Monday, June 6, 2016 – Today a few of Executive Arrangements’ Project Managers toured the new Drury and Kimpton Hotels in downtown Cleveland. Quite often our clients ask our advice on a hotel that will create the best first impression of NE Ohio and here are our insights.
Kimpton GM Adam Gurgiolo tours with EA staff.
Kimpton Schofield Hotel – In 2015, the Kimpton brand joined forces with the InterContinental, and their first offering in Cleveland is on E. 9th and Euclid. This century old building is part hotel (floors 1-7) and part luxury apartments (floors 8-14). No two of the current 66 Kimpton hotels are alike but rather adapt to the personality of the city they are in. Cleveland pride is reflected in the local craft beers that are stocked in the mini-fridges, the guitars that guests can borrow and learn to play (inspired by the Rock Hall a few blocks to the north of hotel) and live plants abound in the lobby (or in Kimpton speak, The Living Room) as an homage to Cleveland’s turn of the century nickname, The Forest City. There are 122 rooms, valet parking is the only option (have to be going south on E. 9th Street to enter), and look for the ground floor restaurant, Parkers, to open in late June 2016. Kimptons are known for encouraging guests to leave their mark and you can do so here by adding a pushpin to the giant wall map to indicate your hometown or by adding a positive news story to the Good News bulletin board near the elevators. To encourage street level exploration, guests can borrow a bicycle from the hotel as well. One fun factoid: Notice how the Schofield building juts out several feet from its neighbors along Euclid Avenue – this is because the architect, Levi Schofield, also designed the Soldiers & Sailors Monument on Public Square, and he wanted to be able to see it from his building! Ah, hubris.
View north on E. 9th from Schofield Apartments.
Above the Kimpton Hotel, on floors 7-14 are The Schofield Apartments. With monthly rents ranging from roughly $1,500-$7,000, these apartments have high end finishes, unique flo
or plans, HUGE bathrooms and amazing views down E. 9th & Euclid (can see Public Square and Lake Erie). Views across the street aren’t too shabby either as the street is lined with beautiful old buildings: former Ameritrust Bank Rotunda, now Heinens grocery store, and the former Huntington Bank Building (bank moved to a new building on Public Square).
And closer to Public Square is the brand new Drury Hotel (opened in May) which sits on the corner of E. 6th & St. Clair in the former Cleveland Board of Education Building. Built in 1930, this stately building has gorgeous striated 
marble floors (thank goodness they weren’t ripped out and replaced!), high ceilings with 20′ arched windows and magnificent murals in the lobby that herald an earlier time.
There is a lap pool and jacuzzi in the basement (great use of dead space), a cafe/bar cleverly named The Teacher’s Lounge and the Drury purchased a parking garage on nearby Rockwell Avenue and valet parks all guest cars there. With 189 rooms ranging from the low $100’s to low $300’s, we think that this will attract even locals who come downtown for events on the newly re-imagined Public 
Square and want to stay overnight in the city.
Two great hotel additions to downtown Cleveland! But if your recruit/transferring employee seeks a traditional suburban hotel, check out our earlier blog which shares our favorites all over NE Ohio.
To learn more about how Executive Arrangements can help your organization to attract and retain the best talent by educating them about Cleveland or Akron’s quality of life, call us: 216.231.9311.