As expected, Cleveland hotels did very well during the RNC. This Plain Dealer article highlights rates hotels were able to get for the 4-day event and quotes our Vice President, Laurel Keller. It remains to be seen what the long-standing impact will be on the city’s hotels in the future. 

By: Susan Glasser/The Plain Dealer
Published: July. 2016

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cleveland hoteliers have never seen such a lucrative week –- and may not again, at least for a while.

Downtown room rates during the Republican National Convention skyrocketed to between $305 and $343 over the four-day event -– the highest the city has ever seen, according to STR, a national travel research firm.

“This was our Super Bowl,” said Bob Megazzini, general manager at the Westin Cleveland Downtown. “Will it happen again? I think it could, but probably not for a long time.”

Downtown rates were highest on the final night of the convention, the night GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump took the stage. Staying in a hotel that night cost the average downtown guest a whopping $343. (Keep in mind, that’s an average -– many paid much more.)

“I think it’s a safe bet to say this is unprecedented for Cleveland,” said Laurel Keller, vice president at Hotel and Leisure Advisors, a local consulting firm.

The numbers aren’t a complete surprise: As many as two years ago, Cleveland hotels began committing large percentages of their inventory as part of the city’s  campaign to land the convention.

To read the entire article, click here.