MCLEAN, Va. and CLEVELAND - Hilton Worldwide announced plans to operate a 600-650 room convention center headquarters hotel in downtown Cleveland. Cuyahoga County has awarded Hilton Worldwide the rights to manage thisHilton Hotels & Resortsproperty adjoining the new Cleveland Convention Center in the heart of the city's downtown. Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state, is the owner of the hotel and financing the project with a combination of tax-exempt bonds and other tax-revenue sources.
"We are thrilled to be operating a new hotel in the city's dynamic downtown section, which will be connected to the recently opened Cleveland Convention Center and situated in close proximity to the Global Center for Health Innovation featuring world-class tenants such as GE Healthcare, Siemens and Cisco," remarked Ted Ratcliff, senior vice president, operations, Eastern North America, Hilton Worldwide. "The hotel will play an integral role in the consolidation of this complex that is designed to enhance the waterfront as the urban core center of convention and entertainment activity."
The project represents an attractive opportunity to expand Hilton Worldwide's network of convention hotels and is the flagship brand's first managed new-build project in the U.S., since the opening of Hilton Columbus Downtown last fall, which is also a convention centerstyle property.
Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald said, "In combination with the new Cleveland Convention Center and Global Center for Health Innovation, the hotel represents another step forward in the revitalization our region. Close to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and FirstEnergy Stadium, we look forward to this hotel connecting our growing set of assets in downtown Cleveland. The hotel stands to be the flagship of our Convention Center complex and we are thrilled to be working with Hilton Worldwide to bring that vision to life."
Situated at the current location of the Cuyahoga County Administration Building, the hotel will feature subterranean links to both the Convention Center and the Global Center for Health Innovation. The Global Center will serve health and health care innovation, technology, education and commerce through state-of-the-art spaces, programs and virtual offerings. The Convention Center contains 225,000 gross square feet of Class A exhibit space, 35 meeting rooms, an expansive truck loading dock and a 32,000 square foot ballroom with remarkable views of Cleveland's lakefront.
"We are excited to be working with Cuyahoga County on this spectacular new project, which will bolster our presence in northeastern Ohio's largest urban meetings and convention market," said Rob Palleschi, global head, Hilton Hotels & Resorts. "This area is a growing center of activity in Ohio and this new hotel will strengthen our representation of diverse brands in this major metropolis."
The hotel will also boast approximately 55,000 square feet of meeting space, a full-service restaurant, lobby bar and recreation facilities that will include an indoor pool and fitness center.
The new full-service convention center hotel is expected to begin construction by the end of this year and is scheduled to open by 2016. VOA Associates and Atlanta-based Cooper Carry are the joint architectural firms involved in the project and New York City-based Andersen-Miller is managing the interior design.
