The Richardson Hotel occupies the same 88 rooms that first opened as Hotel Henry in 2017, inside H.H. Richardson's landmarked former psychiatric hospital on Buffalo's Olmsted-designed campus. It reopened independently in 2023 after Hotel Henry's 2021 closure, and changed operators again in July 2025, when the non-profit campus owner brought in Buffalo Lodging Associates.
The essentials
Group Independent — operated by Buffalo Lodging Associates (Benderson Development's hotel arm) on behalf of the non-profit Richardson Center Corporation since July 2025
Opening September 2023
Rooms & suites 88 rooms
Segment Upscale boutique
Designer Deborah Berke Partners, carried over from the building's original 2017 adaptive-reuse conversion
Entry rate From $150 Learn more → The place 444 Forest Avenue, on the Richardson Olmsted Campus: a National Historic Landmark 1870s former psychiatric hospital designed by H.H. Richardson, with grounds laid out by Frederick Law Olmsted.
The concept The Richardson-designed asylum buildings first became a hotel in 2017 as Hotel Henry, Curio Collection by Hilton, which closed for good in February 2021. Developer Douglas Jemal took over the ground lease in 2022 and reopened the same 88 rooms under a new independent identity and new management, quietly in March 2023 and with a full opening that September. In July 2025 the non-profit Richardson Center Corporation, which owns the campus, took operations back from Jemal, who cited the strain of rent and maintenance payments, and appointed Buffalo Lodging Associates, the hotel division of Benderson Development, as the new operator. The hotel has continued operating without interruption through the change.
Dining & wellness A ground-floor café sits alongside the Buffalo Architecture Center; a second-floor farm-to-table restaurant nods to Frederick Law Olmsted's original agricultural vision for the grounds. The Richardson Bar serves a limited menu (poutine, wagyu smash burgers, Caesar salads) alongside drinks.
Our take Two operator changes in under a decade (Hotel Henry to The Richardson Hotel in 2022, then a return to non-profit oversight in 2025) say more about the economics of running a hotel inside a landmarked former asylum than about the building itself, which remains one of Buffalo's most significant adaptive-reuse projects.
Google guest reviews 4.4/5 · 919 reviews
Pros: Very close to my classes at Buffalo State. 5 minute walk. Bar is very nice and the staff is amazing. Food is also amazing. Comfortable bed, clean linens.
Cons: No refrigerator, TVs are TERRIBLE! I would update your TVs to smart TV's. If you have an xbox or Playstation bring it so you can use that for your streaming services. Definitely do not provide enough coffee for the mornings. 2 Pods is not enough. There are no vending machines on each of the floors. If you want a drink you need to go down to the lobby and get it out of the refrigerator, then wait for someone at the front desk to come to pay for it. Only found 1 ice machine that worked, luckily that was on my floor. I bought a pizza at the bar but didn't eat it all, unfortunately I had to throw it away because there was no refrigerator to put the leftovers in. Next week I will bring a cooler with me to put all my drinks and food in and just use the ice machine to fill the cooler. Also there are no dressers to put clothes in which I though was very strange.
All in all, it was a nice play to stay. I just hope they begin updating rooms with more modern amenities.
This place is amazing. The history is so interesting and thr building is beautiful. So much care was taken in modernizing while also respecting the history. There is a nice museum on the ground floor that is open all night. You are able to explore and enjoy the property throughout your stay. The rooms were comfortable and very clean. Really special place.
My husband and I stayed here for 6 nights from July 12th - 18th. We stayed in the Delaware Suite (room 402) and it was very spacious with high vaulted ceiliings and exposed beams. I believe the Delaware suite is the ONLY suite that is situated this way because we saw room 400 and it did not have an open layout or the vaulted ceilings and the layout didn't make much sense. Room 402 has 2 decent sized closets in the bedroom, nightstands, a TV and it is very roomy. The living room has a mini fridge, microwave, large coffee maker, couch, coffee table, TV, two arm chairs, 3 end tables and a small dining table with two dining chairs and it is very spacious. The room was cleaned well but the wall to wall carpet did have noticeable stains (appeared to be coffee) and the dining chairs and arm chairs looked a bit worn. It is also worth mentioning that 402 has a small flight of stairs from the bedroom and bathroom level up to the living room area. The shower is smaller than standard - approximately 2'8" x 4'. Also important to note that no rooms besides the suites have mini fridges or microwaves.
There was a very strong odor in parts of the hotel especially on the first floor that in my opinion smelled similar to a Band-Aid but it was very noxious. For some reason I did not notice any smell in the lounge which is located on the first floor but I did notice it near the front desk which is nearby. The ground level where the museum is located also had this horrible odor. I don't know if floors 2 & 3 where rooms are also located have this problem or not. The 4th floor (where the suites are located) did not have this odor. So strange.
The lounge has tasty pizza and they make really good cocktails. The 3 different employees we encountered there on separate occasions were all very friendly. Be prepared to wait for service in the lounge. No fault of the staff but they only had 1 person bartending, taking food orders AND waiting the tables every time we went. It seemed like the entire hotel was understaffed during our entire stay.
The location was not what I was expecting it to be. The surrounding area didn't feel entirely safe. It seems the hotel is located in an area that is the buffer between one of the lower income areas and the Elmwood Village section and a park area that seemed very nice (near the AKG museum). Keep in mind that this is a very large property and the majority of the original building is abandoned and deteriorating. I knew this going in but seeing the scale of it in person is a different story. We saw security vehicles occasionally driving through the property but that didn't make me feel safe enough to walk around or walk anywhere to and from the hotel. We chose to drive everywhere, which would have been necessary most of the time anyway.
It was very quiet on the property, so that was a huge bonus. It was a very unique experience and it is an incredible building. The hotel is about 10 minutes from downtown by car, a short drive to the 2 Frank Lloyd Wright houses/museums in the area, minutes from the AKG art museum and only a 30 minute drive to Niagara falls. Despite the negatives that I pointed out I would still recommend staying here in room 402 (can't say I'd stay in any of the other rooms). All in all it was a really great trip and we are happy we went!
This is a really unique hotel, former psychiatric asylum, saved from decay. It's is a worthy place to honor those who lived and suffered there. The museum is touching. The place is massive and magnificent. Incredible architecture and impeccable restoration. No ghosts only good vibes. They deserve support. Come here when you visit buffalo. I'm a psychiatrist and I came away so respectful of this place and its preservation. I was honored to stay here.
We were very impressed by the cleanliness and comfortability of the room and bed. However the pictures online showed large rooms and bathrooms which they showed fit 2 pack and plays and that wasn’t the case. Both kids did not fit and they refused to upgrade us to a bigger room or a suite. But other than the size of the room being very small very good stay.
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