I had been wanting to visit Cleveland for some time; to see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and to visit Cedar Point. There is only one Hyatt property in downtown Cleveland — the Hyatt Regency Cleveland at The Arcade. The property looks beautiful. The Cleveland Arcade was built in 1890 as an indoor shopping center. In 2001 the property was redeveloped into the Hyatt Regency.
The hotel has a total of 293 rooms. Many of the rooms are in the shopping atrium while others are in the 9 story buildings on the ends of the arcade. It is an incredibly unique property; unfortunately I found out that the rooms are generic and outdated.
The Hyatt Regency Cleveland is a Category 3 property, meaning rooms cost between 9,000 and 15,000 World of Hyatt points. I used a Category 1-4 Free Night Certificate for my stay; not the best use but I didn’t know if I would use it otherwise before it expired. Cash rates fluctuate; I saw some for around $150 and some for $500+ per night, likely depending on events happening in the area.
Location
The Hyatt Regency Cleveland at the Arcade is located in the heart of downtown Cleveland on the 400 block of Superior Ave. It is just east of the Cleveland Public Square and directly across the street from the Cleveland Public Library.
Out the back of the hotel and across Euclid Ave is 4th Street, a pedestrian only area with lots of bars, restaurants, a bowling alley and House of Blues. It is about a 15 minute walk one direction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the stadium where the Cleveland Browns (NFL) currently play and a 10 minute walk the other direction to the arena where the Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA) and stadium where the Cleveland Guardians (MLB) play.
Cleveland is a very clean city but you will still run into some sketchy areas around the hotel like you would in any urban center.
Check In
I arrived from the airport around 8pm by Uber. There is a train from the airport, but none of the ticket machines were working so I took an Uber (about $28) instead.
The lobby is on the second floor on the Superior Ave side of the building. There is a valet drop off zone on Superior just in front of the main entrance.
As an Explorist, I was offered 2pm late check out. Waters were provided in the room. I was assigned Room 431 on the 4th floor. It was at the other end of the property and not one of the rooms directly off of the Arcade atrium. Room keys are required to access the guest floors in the elevator.
Room
The first thing I thought when I entered my room was that it did not look like the photos on the website. It was an odd shaped room what a slanted wall in the back and only one small window.
You entered the room in a narrow area with the bathroom on the right and a closet on the left. This entry also has the only ceiling light in the entire room.
The closet had a safe, iron, and plenty of space to hang your clothing.
The bed was against a headboard with reading lights and power outlets built in on either side.
The bed faced a wall mounted TV.
Under the TV was a storage unit with a mini fridge and coffee set up.
Against the angle wall was a bench and the desk.
The one small window was offset towards the back/side of the room.
It looked out through a narrow gap in the building into the top level of a parking garage.
While the view was bad, the worst part of the room was the smell of stale cigarette smoke. My guess is that either the room had previously been a smoking room in the hotel, or perhaps long ago it was a smoking area before the hotel conversion. The smell was absorbed by the sheets and pillow on the bed. I didn’t know that was something that happened, and didn’t really realize how bad it was until I was going to bed. Perhaps my room had sat unused an amount of time that allowed the linens to take in the smell. It was gross.
I did contact the hotel front desk the next morning to let them know of the issue. They did offer to move rooms, but as I was checking out shortly, I didn’t see the point. If I had been staying another night, I absolutely would have moved. They did offer to give me a complimentary breakfast as an apology, but I had already eaten. Instead they agreed to give me 2000 World of Hyatt points.
Bathroom
The small bathroom has no overhead light and is only illuminated by the built in light of the mirror. There is a single sink but a reasonable amount of counter space.
The bathtub and shower are opposite the mirror. There is a single wall mounted shower head. With the shower curtain drawn and no light above the tub, it is a fairly dark shower experience.
Gym
There is a standard hotel gym on the ground floor below the lobby.
There is a restaurant and bar on the same level as the lobby but I didn’t get a chance to visit it. There are also coffee shops and restaurants on the ground level of the property.
Overall
I really wish I had been assigned a better room because the Hyatt Regency Cleveland at the Arcade is a historic and beautiful property that I wanted to love. They even filmed a scene from the latest Superman movie in the atrium.
Having a room with a nasty smell and a small window (with no view) made for a negative experience. I know that it is a historic building so there are going to be quirks. I may have received the absolute worst room in the hotel (I can’t imagine there would be any worse), which if it were sold out, I would understand. But the property seemed nearly empty during my visit. Plus as an Explorist, I am supposed to receive an upgrade to the best non-suite room.
The staff did respond well when I let them know of the smell issue, so that is a positive.
Have you stayed at the Hyatt Regency Cleveland? What was your experience? Share in the comments below.
