Fred "Flintstone" DeGrandis is a very nice gentleman. A former Rocky River school board member and head of St. John West Shore Hospital in Westlake is a great choice to head up the Medical Mart....

 

Fred DeGrandis named managing director of Global Center for Health Innovation

By JAY MILLER

Originally Published: April 01, 2015 3:04 PM  Modified: April 01, 2015 3:53 PM

 

The Global Center for Health Innovation is beefing up its staff with someone whose job will be to make the “Innovation” in its name a reality.

 

SMG, which runs the center and the adjacent Cleveland Convention Center, has hired Fred DeGrandis, a long-time hospital executive, to be its managing director and chief administrative officer.

 

DeGrandis told Crain’s in a telephone interview that his job will be “to move the Global Center from where it has been elegantly built and organized and planned, to being activated as a center that will convene and increase collaboration among the partners and participants that are in the building as well as the health care community overall.

 

MORE:

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20150401/FREE/150409983/fred-degrandis-named-managing-director-of-global-center-for-health

^Start with giving it a better name

http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2015/04/united_church_of_christ_june_c.html

Scott Taylor ‏@ScottTaylor19  15s16 seconds ago

Redesigned Cleveland Visitor's Center in Downtown Cleveland opens today.  What do u think of TheCLE[/member] efforts?

 

 

 

 

Scott Taylor ‏@ScottTaylor19  15s16 seconds ago

Redesigned Cleveland Visitor's Center in Downtown Cleveland opens today.  What do u think of TheCLE[/member] efforts?

 

 

 

 

MEH

^It's pretty nice looking for what it is.

Doesn't the city own the I-X center? In other words, it is in the power of the city to drive this business downtown.

 

Here is another show, IMHO, that should be downtown instead of the IX Center.  Honestly it's hard to get a real feel on how the new CC will do when it has to compete with this remote hall.

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio - MemPro Materials combines ceramics with nanotechnology to create tiny ceramic fibers that conduct electricity.

 

Those same ceramic fibers can be added to other materials that go into circuit boards for computers or cell phones.

 

"If you took a thousand fibers and twisted them together in a yarn, it would be the thickness of hair," explained MemPro CEO John Finley, who operates the company from both Cleveland and Denver.

 

 

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2015/04/vfirst_ceramics_expo_opens_in_c.html#incart_more_business

Doesn't the city own the I-X center? In other words, it is in the power of the city to drive this business downtown.

 

Here is another show, IMHO, that should be downtown instead of the IX Center.  Honestly it's hard to get a real feel on how the new CC will do when it has to compete with this remote hall.

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio - MemPro Materials combines ceramics with nanotechnology to create tiny ceramic fibers that conduct electricity.

 

Those same ceramic fibers can be added to other materials that go into circuit boards for computers or cell phones.

 

"If you took a thousand fibers and twisted them together in a yarn, it would be the thickness of hair," explained MemPro CEO John Finley, who operates the company from both Cleveland and Denver.

 

 

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2015/04/vfirst_ceramics_expo_opens_in_c.html#incart_more_business

 

Let's get started on a 1.75 million square foot expansion for the convention center asap!

 

In all seriousness we'll probably never know. Our new, but relatively small convention center will never compete with the types of events that fill the IX Center's 2.2 million square feet.

 

I could see expanding the current center over the rail road tracks towards the stadium, then putting some sort of roof on the stadium, or just a brand new domed stadium being built before we'll have a mammoth convention center downtown.

 

 

What the heck is going on with the Cleveland Rennaisance !??

 

From crains:

Theona Simbrat, the Renaissance Cleveland's manager, said Marriott will continue to work with the owner of the 491-room hotel through an affiliate to 'ensure as seamless a transition as possible.' Marriott filed a WARN notice with the state of Ohio that its Renaissance Hotel Operating Co. unit would no longer employ 282 employees, who would be let go between June 30 and July 12.

 

Can someone post a working link?

What the heck is going on with the Cleveland Rennaisance !??

 

From crains:

Theona Simbrat, the Renaissance Cleveland's manager, said Marriott will continue to work with the owner of the 491-room hotel through an affiliate to 'ensure as seamless a transition as possible.' Marriott filed a WARN notice with the state of Ohio that its Renaissance Hotel Operating Co. unit would no longer employ 282 employees, who would be let go between June 30 and July 12.

 

Can someone post a working link?

 

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20150505/FREE/150509919/marriott-international-inc-out-as-renaissance-cleveland-hotel

^^No worries Michelle's got you covered.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2015/05/renaissance_cleveland_hotel_wi.html

Follow up from Michelle...

Renaissance Cleveland hotel set for "significant capital infusion"

 

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2015/05/renaissance_cleveland_hotel_se_1.html#incart_river

This is no biggie, properties change "flags" all the time. 

 

Hopefully this turns into a St. Regis or Luxury Collection (Starwood), Waldorf=Astoria or Conrad (Hilton), JW Marriott, Sofitel (Accor), Park Hyatt or Inter-Continental.

