28 Best Hotels in Niagara Falls and Western New York, New York

One of few options within the Chautauqua Institution gates, this Victorian hotel faces Chautauqua Lake and is steps from the amphitheater. Opened in 1881, the Athenaeum frequently hosted Thomas Edison and was one of the first electrified hotels in the country. These days, however, modern advances (like central air-conditioning) are lacking, furnishings are threadbare, and the building is in dire need of restoration. It's pricey for the quality of rooms, though three meals a day are included. We've included the hotel in this book not because we strongly recommend it but because it is one of only two hotels on the grounds of the institute, and for some, location trumps quality and cost. Dinner (for those not staying at the hotel) is a five-course prix-fixe affair.

The house dates from 1840 and the carriage house was a late-1800s stagecoach stop. The five rooms are individually decorated with a mix of antique furnishings like a pair of Bishop chairs and replicas. One room has a private entry. Breakfast is served at 8:30 sharp in the handsome dining room with a big stone fireplace.

Built in 1851, this Italianate brick Victorian mansion, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has inlaid flooring, leaded- and stained-glass transoms, paneled pocket doors, and ornate fireplaces. The owners are antiques dealers, and rooms are crammed with Civil War– to Victorian-era pieces. The four-suite Captain Storm House, an 1892 Queen Anne revival next door, follows much the same style. Stores and restaurants are within walking distance; the Chautauqua Institute is a 20-minute drive.

Just up the street from the Chautauqua Institute, this reasonably priced hotel opened in 2007 and still looks new. Though it has a chain-hotel feel (albeit an upscale one) and is not as quaint as other choices nearby, it offers consistently clean and updated rooms, a full slate of hotel amenities, and a bit more anonymity than at the inns and B&Bs. All rooms have two bathrooms (one full, one half). Rates include shuttles to the Chautauqua Institution and the Chautauqua Golf Club.

The brick four-story chain hotel overlooks Lake Erie's Chadwick Bay. Rooms are standard, with contemporary furniture; some have in-room whirlpool tubs. In the Windjammer's restaurant, a boat wheel, a fish tank, and huge windows overlooking the marina create a nautical theme. Menu options include Delmonico steak, salmon, and chicken Alfredo.

At the entrance to Niagara Falls State Park, this is the closest hotel to the falls in the United States. Some rooms overlook the Niagara River on its breathtaking tumble; others have views of the Canadian skyline, the state park, or the city. The rooms are standard, but with such scenery about 500 feet away you won't spend much time in them.

A step up from the Comfort Inn across the street, this fairly new hotel (built in 2006), has a large breakfast and lobby area and updated rooms in neutrals with cherrywood headboards, the Hampton's signature striped wallpaper, and large bathrooms with granite countertops, slate floors, and some Jacuzzi tubs. Some have views of trees and a cemetery. The hotel is entirely no-smoking.

Stay at this five-story hotel in a 1920 building just off Chippewa Street for spacious, updated rooms and suites with views up busy Delaware Avenue. Rooms have traditional decor with fluffy white duvets; some have whirlpool tubs (some in the bedroom rather than the bathroom) or gas fireplaces.

The decor is contemporary and spaces updated at this better-than-average, two-story Holiday Inn a half mile from the Seneca Allegany Casino & Hotel. Rooms have desks and high-speed Internet access; some suites have dining areas, kitchenettes, and whirlpool tubs. There's round-the-clock shuttle service to casino (provided by casino).

The large, six-story riverfront hotel is adjacent to a golf course and a marina. All rooms have balconies or patios, which are larger in the east-facing river-view rooms. All rooms will be completely renovated, with new furnishings and flat-screen TVs, by the end of 2009. The hotel has a pubby lounge, an arcade room, massage treatments, and a larger-than-average fitness room. Grand Lady cruises leave from the hotel's back door.

Fronted by a fountain and incorporating some of the original 1923 facade, this contemporary theater-district hotel connected to the convention center has an '80s-chic glass atrium with a café and great views of surrounding historic buildings. Rooms were upgraded in 2008 and 2009, and are contemporary, with earth tones and warm woods and ergonomic desk chairs. Suites have whirlpool tubs and CD players. Until the new gym opens in late 2009, guests can use the health club across the street. E.B. Green's restaurant (named after the architect of the building) earns high marks for its steaks, in particular.

The inn is at the base of the Holiday Valley ski resort's Sunrise Quad ski lift. In winter a free shuttle brings guests to the main chalet. All rooms have patios or balconies, most with mountain views; suites have cathedral ceilings, fireplaces, wet bars, and jetted tubs. The decor is traditional but streamlined. Other pluses: an outdoor hot tub, flat-screen TVs in all rooms, and facilities for hiking, biking, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in addition to the downhill trails. In late 2009, the resort will open another lodging option, the 79-condo-unit Tamarack Hotel.

White rockers sit on a wraparound porch of this Victorian house just off Ellicottville's main strip, within walking distance of shops, restaurants, and bars. The B&B rooms are homey, with simple furnishings; the suite has a sitting area with a fireplace. The efficiencies are suitable for those with children or pets. A three-course breakfast is served at a communal table (not included for efficiency guests).

Built in the 1860s in the Second Empire style, this beautiful mansion was thoroughly renovated for the hotel's opening in 2001. The decor is classy yet up-the-minute: hand-carved original walnut pocket doors paired with midcentury-modern sofas and contemporary paintings by local artists. Beds are dressed in down duvets and Frette linens. Some rooms have fireplaces and whirlpool tubs. Complimentary cocktails are served in the evening.

