The Curtiss Hotel in downtown Buffalo is a relatively new 5-star hotel in the renovated historic Harlow C. Curtiss building. It’s been on our list since it opened but it’s either been sold out or super expensive every time we’ve been in Buffalo since it opened.
We were up for a Bills game and some skiing in Ellicottville, so we decided to add a night in Buffalo. The Curtiss was only $199/night for a king room so we immediately booked. For comparison, that same room is $429 for Valentine’s Day night.
Every inch of the hotel is gorgeous. It’s so perfectly designed and you can tell a lot of work went into it. The beautiful decor starts the moment you get out of your car at valet.
Check in was pretty easy, although I did have to initial about six times and sign a paper document. We were a little disappointed that an upgrade wasn’t offered, despite the hotel being at low capacity. We were given our keys and headed up the elevator to the second floor to our room.
Despite check in being pretty low tech, the room was very high tech. You click arrive on the wall panel right inside the door and the lights turn on and the blinds open. It was a very cool way to be welcomed into the room. The colors and the decor made the room feel very old world lavish, but the high tech options made it feel current. The room was controlled by a tablet at the bedside. You could open and close the curtains and control the lights and room temperature. It was fixed to the bedside table and would have been nice if it would be detached and moved but it was still a nice addition to the room.
The bed felt very luxurious. The bedding was soft and the mattress was nice and fluffy. I had a bit of a Goldilocks issue with the pillows, all were either to flat or too full, but my neck and shoulders hurt from falling while skiing, so they didn’t really stand a chance.
The desk area was nice but only used it to hold our Carbone’s takeout. I was super happy that there was a Keurig, and even more importantly, flavored liquid creamer. No one wants powdered creamer yet so many hotels still stock it in their rooms.
The bathroom was the star of the room. It was huge and had a ton of counter space. The toilet was high tech and super fancy, with a bidet, heater, and cleaning build it. The heater was pretty wonderful after being out in the winter storm warning that was dumping thick, wet snow. There was a soaking tub with lots of aggressive jets, and the dreamiest shower. It had six shower heads and had a control panel to turn them on and set the temperature. It was right inside the shower door, so even though there were six shower heads, I didn’t get wet turning it on (I really hate that). The bar on the inside of the door was just out of range from the shower heads, so my towel stayed dry and got nice and warm from the steam.
The rest of the common areas were just as lovely as the room. The rooftop bar, Vue, is partially inside and partially outside and has a lovely view of Buffalo. There is a fire pit that’s lit during the winter when there isn’t too much snow on it (there was too much when we were there). The bartender was super nice and efficient, and the Wine Down Wednesday was a great deal. We got a delicious bottle of Italian Red for $15.
They also have a rotating bar and a restaurant on the ground floor. We didn’t have time to eat there but the rotating restaurant was super cool. It moves really slow and it’s fun to watch the room slowly move.
They also have a year-round hot spring! It’s essentially an indoor/outdoor warm pool and it’s so pretty. We didn’t have our suits but it looked like it would have been so relaxing.
The hotel was walking distance to a lot of great places in Buffalo, and the metro is three blocks away. I would absolutely stay here again. I wish we stayed more than one night.