Another new hotel project is in the works in the city of Niagara Falls.

The board of directors for the Niagara County Industrial Development Agency is expected to consider an application for assistance today from Plati Niagara Inc., LLC, a firm owned by the Strangio family, operators of the Quality Inn Hotel franchise and Antonio’s Banquet and Conference Center on Niagara Falls Boulevard.

A released issued by the NCIDA on Tuesday said Plati Niagara plans to construct an “upscale hotel under a national franchise” on a parcel of land located at 333 Rainbow Blvd. in Niagara Falls.

From the Toronto Star:

Ottawa no longer wants to waste time and money trying to lure American tourists to the land of moose, mountains and Mounties.
According to a new report, the U.S. has become one of Canada’s poorest performing tourism markets, and this country isn’t getting full value from expensive marketing campaigns aimed south of the border.
U.S. visitors spent, on average, only $518 per trip to Canada last year, the lowest amount spent by an international visitor group. It was the third straight year of declines. By contrast, tourists from Brazil spent an average of $1,874 per trip.
The Canadian Tourism Commission, in its 2012 annual report, released last week, describes its strategic plan to stop promoting Canada in poorly performing markets such as the U.S.

Marineland of Canada Inc. announces that Stantec, the independent water quality experts have today released their report of their investigation of Marineland’s water quality systems.

The report dated April 13, 2013 states:
The water management system at Marineland has been developed over many years. The water management system has been upgraded over time to provide comprehensive treatment to meet modern standards and performance requirements associated with best practices, and ongoing research and development in the industry. Overall, the investment in the water management system has been significant from a capital cost perspective.

Ten years ago, when my job included reporting developments – or lack thereof – in downtown Niagara Falls, I was often asked where to find the best meal within a walk of the famed cataracts. My answers made hungry people sad.

Three weeks ago, I found myself eating at a fine dining, white-tablecloth place two blocks from the park. A restaurant with a chef’s table and a tasting menu and a polite young sommelier with a French accent.

This is Niagara Falls, N.Y., now.

I’d read the stories about the Niagara Falls Culinary Institute opening in the former Rainbow Mall, home to state-of-the-art classrooms for the culinary students of Niagara County Community College plus restaurants, a pastry shop and a wine boutique. (See accompanying Cheap Eats review on Page 17.) But it didn’t really hit me until we sat down at Savor.

Marina owners decided to take their jet boats out through Niagara’s treacherous whirlpools and rapids Saturday morning.

Mike Fox and Chris Bohnenkamp, the owners of Fox BoyZ Marina, took two of their 26-foot BWC Gatlin jet boats from their Youngstown business out on the water. They came within just 100 yards of the Niagara Falls cataracts of the Niagara River Gorge.

After years of wishful thinking, a one-mile stretch of the Robert Moses Parkway leading directly to Niagara Falls may get a makeover that makes it more tourist and pedestrian-friendly.

The Western New York Regional Economic Council has agreed to allocate $10 million from the “Buffalo Billion” to help finance the $15 million project. The remaining $5 million is expected to come from federal dollars secured by Sen. Charles Schumer and Rep. Brian Higgins.

The project, which could get underway next year, will take a portion of the Robert Moses Parkway between John Daly Boulevard and Buffalo Avenue and turn it from a high-speed roadway into a thoroughfare with pedestrian-friendly medians and attractive landscaping.