Hotel Henry Urban Resort Conference Center

Ms. K

Beautiful architecture. Interesting history. Secure grounds. A great place to take a stroll.

Ashley Klug

My husband and I came to stay in Buffalo for our anniversary, so we can enjoy a night in Buffalo without our kids. We tried the economy room, but once we got there realized that we had to upgrade to get a room with a big enough bed for 2 people. When we got up to the room, it was a little bigger but did not have much to offer within the room, and due to COVID we had to travel out of the building to the front desk in order to ask for more pillows (because there were only 2 on the bed). As we were about to eat dinner, my mother in law told us she surprised us by paying for the room, so we asked if we got charged twice since they asked asked for my card to pay, as the woman is explaining to me what card got charged for the room, she completely moved on to a new conversation with her coworker and I still don’t know what card was used. I will say the lounge was beautiful and the service from the bartender there was amazing. Overall it is a good hotel if you are only going to the room to sleep, but next time we do this I will definitely be looking into a higher end hotel.

EsseXploreR

Not only was the room clean but the entire hotel was. Blown away with the housekeeping staff for sure. As for the hotel itself, well, there's a lot to talk about there.... I have to admit, I was very skeptical of Hotel Henry before my visit. As someone who values historic preservation on more than just a surface level I was less than thrilled about their tenancy in the old state hospital building. I thought it was shortsighted to only occupy the central space with no intent to expand. History has seen many grand Kirkbride buildings irreparably damaged by partial occupancy over a long period of time. Evidence of this is the art museam that now stands where the right wing once ended. I also considered the idea of putting a luxury hotel in the old state hospital to be in poor taste. Finally, modern renovations inside historic structures are done terribly more often than not. One example would be the worthless shell of Danvers State Hospital, another historic Kirkbride building that was completely gutted during its transformation into condominiums. After visiting and spending the weekend I can safely say I was a stubborn fool. Plans have already been set to renovate the current unoccupied space in the structure which is a relief. The vacant sections are well secured and patrolled often. Unfortunately they are patrolled by the police so there is always a cop driving around making some folks feel uncomfortable for having an interest in the building outside the limits of the hotel. Right at the entrance is an admittedly small exhibit about the past history of the building. More could be done to put this information throughout the hotel, but I won't hold it against them. We had an incredible (socially distant) conversation with Laura (please forgive me if I got that wrong) who knew all about the history of the building and the grounds. She really went above and beyond in our eyes and truly made the whole stay that much better. As for the renovation work, some things are left to be desired but I was overwhelmingly pleased with the work done inside the space they occupy. As an interested preservationist I actaully had snuck into the structure years ago to document it, before the occupancy of Hotel Henry. Comparing the building now to how it appears in my photos is really impressive. The hotel retains many historic features, even down to the doors in some wards and original hardware wherever practical. Opening the doorway into the stairwells made me gasp, as they are left almost exactly as they were aside from being remarkably clean. Some areas of the hotel were off limits so unfortunately we weren't able to fully explore the structure. However, after having such a great experience, I have no doubt we will be back once covid is dealt with and we have more access to the wonderful structure.

Chad Eldred

My first visit was so-so, but I enjoy the architecture and the location proximate to things that I enjoy doing in Buffalo. However, the layout of the hotel is extremely confusing and the staff are cold and less than helpful. They avoid eye contact like a contagion.The room was decent, so I thought I'd try again next time I was in town. Second attempt at a visit was a disaster. I made a mistake booking the room and ended up getting overcharged. My mistake, but I was shocked by the response from the hotel management. It was if they were thrilled that they caught me in a mistake and were able to take some extra cash. I hope that thrill lasts for a while because they won't see any more of my money. Hotel staff are cold, callous and not helpful. Stay at your own risk.