Hampton Inn & Suites Buffalo Downtown is ideal for visiting the must-see downtown Buffalo attractions, and you can even book a suite with a fully equipped kitchen and a fireplace.
Our Trip to the Home of the Buffalo Wing
While this wasn’t the intent of the trip, I can proudly say we finally visited the birthplace of the famous Buffalo wing! I’m not kidding. In 1964, Buffalo’s Anchor Bar created the spicy, tangy wings. Buffalo actually holds the annual National Buffalo Wing Festival.
This trip was part of a birthday gift to see a hockey game. As you probably know, the Buffalo Sabres (NHL) and the Buffalo Bills (NFL) are popular Buffalo teams. Buffalo football fans are even known as the “Bills Mafia?” Apparently, they are the most dedicated fans in the country because even on the snowiest days and coldest winter weather, they still show up to support their football team. As a New York Giants’ fan, I have no comment on that fact.
I will say that our trip to Buffalo was not during the winter so we were spared from blizzard conditions and enjoyed beautiful sunny (yet breezy) 68 degree temperatures for our 3-day stay.
Great Hampton Inn & Suites Downtown Metro Location
Located just off I-190, this moderately priced city hotel is centrally located in downtown Buffalo. The Buffalo Niagara International Airport is an easy, 10 mile drive to the hotel unless of course, you’re visiting Buffalo during one of their many snowstorms. There’s a bus stop across the road from the hotel and a few blocks away is the free downtown train, the NFTA Metro.
The hotel sits on a vibrant downtown city block. We like to soak in a metro city by staying right in the heart of the bustling streets. Downtown Buffalo has no shortage of restaurants, bars, stores, and hotels lining the city streets.
If you’re in town and looking to see a sporting event like we were, the KeyBank Center is about a ten minute drive from the hotel. The Sabres NHL hockey team were playing our New York Islanders and we enjoyed the arena as much as the game.
Atmosphere and Amenities
The Hampton Inn & Suites Buffalo Downtown felt like a cozy and inviting atmosphere. The lobby was nicely decorated and the 24-hour free tea, coffee, and hot chocolate station was a nice little extra for us. We took advantage of the free hot buffet breakfast daily. It was standard but we loved the variety of eggs, breakfast meats, waffles, breads, fruits, cereals, and muffins – and surely gained five pounds from overeating in the buffet.
Technically not part of the hotel, there are five restaurants actually connected to the hotel so that meant we never really had to leave the hotel to get food. Our favorites turned out to be the southeast Asian Papaya Restaurant and The Chocolate Bar, both that offer room service to hotel guests.
The indoor heated swimming pool with whirlpool is open daily from 6:00am to 11:00pm, and pool towels are provided. The area itself is bright and airy with floor-to-ceiling windows facing the street, and there are also plenty of chairs and tables.
There’s a fitness center with the typical cardio and weight training equipment. However, working out felt so much more satisfying watching the treadmill’s media screen as opposed to the television on the wall at my house.
The hotel also features meeting rooms and an onsite business center with free internet access and printing capabilities available for use by all hotel guests. Yes, I still prefer to print my airline boarding passes in the hotel business center.
There’s also a tiny convenience store selling snacks and souvenirs, along with a coin-operated laundry room. If you are driving to the hotel, note that hotel parking is $20.00 per night.
Guest Rooms and Spacious Suites
The Hampton Inn & Suites Buffalo Downtown features 6 floors with 140 guestrooms and suites and offers an affordable room rate (prices vary) for a downtown hotel. When we arrived at the hotel, part of the Hilton brand, the check in was quick and easy. We booked a suite on the 6th floor of the hotel that featured a fireplace. The staff was super helpful and accommodating and guided us to the best restaurants and must-see Buffalo highlights as I’ll explain later on.
It wasn’t the most extraordinary city hotel room that we ever stayed in, but that’s okay. We appreciated that the suite was clean and had a lot of extra space. A suite stay is much more than just premium bedding, a desk, television, and coffee maker offered in a standard room. The dining area, microwave, refrigerator, cooktop, dishwasher, and workspace gave us room to work, eat, cook, and relax on the soft couch with our feet up after a day of city walking.
