By Julia Waterman and Corrinne Wheatley
Bengal News West Reporters
Walking up the stone steps and through the thick
wooden door of the Victorian Hewitt mansion, guests are welcomed in this grand
entrance by innkeepers.
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| Joseph Littieri owns Inn Buffalo with his wife, Ellen |
Elsewhere, oriental rugs cover the floors in
almost every room in the house. Light shines through the many stained glass
windows decorating the mansion and original onyx stonework borders each of the
11 fireplaces in the house.
Inn Buffalo, 619 Lafayette Ave., is celebrating its one-year anniversary, and
the owners, Joseph Lettieri and his wife Ellen, couldn’t be more proud
of their success so far. Although this is preservation in progress and they
still have more work to do before the finished product, the feedback and
support they’ve received over the past year has been more than they had ever
hoped for.
“This first year has exceeded our
expectations, we were very excited. We knew we had a special property,” said
Lettieri.
They won the Small Business Administration award
of 2016 and the Small Business Development Entrepreneur award from SUNY Buffalo
State, which is also funded by Small Business Administration.
Inn Buffalo has been rated number one out of 22
hotels in Buffalo on the travel website TripAdvisor. There have been a few
celebrities who have stayed there as well, including John Rzeznik, lead singer
of the Goo Goo Dolls, who mentioned the inn during an interview on WKSE Kiss
98.5.
“I was
just back in Buffalo and I was staying at a place called Inn Buffalo on
Lafayette, I can not believe how our home town is just becoming this insanely
amazing destination,” Rzeznik said.
The architecture and the craftsmanship of this
house may be what draws you into Inn Buffalo, but it’s the hospitality, and
warmth the Lettieris bring to your experience that is going to make you
want to come back.
“I want our guests to get a real authentic
experience, we want nothing more than to make our guests feel welcome, and
taken care of,” said Lettieri, “whether that means you want to see a lot of me,
or as little of me as possible. Whatever you need, we will make sure you get
it.”
The hotel is filled with culture and history,
which is one of the main attractions and uniqueness that you will appreciate
during your stay.
“Inn Buffalo is a great historic mansion, it
speaks for itself in terms of beauty,” said Brad Homer, of Visit Buffalo
Niagara. “In the grand scheme of Buffalo, there are many bed and breakfasts but
this is one of the best.”
Some might say that Buffalo is becoming an up
and coming city, and the Lettieris want to be a part of that.
“In the future we want to continue to help
Buffalo,” Lettieri said. “Be a part of its rebirth, a part of showing and
telling people our story while showing off and talking about what made Buffalo
great back in the turn of the century.”
