I was in Buffalo first with my husband when we brought our son to college at UB, and a couple of weeks later with a group of friends for a concert. T his hotel is very conveniently located, walking distance from the downtown theater district and several good restaurants, and not far from the subway entrance,

On our first visit, we arrived very tired and overheated from trudging around campus on a hot, humid day. We were a couple of hours shy of check-in time but the manager, Theresa Smith, allowed us to check in early. when she noted that the room we had been assigned had a weak wifi connection, she gave us a free upgrade to a jacuzzi suite. The room was beautifully appointed with a very comfortable bed. Later in the afternoon when we went out for a bit of shopping and dinner, Theresa provided us with a map and some suggestions of where to eat. ( We can now give high marks to FAT BOB'S SMOKEHOUSE for barbecue, and COLTER BAY GRILL for burgers and wings....both within a block of the hotel. Colter Bay is a bit noisy but the wings make it worth it!)

On my second visit to this hotel I also received excellent customer service, wish I could recall the girl's name, a young woman with strawberry blonde hair and glasses....the first room I was assigned was next door to a group of guys with a case of beer and very loud voices. after 45 minutes in my room, during which time I could hear them yukking it up nonstop, I concluded that this was going to be a problem if I wanted to get some sleep. The young woman at the desk was happy to reassign me even though the hotel was already sold out for the night (and I'd already been in the room unwrapping the soap and so on) and she found me a nice quiet room. The same woman also helped me with using the hotel computers because I am not the most computer-savvy person.

Breakfast is the same at most Best Westerns, it isn't gourmet fare, but it is dependably fresh with a decent variety, and the coffee is very nice.

Other positives: we saw a number of housekeeping staff members and they always greet you with a smile, only a small thing but I think it lends a friendly atmosphere to the whole place. Also, I like the fact that the entire parking lot was very brightly floodlit at night, I expect it discourages thieves and I felt safe leaving my valuables locked in the trunk. Oh, and we love the parrot in the lobby.

I have only one minor complaint, and this will only trouble those who are traveling in a group. If your room is, for example, on the third floor, your elevator key card will ONLY allow you to go as high as the third floor. Friends on the fourth floor? too bad. You can't go knock in their doors. you can only go to their rooms WITH them. And THEN once you have, you cant get BACK to your own floor, the fourth floor friend had to key the elevator FOR you. key cards required in the stairwells too. This made it difficult for us as we were a group of eight and we were trying to gather in one persons room for some wine and cheese later in the evening, and the running back and forth with the right persons elevator key EVERY time someone needed to go in or out was ridiculous. I understand the need for security but there has to be a way around this.

I would definitely recommend Best Western On The Avenue for comfort, convenience and service, with the caveat that if you are in a group, you should make sure you're all on the same floor.