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Hotel Cleveland

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Hotel Cleveland is a historic landmark hotel on Public Square in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, now operating as part of Marriott International's Autograph Collection.

Last updated August 26, 2026

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Overview

Hotel Cleveland is a historic downtown hotel on Public Square in Cleveland, Ohio. The present building opened on December 16, 1918, as a 1,000-room hotel and became one of the principal hospitality and civic venues surrounding Cleveland's developing Terminal complex. Its site has been associated with lodging since 1815, when Phinney Mowrey operated Mowrey's Tavern. The property later passed through the names Cleveland House, City Hotel, Dunham House, and Forest City House before the earlier building was demolished in 1916 for construction of the current hotel. The hotel was built during a period of major expansion in Cleveland's central business district. In the 1920s, the Van Sweringen brothers acquired it and incorporated it into the Cleveland Union Terminal development, completed in 1930. Its location and scale made it a natural setting for political appearances, business meetings, entertainment, and major public events. Charles Lindbergh spoke in one of its ballrooms in 1927, and later guests and visitors included Presidents Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan, as well as Eleanor Roosevelt. The property was also associated with notable cultural and sporting events: the Beatles stayed there during their Cleveland visits in 1964 and 1966, Martin Luther King Jr. attended a Nobel Peace Prize dinner there in 1965, and Duke Ellington performed in the hotel in 1972. The hotel's operating identity changed several times as ownership and management shifted. Sheraton Hotels acquired the property in 1958 and renamed it the Sheraton-Cleveland Hotel. A major 1962 investment added a large convention wing, parking structure, exhibition space, and ballroom, reinforcing the hotel's role as a convention and events venue. During the Sheraton period, the hotel also hosted significant civic activity, including a 1964 meeting between white and Black Cleveland community leaders following the death of civil-rights protester Rev. Bruce W. Klunder. The hotel became part of the Terminal complex listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. Sheraton sold the property in 1977 to Save-the-Square, Inc., an investor group led by Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell. The building was renovated and reopened in 1978 under Stouffer management as Stouffer's Inn on the Square. Further modernization began in 1985, including substantial work on fire-safety systems and a reduction in the number of guest rooms. The property was renamed Stouffer Tower City Plaza Hotel in 1986, reflecting the redevelopment of the surrounding terminal and shopping complex. Renaissance Hotels acquired Stouffer Hotels in 1993; after the Stouffer name was retired, the hotel became the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel in 1996. Toronto-based Skyline Investments purchased the property in 2015. In 2021, Skyline announced a planned renovation and a move from Marriott's Renaissance Hotels division to the more individually styled Autograph Collection. A proposed 2021 sale to VM Hotel Acquisition Corp. was withdrawn in 2022, with the prospective buyer citing market volatility. After a reported $90 million renovation, the property formally resumed the historic Hotel Cleveland name as Hotel Cleveland, Autograph Collection in spring 2024 and held its grand reopening in June 2024. Today it operates as a full-service historic hotel within the mixed-use Tower City Center and Terminal complex, combining guest accommodations, restaurants, meeting and event facilities, and heritage-oriented public spaces.

