The Hyatt Regency Rochester, the largest hotel in downtown Rochester, NY, is planning a $16.1 million renovation, while two other large downtown hotels, the former Rochester Riverside and the former Wyndham, remain closed. Hotel managers told the County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency (COMIDA) in October 2026 that the work would start “as soon as possible,” WXXI News reported on Oct. 26.
The Hyatt Regency Rochester renovation at a glance
- Size: $16.1 million in construction costs, according to the COMIDA application.
- Tax breaks requested: about $2.77 million in total, including an 18-year property tax abatement valued at $2,066,629, a $580,800 sales tax exemption and a $120,750 mortgage recording tax exemption, according to the Rochester Business Journal. COMIDA’s analysis lists the payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) term as 19 years and says the incentives equal 17.19% of project costs.
- Timing: COMIDA held a public hearing on Oct. 15, and the board was expected to vote at its Oct. 20 meeting, RBJ reported. The estimated sales tax exemption runs through Dec. 31, 2027.
- Location: 125 East Main St., at South Avenue, connected by skyway to the Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center.
What will change at the Hyatt
RBJ reported the plans include guest room upgrades, meeting space and audiovisual improvements, new cooling towers, fitness center and pool renovations, acoustic fixes, escalator replacement, new rooftop signage and a new entryway. WXXI added that security, valet and food service are part of the work and that the hotel plans to add staff.
The 25-story hotel opened in 1992 and was last renovated in 2017, in an $18 million project. COMIDA’s public notice describes it as a 350-room hotel; RBJ put the count at 336 rooms. The hotel has 115 full-time and 62 part-time employees, according to RBJ.
“The product is tired. It’s worn,” general manager Jay Rettberg told the COMIDA board, according to WXXI. He said the renovation would bring “increases in average daily rate — substantial increases.”
Under the PILOT, RBJ reported, the project must meet city of Rochester workforce goals: 20% minority workers, 6.9% women and 25% city residents. Erik Frisch, the city’s commissioner of business and neighborhood development, sent a letter supporting the PILOT. An MRB Group analysis cited in the application put the benefit-to-cost ratio at 4:2.
Downtown Rochester’s missing hotel rooms
The Rochester Riverside Hotel at 120 E. Main St. closed in early 2020, and the Wyndham on State Street closed this summer. WXXI reported the two buildings held almost 700 rooms, nearly half of all downtown hotel rooms. VisitRochester estimates that the shortage has cost the city nearly $50 million in lost meeting business since 2022.
“We’re short about 1,000 hotel rooms from what we would ideally have,” Deputy Mayor Michael Burns told WXXI.
Don Jeffries, president and CEO of VisitRochester, said hotels report that “business is good, but it’s going to the suburbs because of the lack of rooms downtown.”
Riverside and Wyndham: where things stand
Developer Angelo Ingrassia and Buffalo-based Ellicott Development plan a $61 million redevelopment of the Riverside complex into a smaller hotel, 170 apartments, and retail and restaurant space. Their tax breaks are conditioned on finishing the work by December 2027. Construction was supposed to start last year and has not begun, WXXI reported; the developers did not respond to the station’s requests for comment. “The clock is ticking,” Burns said, adding there have been “no ultimatums as of yet.”
The former Wyndham, a block from City Hall, is in foreclosure. Cogent Bank filed the foreclosure action, and a court-appointed receiver oversees the property, according to WXXI. Burns said the city sees its role as a facilitator for interested buyers.
The convention center connected to both the Hyatt and the Riverside is in the early stages of a multi-phase renovation.
What it means for Rochester visitors and businesses
For now, the Hyatt remains the main hotel for convention-goers downtown. The renovation’s construction schedule and whether rooms will be taken out of service during the work had not been published as of Oct. 27. Event planners can check availability with VisitRochester. The downtown hotel news comes a week after the state announced a $375 million rare earth plant at Eastman Business Park. Another Rochester business, Wegmans, has expanded across Greater Boston.
Reactions
“Our goal is to make it shine again,” Rettberg told WXXI. “It’s going to be such a positive note for that corner, and that corner just hasn’t seen a positive note in quite some time.”
Sources
- WXXI News: Hyatt awaits $16M overhaul as other hotels face uncertain future (Oct. 26, 2026)
- Rochester Business Journal: $16.1M renovation planned for Hyatt Regency Rochester (Oct. 7, 2026)
- County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency: 125 EMS Hotel LLC board packet
Additional sources
- COMIDA: Notice of public hearing, 125 EMS Hotel LLC (Oct. 5, 2026)
- Monroe County Economic Development: COMIDA project listings
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