Published by: The Cleveland Plain Dealer
Published date: January 2025

It’s the first new traditional hotel in downtown Cleveland in nearly a decade, since a flurry of new properties opened just before the Republican National Convention in 2016.

It’s also downtown’s first independent hotel — that is, not affiliated with any of the big hotel chains, including Marriott, Hilton and IHG.

(The Roost, which opened in downtown’s former May Co. building in 2022, is an extended-stay, apartment-style hotel, and is also independent.)

Conrad said there are advantages to being unaffiliated with a larger hotel group.

“We don’t have to ask corporate,” he said. “We control our guest experience. It’s how we want it — and how our guests want it.”

For example, he said, the Fidelity will offer twice-per-day housekeeping, including nightly turndown service with a treat from the kitchen.

“People want experiential hospitality,” Conrad said.

There are disadvantages to going independent, too, said David Sangree, president of Hotel and Leisure Advisors, a Cleveland consulting firm.

Independent hotels can have a harder time getting their name out, he said. And loyalty programs can sometimes keep travelers from trying new places.

Still, he said, “There are definitely travelers out there who want something different.”

The owner of the hotel is Denver-based NuovoRE, a real estate firm that also owns hotels in Baltimore and St. Louis. The company is also involved in the development of the former Procter & Gamble headquarters building in Cincinnati into a high-end hotel.

“They like cool architecture and historic renovations,” said Conrad. “They’re not interested in building from the ground up. They wanted to bring new life into this building.”

The timing is right, said Conrad. Cleveland is experiencing a terrific tourism year, following numerous high-profile events, including the NCAA women’s basketball Final Four and the solar eclipse in April, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductions, baseball and basketball playoffs, and more.

Downtown hotels are poised to post the highest overnight rates in history this year, according to CoStar, a hospitality data firm.

Through October, the average overnight rate in downtown Cleveland is $202.55 — the first time that number has exceeded $200, according to CoStar.

“Downtown hotels have done well this year,” said Sangree, who believes the city can support more rooms.

This year, owners of the Hotel Cleveland on Public Square, formerly the Renaissance, completed a $90 million renovation of the 491-room historic hotel.

And work has just commenced on the massive project at downtown’s Erieview Tower, at E. Ninth Street and St. Clair Avenue, which is being converted into a joint apartment-hotel building, with the city’s first W Hotel. That project is expected to be completed in 2026.

The Fidelity, meanwhile, is currently booking for stays starting Jan. 27. Rates start at about $200 per night (including the “community love” rate, which includes a $10 contribution to the Greater Cleveland Food Bank.)

At between 210 and 250 square feet, most guestrooms are relatively small, at least by contemporary standards. The exception: Two extra-large suites, dubbed the Fidelity and the Vincent, which director of sales Cathy Ruhling described as “perfect for a weekend bridal suite.”

Guest rooms feature high-end sheets, 55-inch TVs and robes and slippers in the closets.

Caroline Dillabaugh, the hotel’s director of impact, said the hotel is going for a homey vibe.

“The feel of the hotel room is very residential,” she said on a recent tour of the space. “It feels like you’re walking into a bedroom rather than a massive hotel room.”

The first floor of the building — formerly home to Moriarty’s Pub, a Dave’s Cosmic Sub and other retail outlets — features a comfortable lobby, with upholstered chairs and couches arranged living-room style.

Decorative elements throughout the hotel include rich floral wall-coverings, wood floors, area rugs and brass fixtures, all intended to evoke the building’s historic nature.

Local artwork will decorate the walls and halls, including some that will be for sale.

Both guests and locals will be encouraged to spend time in the hotel’s well-appointed public spaces, including the lobby, bar and restaurant. A second bar, a sports bar, may open on the mezzanine at a later date, according to Ruhling.

The restaurant, the Club Room, features an adjacent dining space called the Snug, along with a private dining room decorated with a Cleveland-themed mural.

Longtime Clevelander Eddie Zalar, the former chef-owner of Nora (among other spots), has been tapped as executive chef.

Dillabaugh said the menu will be classic/new American, with a Cleveland flair.