History

The site occupied by Hotel Cleveland has hosted lodging businesses since 1815, when Phinney Mowrey opened Mowrey's Tavern. Donald MacIntosh acquired the tavern in 1820 and operated it under the names Cleveland House and later City Hotel. A fire destroyed the building in 1845. It was rebuilt as the Dunham House in 1848, enlarged in 1852, and renamed the Forest City House. That structure was demolished in 1916 to prepare for the present hotel. The current Hotel Cleveland opened on December 16, 1918. With approximately 1,000 rooms and a reported construction cost of $4.5 million, it was among the city's largest and most prominent hotels. Its scale reflected Cleveland's economic importance and the transformation of Public Square and the surrounding rail-terminal district. In the 1920s, the Van Sweringen brothers purchased the hotel and developed the Cleveland Union Terminal complex around it. The terminal was completed in 1930, tying the hotel to one of Cleveland's most important transportation and commercial projects. The hotel became a venue for prominent visitors and public life. Charles Lindbergh spoke there in 1927 after his transatlantic flight. During Eliot Ness's Cleveland career, he and his wife frequently danced in the Bronze Room, and Ness questioned Torso-murder suspect Francis Sweeney in a hotel room in 1938. In 1939 Ness convened local factory owners in the Empire Room in an effort to establish an employee-based information network against possible sabotage; the initiative generated opposition from the local CIO leadership, which sought intervention from J. Edgar Hoover. Presidents Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and later Presidents Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan were among the property's notable political visitors. Sheraton Hotels acquired the property in 1958 and renamed it the Sheraton-Cleveland Hotel. Sheraton converted the Bronze Room into the Kon Tiki Restaurant in 1961. In 1962 it undertook a reported $5.2 million renovation and added a convention wing with a three-story, 500-space parking garage, a 12,000-square-foot exhibition hall, and a ballroom designed for approximately 4,000 people. The expanded facility strengthened the hotel's position as a major convention and event center. On April 19, 1964, it hosted a significant meeting between white and Black Cleveland leaders after the death of civil-rights protester Rev. Bruce W. Klunder. The Beatles stayed at the hotel in September 1964 and returned in August 1966; the property also hosted Martin Luther King Jr. in 1965 and Duke Ellington in 1972. The hotel became part of the Terminal complex listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. Sheraton sold the hotel in 1977 to Save-the-Square, Inc., an investor group headed by Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell and including Cleveland Indians owner Steve O'Neill. The investors helped prevent the property from remaining in receivership and financed a comprehensive renovation. Work included enclosing the rear courtyard with a glass-roofed atrium and installing a pool lowered into the building by crane. The hotel reopened in 1978 under Stouffer Hotels as Stouffer's Inn on the Square. Stouffer began another reported $37 million, five-year renovation in 1985. The property remained open during the work, which reduced the inventory to approximately 500 rooms and upgraded fire protection with sprinklers, smoke detectors, and alarms. In December 1986, it was renamed Stouffer Tower City Plaza Hotel. Renaissance Hotels purchased Stouffer Hotels in 1993, and the property became the Stouffer Renaissance Cleveland Hotel before the Stouffer name was retired in 1996, when it became the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel. Skyline Investments purchased the property in 2015. In September 2021, Skyline announced an extensive redevelopment intended to return the historic Hotel Cleveland name and place the hotel in Marriott's Autograph Collection. A proposed acquisition by VM Hotel Acquisition Corp. was announced in December 2021 but terminated in May 2022 because of market volatility. The renamed Hotel Cleveland, Autograph Collection neared completion of a reported $90 million renovation in 2024, adopted its new identity in spring, and celebrated its grand reopening in June 2024. It now operates as a historic, full-service hotel within the Tower City Center and Terminal complex.

  • 2024

    Hotel Cleveland returns

    [1]

    The hotel resumes the Hotel Cleveland, Autograph Collection identity and celebrates its grand reopening in June after renovation.

  • 2021

    Autograph Collection conversion announced

    [1]

    Skyline announces a renovation, historic-name restoration, and move from Renaissance Hotels to Autograph Collection.

  • 2015

    Skyline Investments purchases the property

    [1]

    Toronto-based Skyline Investments acquires the hotel.

  • 1996

    Renaissance Cleveland Hotel name adopted

    [1]

    The Stouffer branding is retired and the hotel becomes the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel.

  • 1993

    Renaissance Hotels acquires Stouffer Hotels

    [1]

    The property enters the Renaissance Hotels corporate family through the acquisition of Stouffer Hotels.

  • 1986

    Renamed Stouffer Tower City Plaza Hotel

    [1]

    The name changes to reflect the renovated Tower City terminal and shopping complex.

  • 1978

    Reopens as Stouffer's Inn on the Square

    [1]

    Following an ownership-led restoration, the hotel reopens under Stouffer management.

  • 1976

    Terminal complex receives historic designation

    [1]

    The hotel is included in the Terminal complex's listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

  • 1962

    Major Sheraton expansion

    [1]

    Sheraton completes a major renovation and adds a convention wing, exhibition hall, parking structure, and large ballroom.

  • 1958

    Sheraton acquisition and renaming

    [1]

    Sheraton Hotels acquires the property and renames it the Sheraton-Cleveland Hotel.

