Hotels Near KeyBank Center
KeyBank Center sits at the southern edge of downtown Buffalo, a block from the waterfront at Canalside and directly across South Park Avenue from the southern terminus of the Metro Rail. It is the mirror image of Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park: instead of a suburb with almost no hotel supply, the arena is surrounded by the densest cluster of rooms in the region, most of them a walk of fifteen minutes or less. That single fact drives everything — stay downtown and you can reach the arena, the restaurants, the Amtrak platform and the waterfront entirely on foot, and a car becomes optional rather than essential.
Closest hotel to KeyBank Center: Buffalo Marriott at LECOM HARBORCENTER, under 0.3 mi away and walkable on event days. 12 properties within 1.1 mi are compared below.
Recommended areas to stay
Where you stay matters more than usual here, so these are the realistic bases and what each one trades away.
Canalside and the Cobblestone District (closest to the arena)
The few blocks immediately around the building, between the Buffalo River, South Park Avenue and Washington Street. This is the shortest possible walk — a matter of minutes — and a hotel is built into the mixed-use complex that adjoins the arena by an elevated walkway. The trade-off is that this is a small pocket rather than a neighbourhood: it is busy on event nights and distinctly quiet otherwise, and the wider choice of bars and restaurants is a further ten minutes north.
Best for Walking out of the building and into a lobby
Downtown core (Main Street, Delaware Avenue and Chippewa)
The main business district, running north from the arena along Main Street past Lafayette Square and Fountain Plaza. This is where most of the city's hotel supply actually is, and it is a ten to twenty minute walk to the arena or one or two stops on the Metro Rail, which is free on the above-ground downtown stretch. Chippewa Street is the late-night bar strip and Shea's Performing Arts Center is on Main a short walk north of Fountain Plaza station. The trade-off is that a Rust Belt business district empties out midweek, and parts of the walk south are quiet after dark.
Best for The most rooms and the most to do within walking distance
Allentown and Elmwood Village
Roughly a mile and a half to two miles north of the arena, and comfortably the best eating and drinking in the city, with the Buffalo AKG Art Museum at the northern end. Hotel supply here is thin and skews small and independent rather than chain. The Metro Rail reaches Allentown at the Allen/Medical Campus station, but that is one of the underground stops and therefore outside the free downtown zone, so you pay a fare — or walk about half an hour, or take a short rideshare.
Best for Restaurants and bars over arena proximity
Cheektowaga and the airport strip
Chain hotels along Genesee Street near Buffalo Niagara International Airport, about 10 miles east of the arena and roughly 20 minutes by car. Usually the cheapest option and the right one if you are flying in late or out early, but it undoes the main advantage of a downtown venue: you will drive or ride both ways and park in a downtown ramp regardless.
Best for Cheap rooms and awkward flight times
Best area without a car
Anywhere downtown, and this time the answer is genuinely yes rather than a grudging maybe. Unlike a Bills game in Orchard Park, an event at KeyBank Center needs no car at all: downtown hotels are within walking distance of the arena, Canalside, the Metro Rail and the Exchange Street Amtrak station, and the airport is connected to downtown by a regular NFTA bus. A car is only worth renting if you are also going to Highmark Stadium or Niagara Falls.
Best for Travellers not renting a car
Hotel options near KeyBank Center
Sorted by straight-line distance from KeyBank Center. Prices are the lowest available nightly rate for Sep 26 – Sep 27, 2026, the next event here you can still plan a trip around (NHL Preseason: Buffalo Sabres vs. Pittsburgh Penguins), for two adults. Rates move constantly, so treat them as a comparison between properties rather than a quote.
