The Westin Buffalo receives prestigious ‘Hotel of the Year’ award from Marriott International

Luxury lifestyle hotel is also recognized by its parent company and guests for its brand culture, operational excellence and guest satisfaction

BUFFALO, N.Y. (May 23, 2019) – Global hospitality company Delaware North today announced that the company-operated Westin Buffalo hotel has been named by Marriott International as its “Hotel of the Year” for the Americas in the Distinctive Premium category.
 
Marriott International’s Distinctive Premium brands include Le Meridien, Autograph Collection, Design Hotels, Renaissance, Tribute Portfolio and Gaylord Hotels, in addition to Westin. The criteria included the hotel’s guest and event satisfaction scores, financial performance and associate engagement; its performance in brand strategy, leadership, culture, overcoming challenges and integration; and executing its brand promise while driving overall balance scorecard (financial, customer, internal process, and learning and growth perspectives).
 
At an awards ceremony last month, Brian Povinelli, senior vice president & global brand leader for Marriott International’s Distinctive Full Service Brands, said, “In less than three years of operation, The Westin Buffalo has quickly established itself as a leading hotel in the resurgent downtown area of Buffalo. While consistently receiving top-notch guest satisfaction scores, the hotel has also taken impressive measures in its community.”
 
In addition to Hotel of the Year, the Westin Buffalo was also chosen by Marriott International as the winner of the Brand Culture Award. The award recognizes the hotel that embodies brand culture by achieving best-in-class staff service scores and loyalty appreciation scores.
 
The Westin Buffalo has also received the Operational Excellence award from Marriott International for two straight years. The Operational Excellence award is given to hotels that are in the top 1 percent of several financial categories among all 6,700 Marriott properties throughout the world.
 
Furthermore, the hotel has ranked number one in the Americas and number two in the world among Westin hotels for “Intent to Recommend,” a key guest satisfaction metric, every year since it opened in September 2016.
 
“Since it opened nearly three years ago, The Westin Buffalo has fulfilled the vision of the Jacobs family for Delaware North to demonstrate its significant and impressive hospitality and lodging experience in its home town by operating a hotel in the company’s new global headquarters building,” said Scott Socha, president of Delaware North’s parks and resorts division.
 
“The Westin Buffalo has consistently delivered excellence – for its guests, in its behind-the-scenes operations and within the community. The passion and skill of the team at The Westin Buffalo is unmatched, and we’re proud to see that reflected in these honors from Marriott International,” Socha said.
 
The Westin Buffalo also recently reupped its AAA Four Diamond Rating and is still just the second hotel in Buffalo to receive the esteemed rating. The AAA Four Diamond Rating is assigned to lodging properties that feature refined, stylish and upscale physical attributes, an extensive array of amenities, and a high degree of hospitality, service, and attention to detail. Less than 5 percent of AAA Approved hotels receive this rating.
 
In addition to awards, The Westin Buffalo also sets a standard of excellence through its innovative operations. For example, a total of 24 refugees have been hired at the hotel through a partnership with the International Institute of Buffalo, and the team supports each of these individuals by helping them adjust to life in the United States. In addition, The Westin offers guests a wide range of technology amenities, like its robot butler, “Chip,” and guest-servicing Amazon Echo devices in each of its guest rooms. Its onsite restaurants, Patina 250 and Jake’s Café, serve trendy, skillfully prepared and locally sourced cuisine to both hotel guests and Buffalo locals.
 
About The Westin Buffalo
Ideally located in the heart of downtown Buffalo, The Westin Buffalo is just steps from the city’s unique architecture, prominent historical sites, and myriad arts and entertainment options. The 115-room lifestyle hotel offers luxurious guest rooms all fully equipped with Westin's signature Heavenly in-room amenities, as well as a state-of-the-art fitness center, complimentary Wi-Fi and two signature on-site restaurants. The property, which also features 7,300 square feet of versatile event space, is a member of the Starwood Hotels & Resorts family and is operated by Delaware North, a global leader in hospitality. For more information, visit www.westinbuffalo.com or follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
 
About Delaware North
Delaware North is one of the largest privately held hospitality companies in the world. Founded in 1915 and owned by the Jacobs family for more than 100 years, Delaware North has global operations at high-profile places such as sports and entertainment venues, national and state parks, destination resorts and restaurants, airports, and regional casinos. Our 55,000 employee associates are dedicated to creating special experiences one guest at a time in serving more than a half-billion guests annually. Delaware North operates in the sports, travel hospitality, restaurant and catering, parks, resorts, gaming, and specialty retail industries and has annual revenue of about $3 billion. Learn more about Delaware North, a global leader in hospitality, at http://www.delawarenorth.com/.