laminate that didn't feel installed correctly with how much give they have.
The temperature controls seemed to work but it felt like there was no circulation even though I had the fan on. It was stuffy despite being cool enough.
The whole time I was there it it just felt uncomfortable. It wasn't dark in a classic, vintage kind of way with warm colors it was dark and dim in a way that felt small and almost creepy.
Maybe if you get a better room with actual light and space this place is great but I feel ripped off for what I paid.
heatheraX4156OH
Google
The hotel is cute, and the room was very unique. The room was very clean. There is no parking so you have to park a couple of blocks away. The neighborhood isn't very good for walking with luggage in the dark. The fireplace in the room was broken. We tried to have the front desk fix it, but they only said they would put a work order in. Coffee and coffee pot were pretty bad. Mattress is hard as a rock - super uncomfortable. We paid roughly $400/night. The room was cute, but not worth $400/night.
Lisa D.
Google
My stay at your hotel was truly terrible, and I am writing this review to detail the experience.
Upon entering my room, I immediately noticed a large urine stain on the mattress, and the bathroom was riddled with black mold. It was late at night, and I was exhausted from a long day of travel, so when I brought this to the attention of the night attendant, she was very nice and apologetic. She offered to change my room and suggested I speak with a manager the next morning. Since we had to wake up early, moving rooms was not a practical option. The attendant kindly provided extra bedding so we could sleep on the floor.
Given the unsanitary state of my room, I had no desire to stay another night, as it suggested a broader issue with the hotel's cleaning standards. The next morning, I spoke with a staff member about the situation and informed them I would be checking out early. The night attendant had told me I wouldn't be charged a cancellation fee for the second night due to the issues, but the morning attendant, Reyes, was extremely rude. He insisted that I would have to pay and refused to guarantee the cancellation fee would be waived.
Later, Reyes called me and demanded I return to the front desk for an "update," which he said was confidential and could not be discussed over the phone. When I declined, he threatened that I would be charged the full amount for both nights.
This experience, particularly the disgusting condition of the room and the unprofessional and rude behavior of Reyes, has ensured that I will never stay at this hotel again. I plan to post pictures of the room on social media to warn others.
Mariah
Google
The hotel staff were pleasant, but the room was being cleaned an hour before check-in. The bathroom had hair everywhere still left in it from the previous guest. When you use the shower or tub, the entire bathroom becomes damp, even with the fan on making anything in there damp. The bed was very uncomfortable and extremely loud. Even with the heat turned up, the living room had a cold breeze blowing constantly. The only parking is paid for parking in a lot down the street. For as much as a room here costs, I expected better