The hotel was quite busy the weekend that we stayed there because of so many hockey fans like us, but the room was still very quiet at night. Between the very comfortable mattress, fluffy pillows, and soft comforter, we slept until 8:30 each morning, an unusually late start for us early birds. I appreciated the digital key so I didn’t have to keep digging in my purse to find the room key that I always lose.
Who Should Stay at This Hotel?
The Hampton Inn & Suites is the type of hotel chain that makes me feel safe staying in a metro downtown city whether traveling solo, with my family, or on a business trip, as this hotel in downtown Buffalo accomplished just that.
The complimentary hot breakfast daily is always a great benefit as is having so many dining establishments attached to the premises, especially during snowy days. The heated indoor swimming pool and fitness center offered a bit of activity when not exploring the town.
The rooms feature complimentary Wi-Fi, a comfortable bed, desk workspace, and a coffee maker. Suites are super spacious and include a small, fully-equipped kitchen area (kitchenette) with a full-sized refrigerator, microwave, cooktop, and dishwasher. Some suites feature a fireplace.
If you’re planning to go see Niagara falls, you would rather enjoy an affordable hotel with a 30 minute drive or you’re looking for a more upscale hotel with a picturesque view of the cascading falls. We had recently visited Niagara Falls on the Canada side, so we did not go again.
Local Buffalo Attractions
One of the reasons that we loved the location was that we chose to walk the city streets to as many attractions as possible. There is no local hotel shuttle so walking beat having to drive the rental car or take a car service.
In addition to attending a hockey game at the KeyBank Center, the hotel was literally steps away from Shea’s Performing Arts Center. We got so lucky to have grabbed tickets to the once a month tour of Shea’s Buffalo Theatre. This theatre opened in 1926 so it’s filled with history!
The 23.5 acre Buffalo Zoo, founded in 1875, is considered one of the oldest zoo’s in the United States. Giraffes, monkeys, bison, zebras, polar bears, and bald eagles are just a few of the incredible sights we spotted at this zoo.
When visiting Buffalo, consider taking the very unique tour of Silo City, 100 year-old grain silos, a 50-minute indoor walking tour through the abandoned grain silo, where costumed guides recount seven scary tales.
At Buffalo City Hall, you can take a free tour and experience the 28th floor observation deck for a view of Buffalo from every angle.
One of my favorite Buffalo finds was the stunning Our Lady of Victory Basilica, an iconic Buffalo landmark that’s more than 100 years old.
Favorite Nearby Buffalo Restaurants
The food at Southern Junction’s Indian/Texas-fusion BBQ was incredible! I highly recommend the Cowboy Mac, Cardamom Cornbread, and the Creekstone Brisket. You can thank me later!
Be sure to grab a chocolate croissant at Butter Block bakery – even better than the chocolate croissants that I brag about at the Royal Caribbean breakfast buffet.
The Blueberry Treehouse Farm is a café in the trees with music, local beer, blueberry-themed snacks, playground, and thousands of blueberry bushes.
Takeaways/Pros About Staying at the Hotel
We had another great Hampton Inn & Suites experience. We would definitely stay again.
- Convenient downtown location, walking distance to many attractions
- Free hot buffet breakfast and five restaurants attached to the hotel
- Spacious rooms and suites with fully-equipped kitchenettes
- Some suites with fireplaces and hot tubs
- Fitness center, indoor heated pool, and whirlpool
Author Bio: Originally from Long Island, New York, Donna Wright now calls Deland, Florida her home. An avid traveler, she has journeyed by air, land, and sea, to many cities in the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean to exciting destinations like California, Arizona, Las Vegas, San Diego, Myrtle Beach, Lake Tahoe, Reno, and more.
This content is provided for general informational purposes only and should not be considered travel or consumer advice. Inn amenities, prices, policies, and availability may change. Readers should verify all details independently and use their own judgment when planning travel.