The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Developer announces agreement
Broadway Building hotel to have 55 rooms
A Wisconsin-based hotel operation will be part of the redevelopment of the Broadway Building, according to the Lorain Port Authority.
The Port and Cleveland businesswoman Radhika Reddy of Ariel Ventures LLC announced their plan to work with Cobblestone Hotels to operate the Ariel Broadway Hotel By Cobblestone, a 55-room hotel in the Broadway Building.
The rooftop and fourthfloor event space, along with a restaurant, office and retail spaces, are set to open in summer 2019 at 301 Broadway.
The Feb. 22 announcement was a surprise ending to Lorain Mayor Chase Ritenauer’s State of the City Address.
The mayor asked for a round of applause for Reddy, who attended with colleague Annette Stevenson.
Based in Neenah, Wis.,
Cobblestone Hotels is the fastest growing hotel chain in the Midwest, according to the Port.
The first Cobblestone Hotel opened in January 2008 and it has at least 134 hotels open or in development in 18 states.
“The company continues to pride itself in filling the lodging needs of communities through its upper midscale new build brand,” according to the Port and Cobblestone.
“I’m very excited about the potential of our hotel there,” said Janice Tata, vice president of BriMark Builders, which is the construction company of Cobblestone Hotels.
Some large hotel operators rely on interstate locations or huge population centers to sustain their business, Tata said during a phone interview.
Cobblestone Hotels focuses on communities that have a need for rooms, but
are not large enough to attract the large national chains, she said.
An example is Orrville, where Cobblestone Hotels opened its first Ohio property last year, a new building with 54 rooms, Tata said.
“I’m very excited about the potential of our hotel there,” Tata said. “Lorain was just primed for this. I was thrilled when they contacted me.”
For its size, the hotel
would have 12 to 15 jobs, some part-time and some full time, she said.
Cobblestone Hotels must offer amenities mid-scale or better, Tata said.
The hotels offer hot breakfasts and it appeared the Lorain hotel would be large enough to have a liquor license, she said.
With a restaurant in Lorain, there is potential for other food offerings for guests, Tata said.
On a personal note, Tata said her sister lives in the vicinity of Lorain, so she has visited the city and has been in the Broadway Building.
“So, it’s even more special for us to have our brand there because it’s another little home for me,” she said.
It appeared the hotel announcement may have been the first in Lorain history delivered by drone.
Ritenauer delivered his speech to a joint meeting of Lorain Rotary and the Lorain County Chamber of Commerce at DeLuca’s Place in the Park.
As the mayor concluded, a small paper press release arrived at the front of the room via flying drone.
Ritenauer read the press release and added it is important for Lorain to complete the Broadway streetscape, which is the city plan to rebuild the sidewalks, add more lights and decorative signage and slow down traffic on the street.
“That’s a capper, and who would have thought you’d see a drone?” he said.
Ritenauer also credited the Rockin’ on the River summer concert series, the building at 383 Broadway under renovation by Lorain developer Victor Nardini and the new Speak of the Devil cocktail bar as projects that will make an impact on downtown Lorain.