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Buffalo Marriott at LECOM HARBORCENTER
95 Main St, Buffalo
City Views and Modern Comforts Buffalo Marriott at LECOM HARBORCENTER, located in downtown Buffalo, offers stylish rooms with 55" flat-screen TVs and breathtaking city or lake vie…
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Courtyard by Marriott Buffalo Downtown/Canalside
One Canalside, 125 Main Street, Buffalo
Modern Amenities and Comfortable Rooms Enjoy the convenience of a microwave, refrigerator, and a smart TV in each air-conditioned room at Courtyard by Marriott Buffalo Downtown/Ca…
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Central Downtown Living
301 King Peterson Road, Buffalo
Central Downtown Living - A Gem in Buffalo Modern Amenities: Enjoy air-conditioned comfort and free WiFi in our 3-bedroom holiday home with a fully equipped kitchen and private en…
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Modern Trendy Downtown
303 King Peterson Road, Buffalo
Luxurious Accommodation Featuring spacious air-conditioned 4-bedroom apartment with a fully equipped kitchen and a terrace. Ideal for families or groups looking for a comfortable …
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Downtown & Upscale
305 King Peterson Road, Buffalo
Prime Location Situated in the heart of Buffalo, just steps away from Lafayette Square and the Buffalo Convention Center. Modern Amenities Enjoy a spacious living area, fully equi…
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Hotel at the Lafayette Trademark Collection by Wyndham
391 Washington St, Buffalo
Convenient Location near Key Attractions Located just minutes from Sahlen Field and a short drive or walk to Key Bank Center, our hotel offers the perfect blend of comfort and con…
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The Hilton Garden Inn Buffalo-Downtown
10 Lafayette Square, Buffalo
Luxurious Amenities The Hilton Garden Inn Buffalo-Downtown offers a perfect blend of comfort and convenience with an indoor pool, fitness centre, and free WiFi access. Each room i…
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Curtiss Hotel, an Ascend Collection Hotel
210 Franklin St, Buffalo
Luxurious Spa Experience Indulge in relaxing massages and unwind in the spa tub at our full-service spa. Keep fit at the 24-hour fitness center, and enjoy complimentary Wi-Fi acce…
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Embassy Suites Buffalo
200 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo
Luxurious All-Suite Hotel in Buffalo Suite Perks: Experience a comfortable stay at Embassy Suites Buffalo with a complimentary hot breakfast and high-speed internet in every suite…
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Hampton Inn & Suites Buffalo/Downtown
220 Delaware Ave, Buffalo
Convenient Location Located just 15.5 km from Walden Galleria and near Buffalo State College, our hotel is the perfect base to explore Buffalo's attractions. Comfortable Amenities…
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Holiday Inn Express & Suites Buffalo Downtown, NY
601 Main St, Buffalo
Central Location and Spacious Suites Located in central Buffalo, just 9 miles from the airport, Holiday Inn Express & Suites Buffalo Downtown offers suites with a living room and …
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The Westin Buffalo
250 Delaware Ave, Buffalo
Luxurious Accommodation The Westin Buffalo offers upscale rooms with modern amenities such as air conditioning, flat-screen TVs, and complimentary WiFi. Each room is equipped with…
Getting to KeyBank Center
Parking
The arena operates its own ramp on Illinois Street plus surface lots, and the adjoining Harborcenter complex has a ramp; arena-run lots are cashless and take cards and phone payment. Beyond that you have the enormous advantage of a downtown venue — dozens of commercial ramps and lots within a few blocks that are full of office workers on weekdays and largely empty in the evening, bookable in advance through the usual parking apps. Getting out afterwards is slow, as it is anywhere, but you are on a street grid with several exits rather than one suburban arterial.
Public transportation
Buffalo's NFTA Metro Rail is a single line running up Main Street, and its southern terminus, the DL&W station, opened in December 2025 directly across South Park Avenue from the arena; the Canalside station is a block north on Main. An enclosed skywalk from the DL&W station into the arena's 100 Level is under construction but was not open at the time of writing, so expect a short walk outdoors. The above-ground stretch through downtown, from DL&W and Canalside north to Fountain Plaza, has long been free to ride; the underground stations further north charge a fare. Amtrak's Buffalo–Exchange Street station is at 75 Exchange Street, two blocks from the arena, served by Empire Service trains from New York City and the Maple Leaf to and from Toronto — the Lake Shore Limited uses Buffalo–Depew, out in the suburbs, instead. Intercity buses use the Metropolitan Transportation Center on Ellicott Street, also downtown.
