Iconic Buffalo Hotel to Close this Month

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Another Buffalo icon is going under thanks to COVID-19.  Hotel Henry Urban Resort Conference Center, located at 444 Forest Ave in Buffalo is shutting its doors, according to WKBW.  Unfortunately, like many other businesses in western New York and nationwide, it has seen a decrease in business.  The hotel, along with its restaurant 100 Acres: The Kitchens at Hotel Henry, will close at the end of February.

Hotel Henry Executive Diana Principe told WkBW,

"Given the ongoing operational restrictions and challenges of the evolving pandemic environment, Sublessor, Richardson Center Development Corporation and Sublesse, Hotel Henry, have agreed to terminate the initial 10-year lease term in advance of the expiration of the agreement."

The hospitality industry has been hit hard by the pandemic. We've seen plenty of businesses here in Buffalo close their doors due to the closures and limitations caused by the pandemic. With travel restrictions in place and New York state placing restrictions on restaurants, I can only imagine how much money Hotel Henry lost. It was a beautiful building. I had to go to a Google event there last summer and I was really impressed by what they did to the building.

Even with the beauty that the renovations brought to Hotel Henry, I always think about the fact that it initially opened in 1880 as the Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane. Back in those days, the "insane" weren't always treated well. Let's just say I wouldn't want to spend the night there. I'm always cautious about energy and spirits. Nevertheless, it's sad to hear that another Buffalo icon, which had been given a new life, will be permanently closed on February 27.