Two hotel properties with rich histories in Cleveland and Colorado Springs opened their doors after extensive renovation and restoration projects that have preserved their storied pasts while offering contemporary comforts and amenities for leisure guests and event groups alike.

Hotel Cleveland Completes $90 Million Restoration Project

Following nearly a decade of planning, Hotel Cleveland, Autograph Collection completed a $90 million renovation project that has restored the historic downtown Cleveland building to its former glory while adding contemporary refinements and amenities.

Need to know: Owned by Toronto-based Skyline Investments and managed by Aimbridge Hospitality, the newly minted member of Marriott’s Autograph Collection originally opened in 1918 as Hotel Cleveland and has gone through myriad identities, including Cleveland City Hotel, Dunham House, Forest City House, Sheraton-Cleveland Hotel, Stouffer’s Inn on the Square, and most recently, Renaissance Cleveland Hotel.

By the numbers: The restored hotel now boasts a property-wide, Cleveland-themed interior design across its 441 guest rooms and 50 suites, as well as a sophisticated new lobby, two restaurants, a bar, and 59,000 square feet of meeting space. The hotel’s 30 distinctive event spaces include three ballrooms, one of which is the largest Marriott ballroom in Ohio at 22,590 square feet.

What’s new: New restaurants include Maker, open for lunch, happy hour and dinner, which offers sweeping views of the city’s Public Square. Along with chic décor, leather seating, and bespoke lamps shaded with vintage Cuyahoga riverfront images, it offers a menu of small plates, shareable dishes, entrees and sides, as well as craft cocktails and alcohol-free concoctions. Offering a la carte American-style breakfast favorites with Cleveland twists, Mowrey’s nods to the tavern and inn that sat on the site in 1814 and is available for private dining experiences.

Famous guests: Hotel Cleveland and its predecessors have hosted some of the world’s most prominent travelers and luminaries, including Martin Luther King Jr., Duke Ellington, Charles Lindbergh, Harry Truman and Eleanor Roosevelt, according to hotel officials.

What they’re saying: “Everyone has a story or memory connected to Hotel Cleveland and the other hospitality pioneers that stood at this address, and we’ve been collecting their stories,” said Hotel Cleveland General Manager Frank McGee. “One of the many ways we embody this extraordinary city is by sharing those stories with guests as they move through the space, creating truly special moments for them.”

Mining Exchange Hotel Unveiled in Colorado Springs

Completely reimagined from the historic building that served as a bustling stock exchange for precious gold and silver when it was established in 1902, the new Mining Exchange Hotel in downtown Colorado Springs has opened following a property-wide restoration and redesign project that began in December 2022.

By the numbers: Embodying a rugged yet refined essence of the West and inspired by the adventurous spirit of Colorado’s trailblazers and prospectors, the hotel features a redesigned living room-style lobby, 128 guestrooms, two food and beverage concepts, experiential and wellness programming and activations, a refreshed full-service spa, and refreshed indoor-outdoor meeting and event spaces, including a new boardroom.

Design details: Featuring vibrant wall coverings, historic brick accents and custom furnishings and locally commissioned artworks, guestrooms are adorned with natural white oak flooring, custom wingback armchairs and oak desks, patterned area rugs, custom wainscoting and an ultra-quiet sound barrier designed to promote good sleep. Bathrooms are decked out with vibrant green porcelain tiles juxtaposed against patterned tile floors, Carrara marble-topped vanities, walk-in showers with Champagne bronze fixtures, and MALIN+GOETZ bathroom amenities.  

Event specs: The hotel’s distinct and versatile meeting and event spaces have also received an extensive design refresh, along with an all-new boardroom. With nearly 11,000 square feet, two ballrooms are awash with natural light, exposed brick walls and rich hardwood floors, as well as an outdoor terrace. 

F&B highlights: At BLK MGK, the hotel’s high-craft, full-service coffee bar, guests have access to a full menu of breakfast and lunch items, a range of specialty coffee and tea beverages, coffee-based cocktails, wine and beer, as well as a tincture menu of everyday remedies that can be added to any beverage. The venue will also offer a rotating schedule of guided coffee tastings, aura and astrology readings, and artistic events in partnership with Cottonwood Center for the Arts.

Places to gather: Inspired by the gilded era of the exchange, Golden Hour, the hotel’s indoor-outdoor bar and courtyard, features a gold-accented indoor bar as well as a stone and brick-accented alleyway just beyond the lobby wall. Offering a menu of high-craft cocktails, spirits, wine and local beer, and artisanal bites, Golden hour is partnering with local jazz promoter Dizzy Charlie’s to present Live Jazz Thursdays. According to hotel officials, additional food and beverage venues will debut in the future. 

What to see: Additional hotel programming includes The Vault, an on-site art gallery that will feature rotating art shows in partnership with local Auric Gallery. The space is expected to become a staple stop during Colorado Springs’ year-round First Friday gallery hop and an added amenity for guests who can also meet the artists during quarterly receptions.

Wellness activations: For wellness-focused guests, the hotel offers fitness activities, including guided runs and Pilates classes, as well as in-room offerings such as a Crystal Concierge who delivers healing stones to their room for the duration of their stay.

Good to know: Managed by Practice Hospitality, the Mining Exchange Hotel and Colorado Springs is within driving distance to the rugged trails of Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods’ iconic red rock spires and 70 miles from Denver.

Have some meetings hotel news to share? Please send announcements and high-resolution imagery to lisa.savas@informa.com.

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