Uber, Lyft and taxis
Uber and Lyft both operate and the arena designates a pickup area. Surge pricing after a sellout is real, but downtown gives you an option Orchard Park does not: walk two or three blocks away from the building and the crush thins out considerably, and if you are staying downtown you can usually just walk home instead.
Restaurants nearby
The blocks immediately around the arena and the Cobblestone District have a cluster of bars and brewpubs that fill up before doors and empty fast afterwards. Chippewa Street, about half a mile north, is the concentrated late-night strip. For better food you want to go further north: Allentown, the Elmwood Village and Hertel Avenue have far more range than anything within sight of the arena. The original Anchor Bar, where Buffalo wings were invented, is at 1047 Main Street, about a mile and a half north and a block from the Allen/Medical Campus Metro Rail station — note that this stop is past the free downtown zone, so you will pay a fare. Duff's is the other name locals will give you, and beef on weck is the local dish that is not wings.
Things to do nearby
Canalside is immediately next door on the restored waterfront and runs a programme year-round — concerts and markets in summer, ice on the canals in winter — and the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park is on the same stretch. Sahlen Field, home of the Buffalo Bisons, is a few blocks away, and Buffalo RiverWorks sits across the river. Shea's Performing Arts Center is up Main Street just north of Fountain Plaza station, roughly a fifteen-minute walk. Further out, the Buffalo AKG Art Museum and Frank Lloyd Wright's Darwin Martin House are both in the northern half of the city, and Niagara Falls is about half an hour north by car. See the full Buffalo travel guide.
Upcoming events at KeyBank Center
If you are booking a room here, this is what you would be coming for. Every date links to live tickets and an interactive seat map.
- From about $59.00View Tickets
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- From about $156.00View Tickets
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Add-ons, not event tickets
Parking, tailgates and passes 1
These are add-on products rather than admission to the event itself, so they are listed separately and are not counted among the upcoming dates above.
See the full KeyBank Center schedule and tickets →
More Buffalo travel
Frequently asked questions
Can you walk to KeyBank Center from downtown Buffalo hotels?
Yes — and this is the main reason to stay downtown. The arena is on the southern edge of the downtown core, and most downtown hotels are a walk of five to twenty minutes. This is the opposite of Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, where there is no walkable hotel district at all and everyone drives.
Do you need a car for an event at KeyBank Center?
No. Between walkable downtown hotels, the Metro Rail along Main Street, Amtrak two blocks away at Exchange Street and an airport bus, a downtown-only trip works fine without one. Rent a car only if you are also heading to Highmark Stadium or Niagara Falls.
Where should I stay for a Buffalo Sabres game or a KeyBank Center concert?
Downtown, in almost every case. The Canalside and Cobblestone blocks put you closest to the doors; the wider downtown core along Main Street and Delaware Avenue has more rooms and more to do and is still an easy walk. Only choose the airport strip if price or an early flight outweighs everything else.
Is there a Metro Rail stop at KeyBank Center?
Effectively, yes. The DL&W station, which opened in December 2025 as the line's southern terminus, is directly across South Park Avenue from the arena, and Canalside station is a block north on Main Street. Both are on the above-ground downtown stretch, which has long been free to ride. An enclosed walkway straight into the arena is under construction but was not open at the time of writing.
Can one hotel work for both a Bills game and a Sabres game?
Yes, and downtown is the place to do it. Highmark Stadium is about 11 miles south, roughly 20 minutes outside game traffic, and the NFTA runs game-day buses to the stadium from downtown. You walk to KeyBank Center and drive or ride to Orchard Park, rather than the other way round.
How far is Buffalo Niagara International Airport from KeyBank Center?
About 10 miles east, roughly 20 minutes by car in normal conditions. There is no train to the airport, but the NFTA's Route 24 bus runs between the airport and downtown through the day.
