Groundbreaking for $35 million Niagara Falls hotel

Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster, Governor Andrew Cuomo and The Hamister Group broke ground on the Hyatt Place Niagara Falls hotel Tuesday morning.

"This hotel is the first non-casino new development project of its size in our region here in more than four decades," said Mayor Paul Dyster.

The Hyatt Place Niagara Falls will have 128 rooms and convention space.

"14,500 ft. of convention space and we're not putting that convention space on the ground floor. We're putting it up on the roof where you can see the gorge and the park and the beautiful vistas of this great community," said CEO Mark Hamister of The Hamister Group.

It took nearly four years to get to this day. Hamister says it took years because the process required different approvals and procedures.

"We had to secure a bunch of approvals from the Niagara County IDA and I thank them for that," said Hamister. "We had to bid this project out and we had to do so by complying with all of the state standards that we were required to abide by."

Goldman Sachs is investing $24 million while USA Niagara is investing $4 million. Governor Cuomo said this project will boost jobs and more.

"30,000 new jobs over the next six years. Tourism increasing 15 percent and tourism spending increasing 20 percent," said Cuomo.

There's now five new hotels in Niagara Falls. The governor said the progress will continue.

"The next piece of the equation is we need to attract world-class recreation, cultural exhibits and we have to make Niagara Falls the place to do the coolest, most fun educational family activities," said Cuomo.