Rochester's Downtown Hotel Shortage Has Cost the City $50 Million

Rochester's downtown hotel shortage is now measurable in buildings. The Riverside Hotel closed in early 2020 and has sat vacant since. The Wyndham — one block from City Hall on State Street — was ordered shut in June after 23 unresolved code violations. The Hyatt Regency is the only major hotel left in Center City — and when its general manager went before the Monroe County IDA to discuss a planned renovation, he didn't sugarcoat the building's condition.

The Hyatt Is Downtown's Last Major Hotel — and It Needs Work

The Hyatt Is Downtown's Last Major Hotel — and It Needs Work

That assessment came from Jay Rettberg, the Hyatt Regency's general manager, who told the Monroe County IDA board directly: "the product is tired. It's worn." Rettberg was there to discuss a planned $16 million renovation that would touch the entryway, valet operations, security, food service, and escalators — a full upgrade for a 350-room property that now operates as downtown Rochester's only full-service hotel option.

Officials say work will begin as soon as possible and expect the overhaul to support substantial increases in average daily rate. No construction start date has been announced.

Nearly 700 Rooms Disappeared from Downtown Rochester Since 2020

Nearly 700 Rooms Disappeared from Downtown Rochester Since 2020

The Wyndham was ordered closed on June 12, 2026, after the city cited 23 open violations — 13 fire code, 10 building code. Correcting the violations alone is not enough: the building requires a full new Certificate of Occupancy before it can reopen. Daryon Hotels, a Pennsylvania-based company, had taken over management four months before the closure order, in February 2026. The Wyndham is now wrapped in corrugated steel and in active foreclosure: Cogent Bank filed the action, and a court-appointed receiver is overseeing the property.

Together, the Riverside and the Wyndham held close to 700 rooms — nearly half of downtown's hotel inventory. The Hyatt's planned renovation doesn't replace them.

The Downtown Rochester Hotel Shortage Is a $50 Million Problem

The Downtown Rochester Hotel Shortage Is a $50 Million Problem

VisitRochester estimates the room shortage has cost the city nearly $50 million in lost meeting and convention business since 2022. President and CEO Don Jeffries says that when Rochester can't accommodate a major event downtown, organizers take the business to suburban hotels — or to other cities. Deputy Mayor Michael Burns puts the city's shortfall at roughly 1,000 rooms.

"We've got to get at least one of those two hotels open."

— Don Jeffries, VisitRochester President and CEO

A renovated Hyatt helps, but 350 rooms against a 1,000-room gap is a partial answer.

Ellicott Development and Angelo Ingrassia have a $61 million plan for the Riverside: a scaled-down hotel, approximately 170 apartments, and street-level retail. Construction was due to start last year. It has not. Deputy Mayor Burns says the clock is ticking — the Monroe County IDA's tax incentives are conditioned on project completion by December 2027, now about 14 months away.

The former Wyndham has no comparable plan. In active foreclosure, with a court-appointed receiver and no announced buyer, it remains off the market indefinitely. The IDA's Riverside deadline is December 2027.