Products and positioning

A landmark, full-service urban hotel positioned around Cleveland history, architecture, central downtown access, and event capacity, while operating within Marriott's design-led Autograph Collection portfolio.

  • Accommodation · 1918

    Hotel Cleveland guest rooms and suites

    The property's core offering is full-service lodging in a landmark downtown building. The room inventory has changed substantially over the hotel's history, falling from approximately 1,000 rooms at opening to roughly 500 after the late-1980s modernization. The current rooms and suites are marketed through Marriott's Autograph Collection, which emphasizes distinctive independent-style properties within a global reservation and loyalty system.

  • Events and meetings · 1962

    Meeting, convention, and ballroom facilities

    Hotel Cleveland has long served as a major venue for conventions, receptions, civic meetings, performances, and political events. Its 1962 expansion added a convention wing, exhibition hall, parking structure, and a ballroom designed for approximately 4,000 people. Event capacity and historic public rooms remain central to the property's commercial identity.

  • Restaurants and bars · 1961

    Food and beverage venues

    The hotel has operated notable hospitality and dining spaces over time, including the Bronze Room and the Kon Tiki Restaurant, which opened after Sheraton converted the Bronze Room in 1961. The property continues to provide food and beverage services associated with a full-service hotel, although the current venue names and formats are not specified in the supplied reference material.

Brand decisions

  • 2022

    Proposed sale is withdrawnM&A

    Background

    VM Hotel Acquisition Corp. announced plans to purchase the Renaissance Cleveland and Hyatt Regency Cleveland from Skyline.

    Action taken

    The buyer withdrew from the transaction in May, citing market volatility.

    Aftermath

    Skyline continued with the renovation and the rebranding of the Cleveland property.

    Source

  • 2021

    Historic-name restoration and Autograph Collection transitionStrategy

    Background

    Skyline Investments sought to reposition the property after acquiring it in 2015 and to emphasize its architectural and civic heritage.

    Action taken

    Skyline announced a major renovation and plans to transfer the hotel from Renaissance Hotels to Marriott's Autograph Collection under the Hotel Cleveland name.

    Aftermath

    The planned repositioning culminated in the spring 2024 renaming and June 2024 grand reopening.

    Reported renovation budget. $90 million (2021-2024)

    Source

  • 1996

    Stouffer branding is retiredStrategy

    Background

    Following Renaissance Hotels' acquisition of Stouffer Hotels in 1993, the property's brand identity was reassessed.

    Action taken

    The hotel dropped the Stouffer name and operated as the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel.

    Aftermath

    The property remained associated with Marriott's Renaissance hotel system until its planned transition to Autograph Collection in the 2020s.

    Source

  • 1985

    Stouffer undertakes a multiyear modernizationStrategy

    Background

    The aging hotel required modernization while remaining open to guests.

    Action taken

    Stouffer began a five-year renovation that reduced the room count and upgraded fire-safety systems with sprinklers, smoke detectors, and alarms.

    Aftermath

    The property was renamed Stouffer Tower City Plaza Hotel in 1986 to align with the redeveloped surrounding complex.

    Reported renovation budget. $37 million (1985-1990)

    Source

  • 1977

    Save-the-Square acquires the hotelM&A

    Background

    Sheraton sold the hotel after the property had declined to approximately 800 rooms and faced receivership-related financial pressure.

    Action taken

    Save-the-Square, Inc., an investor group led by Art Modell, purchased the property and addressed its debts.

    Aftermath

    The building underwent a comprehensive restoration and reopened in 1978 under Stouffer management as Stouffer's Inn on the Square.

    Reported purchase price. $18 million (1977)

    Source

  • 1958

    Sheraton rebrands the hotelStrategy

    Background

    Sheraton Hotels acquired the long-established Cleveland property during a period when branded hotel operators were expanding their portfolios.

    Action taken

    The hotel was renamed the Sheraton-Cleveland Hotel and subsequently developed as a larger branded lodging and convention venue.

    Aftermath

    The property received a major expansion in 1962 and became increasingly important as a convention and events facility.

    Source

Sources1 sources

  1. 1Hotel Clevelanden.wikipedia.org

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