Niagara Falls Hotel Live! Redevelopment Gets Additional Time to Secure Financing

The long-stalled plan to transform the former Howard Johnson building at 472 Main Street in Niagara Falls into a rock-themed destination hotel has been given new life. The Niagara County Industrial Development Agency voted Wednesday to extend Live Inc.’s Cataract Grant funding through the end of 2027, allowing the developers additional time to assemble financing and prepare for construction, which they now say could begin in the spring.

The IDA originally approved $450,000 in Cataract Tourism grant funding in August 2024 to support the redevelopment. The project, Hotel Live!, calls for an 80-room hotel with individually themed music floors, a celebrity-backed restaurant, and an indoor venue designed for live performances. The developers project creating 52 jobs which include 32 full-time positions.

According to Agency Counsel Mark Gabriele, the developers’ difficulty securing financing stalled progress. He said he had been working with the operators in recent weeks and expected them to close on the hotel property before the end of the year.

The expansion of the grant timeline does not provide additional money but allows Live Inc. time to document spending for reimbursement. Under the terms of the grant, the funds can only be used upon completion and are earmarked specifically for the $1.5 million restaurant component and $2.8 million music venue.

The broader redevelopment carries an estimated price tag of $16 million and was first introduced in June 2024. Along with the Cataract Grant, the project has received substantial support from other public and private funding streams, including $2.25 million in tax incentives, $11.65 million in anticipated bank financing, $2.4 million in equity, and $1.5 million from Empire State Development.

Live Inc., a Canadian-American company, already operates the helium balloon attraction adjacent to the project site. That ride, which opened in August 2024, was envisioned as a complementary attraction to the future hotel.

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Niagara Falls Hotel Live! Redevelopment Gets Additional Time to Secure Financing