BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — Buffalo will showcase that it is certainly a ‘hockey town’ as it hosts the 2026 NHL Draft this summer. Still, questions remain about whether downtown has enough hotel rooms to accommodate the influx of visitors.
The Buffalo Sabres and NHL leaders announced earlier this week at KeyBank Center that the Queen City will host the draft on June 26 and 27.
The event is expected to generate $2.6 million in economic impact based on nearly 3,000 hotel room nights for teams, sponsors and athletes.
Patrick Kaler, president and CEO of Visit Buffalo Niagara, said the region has sufficient accommodations for the event.
WATCH: 'We have plenty of hotels for this': Buffalo to host 2026 NHL Draft as city addresses hotel capacity concerns
"We have plenty of hotels for this," Kaler said.
Erie County has more than 10,000 hotel rooms available, according to Kaler. Downtown Buffalo alone has over 1,000 hotel rooms, and the draft will require about 2,000 room nights over the course of the event, with peak demand reaching 600 room nights in the downtown core.
"We'll be good on that," Kaler said.
However, the city faces challenges after losing 500 hotel rooms when the Buffalo Grand Hotel shut down several years ago. The now-dilapidated property continues to impact Buffalo's ability to attract large events.
"This year alone, we lost over 32 pieces of business for future years that we would have needed those 500 rooms under one roof," Kaler said. "That's well over $50 million of economic impact that we lost out on that would have booked for Buffalo."
But Kaler tells me the NHL Draft comes at an opportune time for the hospitality industry, with summer representing the highest occupancy season for Buffalo hotels. However, June typically sees softer demand than July, August and September.
"This is a great opportunity for us to kick into the summer season by having a fantastic big event taking place in June," Kaler said.
The draft will mark a significant moment for Buffalo, reinforcing the city's identity as a hockey town while providing an economic boost to the downtown area that has struggled since the pandemic.
Several downtown hotel managers did not respond to requests for comment, with others citing busy schedules due to current hotel business.
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