Developer Douglas Jemal said Wednesday that he is interested in adding Hotel Henry Urban Resort Conference Center to the group of notable properties he has purchased over the years, including Seneca One tower, Statler City and the Boulevard Mall.
Jemal confirmed he has met with the Richardson Center Corp., the hotel and conference center's landlord, about leasing the property.
But Jemal cautioned that while he is interested in taking over the Hotel Henry operation, he does not have a deal and it’s far too early in the process to know if there will be one.
“It’s a very prominent piece of property. It definitely needs what I do,” Jemal said. “I’m a visionary, and that property does need a visionary, so of course I would be interested in it.”
His comments came one day after the hotel announced it will close Feb. 27.
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Jemal described his meeting with the hotel operators as more of a “meet and greet,” stressing he does not have a contract and is not formally in negotiations with InnVest Lodging Services, which operates the hotel.
Jemal called any report that he has a deal or is definitely moving forward “only a rumor.”
“I’ve met with them. Do we have a deal? No,” Jemal said. “I’m sure many other people have met with them, and will continue meeting with them.”
Mark Mortenson, president of the Richardson Center Corp., the hotel's landlord, said he had nothing to report regarding future ownership of the hotel.
"Regarding a new tenant for a hotel, we have no agreement in place at this time and continue to work to get a new occupant in place," Mortenson said.
An announcement by the Hilton Hotel chain that said the Curio Collection by Hilton would open in April 2021 has led to some confusion, said Dennis Murphy, the hotel's co-owner.
Murphy said Hotel Henry entered into an affiliation with the national hotel chain in early 2020 to be branded as part of its Curio Collection, but the formal announcement was being delayed until this April because of the pandemic. That led some to believe the Hilton is going to reopen the hotel, Murphy said.
Murphy declined to discuss any conversations he may have had with would-be buyers, but he said the hotel space will attract interest.
"I can certainly understand why Douglas Jemal or other quality investors would have an interest in the Richardson complex," Murphy said.
"We were on a very wonderful trajectory," Murphy said. "We had the accelerator of adding the Curio Collection to it, which would have brought more enthusiasm to our region, and the pandemic showed up."
The campus is owned by the nonprofit Richardson Center Corp., established in 2007. InnVest Lodging Services became the first tenant when it leased three buildings for Hotel Henry in April 2017.
Redeveloping the Richardson Olmsted Campus – a 459,617-square-foot, 13-building footprint – has been challenging. A state grant of $76.5 million during the Pataki administration, and an additional $10 million raised through grants and fundraising and $16 million from state and federal tax credits, have funded the National Historic Landmark's building and landscape renovations.
Developer Sam Savarino is working on an 80,000-square-foot residential project on the eastern side of the campus.
"This often happens in the hotel business," said Tim Tielman, executive director of the Campaign for Greater Buffalo History, Architecture & Culture. "The Richardson is a magnificent landmark that will endure, and the concept for the urban resort hotel was fabulous.
"It's a trophy property that we hope will get the interest it deserves," he said.
Mark Sommer covers preservation, development, the waterfront, culture and more. He's also a former arts editor at The News.
