Hampton® Announces Hotel Conversion of the Year
MEMPHIS, Tenn., February 21, 2002 – Hampton®, the national brand of mid-priced Hampton Inn* and Hampton Inn & Suites* hotels, has recognized the 137-room Hampton Inn & Suites-Buffalo-Downtown hotel, owned by Buffalo Lodging Associates, LLC., as the brand's national recipient of the Conversion of the Year Award. The company received the award during the Hilton Hotels Corporation Focused Service Brand Conference held in New Orleans. The criteria for Hampton's Conversion of the Year Award includes the nature of the conversion; the total size and financial commitment of the project; adherence to the brand's standards; timeliness of the conversion from start to finish; impact on the community; and the best creative use of set development standards. Buffalo Lodging, a division of Benderson Development, had the foresight to look at this 75-year-old, centrally located building in downtown Buffalo, which once accommodated more than 400 business offices, and envision it as a brand new Hampton Inn & Suites, said Bill Fortier, senior vice president of franchise development, Hilton Hotels Corporation. This hotel opened in May 2001 and has quickly become a market leader in the downtown Buffalo, N.Y. lodging arena. Hampton is a brand that has proven to be a great fit for our company and for the Buffalo market, said Ron Kendall, CEO, Buffalo Lodging Associates. Currently we own and manage four hotels within the Hilton Family of Hotels and have five more we plan to open by 2003.
The Hampton Inn & Suites-Buffalo-Downtown, located at 220 Delaware Ave., is situated near the HSBC Arena, Albright Knox Art Gallery and Dunn Tire Park. The hotel features 106 rooms and 31 suites. All units have complimentary high-speed Internet access. Most suites feature large screen television's, whirlpools and fireplaces and some have fully equipped kitchens, providing additional convenience for vacationers and business travelers on an extended visit. The hotel also includes a beautiful indoor pool area and fitness center with state of the art equipment. Buffalo Lodging Associates is a management and ownership company in partnership with Benderson Development, that currently owns and operates 13 hotels in nine states across the U.S. Decorating and design consulting for the Hampton Inn & Suites-Buffalo-Downtown was led by Joanne Spencer, interior designer, Amendolara Associates of Providence, R.I. Hampton is part of Hilton Hotels Corporation, recognized internationally as a preeminent hospitality company. The company develops, owns, manages or franchises more than 2,000 hotels, resorts and vacation ownership properties. Its portfolio includes many of the world's best known and most highly regarded hotel brands, including Hilton®, Conrad(tm), Doubletree®, Embassy Suites Hotels®, Hampton Inn®, Hampton Inn & Suites®, Harrison Conference Centers®, Hilton Garden Inn®, Hilton Grand Vacations Company®, and Homewood Suites® by Hilton.