Developer invests $40M in old relic

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - We're witnessing a real renaissance in downtown Buffalo, where old relics are re-emerging as true architectural gems. But are we seeing too much of a good thing , when it comes to hotel rooms?

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said, "This is great news for development in downtown Buffalo."

It’s just the latest development project we're hearing about. Wednesday, Mark Hamister, announced his plan to invest $40 million to turn the Tishman Building on Lafayette Square into offices for the Hamister Group, but also a Hilton Garden Inn with 123 rooms.

MORE | See what the Tishman building will look like after the renovations are complete

The Tishman Building has been mostly vacant since National Fuel went to the suburbs. There are already about 2,000 hotel rooms in the downtown area. The question is, does the city really need more hotel rooms?

"We've been seeing tremendous visitation from the Canadian market. We know that the number of domestic travelers is increasing significantly was well,” said Ed Healy, Visit Buffalo Niagara vice president.

Healy said, “The trends are very promising right now. Everything that we're seeing shows a tremendous amount of demand and we're very hopeful that we're going to fill those hotel rooms.”