Tourism in Lakewood

[Amy Kloss]

Several months ago, an old friend called me from Syracuse, NY, to ask for hotel recommendations in the Cleveland area. He was planning to visit with four friends to attend a Cavs game and go to the Football Hall of Fame. I wasn’t exactly sure what to tell him since I live here and don’t frequent hotels, but we discussed different possible locations. He said he had found a Day’s Inn in Lakewood. I wasn’t sure if I could recommend that or not, since I had not heard the greatest things about that hotel. He ended up staying at my house so that we could go out to dinner and visit, but his friends stayed at the Day’s Inn on a Saturday night and they all attended the Cavs game the next day. We directed his friends to the Winking Lizard for dinner on Saturday night.

This got me thinking about the possibility of promoting Lakewood as a place for tourists to stay while visiting the sights of Cleveland and the surrounding area. Since I’m not a sports fan, I’m not sure how frequent this type of sports tourism is, but Cleveland’s sports venues are easily accessible from Lakewood. Tourists could even take the bus if they knew where to catch it. Also, given our plethora of sports bars, coffee shops, Lakewood park, etc., I would think that we are in a good position to draw some tourist dollars here. Is there a reason that Lakewood only has two hotels (of dubious reputation)? What about the possibility of a homeowner who lives in half of a double renting out the other half on a nightly or weekly basis? Are there problems with short term rentals that don’t occur with long-term rentals?

Thoughts?

[Bill Call]

This got me thinking about the possibility of promoting Lakewood as a place for tourists to stay ... What about the possibility of a homeowner who lives in half of a double renting out the other half on a nightly or weekly basis? Are there problems with short term rentals that don’t occur with long-term rentals?

A new hotel near 117th and Clifton would have easy access to the airport, downtown and public transportation. The area on Belle and Detroit might also make sense as a hotel/apartment/retail development.

A while back there was some talk of bed and breakfasts in Lakewood. I don't know if we have any. I think there was some opposition. People feared the bed and breakfast as boarding house.

I think both ideas are worth considering. A small footprint but a big impact.

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[Donald Farris]

Hi,
I can think of a great spot for a hotel. We have a huge eye sore on Sloane. It used to be a couple of houses. But then someone got a few dollars together, hired a graphic artist, demoed the houses and stripped the vegetation from the land. Now we are faced with a big erosion problem that jeopardizes adjacent properties. I believe the City could step in and turn that property over to a responsible hotel chain and we could see something go in there rather quickly.

I don't understand how the City can employ such effort and diligence when I am building a swimming pool and let something like that eye sore on Sloane happen so carelessly. That erosion risk could harm hundreds of people.

[Shawn Juris]

Has there been some reason why the center of Lakewood has never been selected as a site for a hotel? It would seem to me that amenities like walkability and proximity to downtown and the airport would make a location like the INA building a feasible investment for a Hyatt, Marriott, Residence Inn, etc. While we may not be the center of corporate America, we would be able to offer steady weddings, funerals, and family visits. I suspect that just the parents of recent college grads who want to visit but don't want to stay at their kid's bachelor pad would keep a number of rooms booked each weekend. Factor in some free shuttle service to downtown for meetings or just offer a better rate on conference and reception space and there should be a good opportunity.
I'd be interested what else effects the decision to move ahead on something like this. From what I understand the occupancy rate seems to average about 55-60%. The cost/benefit is that the initial investment would need to be covered in the first 5-7 years. For a retrofitted building how much cost would there really be? Again, we seem to have location, what other factors can we influence and what would the real and perceived pros and cons be of such an enterprise?

[Brad Hutchison]

Factor in some free shuttle service to downtown for meetings or just offer a better rate on conference and reception space and there should be a good opportunity.

This is the point I was going to make. A direct shuttle into downtown would be essential. We're close to downtown, but not that close...