New-built but mimicking Federal-era design, this stone hotel faces the Niagara River. Many rooms have four-poster beds; all have detailed moldings, heavy draperies, reproduction Greek Revival armchairs, and more-contemporary luxuries such as electric fireplaces, flat-screen TVs, and some whirlpool baths. Ground-floor rooms have hardwood flooring. The hotel has a full spa and salon with multiple massage and beauty treatments. The Whirlpool Jet Boat tours leave from right across the street.

The 1895 Victorian B&B, facing the tree-lined main square, has original oak, mahogany, and maple woodwork, including parquet floors, and stained-glass windows. Guest rooms, which vary considerably in size, are generally outfitted in a country look, with period antiques and some brass beds; new mattresses were installed in all rooms in 2008. The Old Library restaurant is next door.

A quiet retreat for golf lovers or skiers, Peek'n Peak also has a nice spa. Lodging options range from inn rooms with two queen beds to detached, multistory Clubhomes with five bedrooms, five bathrooms, full kitchens, and two-car garages. With the exception of units in the Inn at the Peak, which are dated (but share a building with the dining room, pub, spa, and pool), lodgings are updated, clean, and spacious, with large windows and some fairways and slopes views.

This eight-story chain hotel is in Jamestown's business district. Rooms have luxurious mattresses, large windows, cushy leather desk chairs, granite-countertop bathrooms, and traditional furnishings in muted color schemes. The hotel was completely renovated in 2008.

Antiques, quilts, hand-painted furniture, and stenciled walls give this turn-of-the-20th-century Victorian B&B its folksy charm. Honeymooners love this spot; a wedding chapel on the premises lets them have the ceremony, reception, and honeymoon all in one place. The Honeymoon Suite has an antique fireplace and a porch with a swing. Note that there are cats on the premises.

Established in 1923 and modeled after an old English inn, the Tudor-style building has spectacular views of Niagara Falls' upper rapids from street-facing suites. The size of apartments, suites have full kitchens and living rooms, one or two bedrooms, and some have a second bathroom. Rooms and suites are furnished with antiques, gas fireplaces (some), and four-poster beds with toile duvets. Champagne and cheese is served upon arrival. The dark-wood restaurant ($$), with three meals daily, has snug seating, plush chairs, a stone fireplace, and a patio. Rib-sticking dinners might include sirloin with garlic-herb butter or an 8-ounce lobster tail.

Original and reproduction Roycroft Arts and Crafts furnishings fill the rooms at this lovely three-story inn on the old Roycroft Campus. Most accommodations here are three-, four-, or five-room suites. Some have two twin beds or a queen-size bed and a pullout queen sleeper. Bursts of bright color—in a throw rug or pillow or a bedcovering, for example—play off the straight lines of the Mission furniture and the neutral walls.

This 11-story hotel is in a casino complex with restaurants, bars, a deli and two cafés, plus a spa-salon, large fitness center, and a rooftop pool with a great view toward Allegany State Park. Rooms include corner suites with 46-inch plasma TVs, standard king or queen rooms, and suites. All rooms have Jacuzzi tubs.

This 26-story glass hotel, opened in 2006 as part of the Seneca Niagara Casino complex, is a beacon of rainbow-LED-light glam in downtown Niagara Falls. Rooms are spacious and contemporary in design, in caramel tones, with floor-to-ceiling windows (some with views of the river and the skyline of Niagara Falls, Ontario), big flat-screen TVs, and large bathrooms with oversize showers. Suites have stand-alone Jacuzzis at the foot of the bed. The hotel has four restaurants (Asian, Italian, steak, and Southern), a 24-hour café, and the requisite buffet, here the size of a basketball court.

Rooms at this Victorian hotel are individually decorated and named for great authors. The decor varies considerably from room to room. The Agatha Christie room is decked out with fern-print wallpaper that has a sort of psychedelic effect; the Isabel Allende room has cactus murals on the walls and a desert-hue theme. Some rooms are small and cramped, whereas others are quite capacious. Many have hand-painted murals or faux finishes on the walls or ceilings. Gardens surround the inn, which stays open all year. During the Chautauqua Institution season, the minimum required stay is a week.

The family-owned and -run complex across the street from Chautauqua Lake includes a two-story motel, Webb's Captain's Table restaurant, a candy store dating from 1947, and an 18-hole miniature-golf course. Rooms have traditional-contemporary furnishings; a couple have fireplaces. Furnishings are outdated and bathrooms smaller in the older portion of the hotel. All rooms facing the road have whirlpool tubs and balconies.

The Western New York Bed & Breakfast Association represents more than a dozen member B&Bs in the region.

Victorian frills and florals are in full effect at this handsome inn, originally the White family residence. Some of the building dates from 1868; it became an inn in 1919. Victorian antiques and reproduction pieces furnish the rooms, which have wall-to-wall carpeting and (very) floral wall coverings and may have white-wicker furniture or carved-wood four-poster beds. The restaurant serves mostly Continental fare that includes entrées such as pecan-encrusted chicken and prime rib (Friday and Saturday only).

This lovely 1837 Greek Revival inn sits on a secluded, grassy property between Westfield and Chautauqua. Rooms are traditionally furnished with period antiques and reproductions: some are dressed in flirty florals and ruffles, others have a more tailored look, with handsome four-poster beds; a few have balconies and fireplaces. The modern-built Carriage House rooms are the largest, with double whirlpool baths. Big, gourmet breakfasts, which could include amaretto-soaked French toast or four-cheese-and-tarragon omelet, are served in the cozy dining room.