 

Starwood is desperately trying to improve is foothold in Cleveland so this could jump start that, considering the Le Meridien delays and the W Warehouse/Downtown project is still in planning.  I don't see this property turning into an I-C as we already have two.  I can only wish this property turns into a Pennisula, Four Seasons, Fairmont or Mandarin Oriental.

This is no biggie, properties change "flags" all the time. 

 

Hopefully this turns into a St. Regis or Luxury Collection (Starwood), Waldorf=Astoria or Conrad (Hilton), JW Marriott, Sofitel (Accor), Park Hyatt or Inter-Continental.

 

Starwood is desperately trying to improve is foothold in Cleveland so this could jump start that, considering the Le Meridien delays and the W Warehouse/Downtown project is still in planning.  I don't see this property turning into an I-C as we already have two.  I can only wish this property turns into a Pennisula, Four Seasons, Fairmont or Mandarin Oriental.

 

Yes, hopefully....and hopefully nothing like Drury

the W Warehouse/Downtown project is still in planning

 

What project are you referring to? 

 

the W Warehouse/Downtown project is still in planning

 

What project are you referring to?

 

I think NuCleUs was rumored to be pursuing W for the hotel portion

Follow up from Michelle...

Renaissance Cleveland hotel set for "significant capital infusion"

 

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2015/05/renaissance_cleveland_hotel_se_1.html#incart_river

 

I keep hoping that one day Renaissance's 1994 planned expansion would come back to life....

 

I was thinking the same. I was looking for that illustration today and couldn't find it. Thanks!

^Agreed on the Auto Show but the marathon would seem to be the obvious choice to move back downtown. When it was the Revco all of the registration and the Expo was at the convention ctr. Seems like a no-brainer to me.

 

So last year we had a discussion of some events moving back downtown from the IX Ctr. One of those is the Cleveland Marathon. Flash forward the Marathon this wkd is headquartered at the CC. That includes race registration, the Expo and various mall activity's. Glad to see that happened. Lot going on at the mall tonight.

Sheraton Cleveland Airport hotel will be sold, public filing reveals

By Michelle Jarboe McFee, The Plain Dealer

on May 20, 2015 at 6:21 PM, updated May 20, 2015 at 9:06 PM

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Sheraton Cleveland Airport hotel is tentatively scheduled to change hands in July, based on a public notice filed with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

 

The pending sale triggered a layoff alert from Oakbrook Properties, which operates the 242-room hotel next to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. In a letter dated Monday, an Oakbrook affiliate said it will stop employing 125 people at the property on July 20.

 

That doesn't mean employees at the Sheraton will be jobless, though. A change in hotel ownership and operations often puts workers -- who report to the management company -- in the position of shifting from one employer to another.

 

MORE:

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2015/05/sheraton_cleveland_airport_hot.html#incart_river

I hope we hear some news from the new management of the Renaissance Hotel.  I believe as of July 1 they have taken over.  I was looking at something on Tripadvisor and the management response mentioned they are going to be changing the name of the hotel back to Hotel Cleveland, which I thought was cool.  No mention of what flag they will be going with...

^ That's awesome if they are changing the name back to Hotel Cleveland.

I know I read it in one of the comments but I think it has been since removed as it was posted prior to the new management takeover.

Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Cleveland sells for $16.6 million to Starwood Capital JV

Print Email Michelle Jarboe McFee, The Plain Dealer By Michelle Jarboe McFee, The Plain Dealer

Email the author | Follow on Twitter

on July 08, 2015 at 5:29 PM, updated July 08, 2015 at 5:53 PM

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Downtown Cleveland's Hilton Garden Inn, a 240-room hotel that has been in a lender's hands since 2012, has a new owner and manager.

 

Real estate records show that the Carnegie Avenue hotel sold for nearly $16.6 million in a deal that closed June 29. The buyer appears to be a joint venture between Starwood Capital Group of Greenwich, Connecticut and Schulte Hospitality Group, Inc., of Louisville, Kentucky. Schulte is stepping in to manage the hotel.

 

The sale comes as Cleveland prepares for the July 2016 Republican National Convention – a mega-event that will fill rooms across the region – and as property owners jostle for positions in a more crowded hotel marketplace. With an ownership shift, the Hilton Garden Inn, which opened in 2001, is likely to see additional investment and renovations. But it's unclear how much change is in the offing.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2015/07/hilton_garden_inn_in_downtown.html#incart_river

Renaissance Hotel Cleveland is on verge of landing a new owner

 

Cleveland's most venerable downtown hotel may yet gain a new owner as Toronto-based Skyline International Development says it has the Renaissance Hotel Cleveland under contract.

 

If Skyline, which also owns the Hyatt Regency Cleveland at The Arcade, consummates the deal, it will be the first time the nearly 500-room property has changed hands since 1993. Undertaking the purchase also puts the Canadian real estate developer and hospitality firm at the reins for a multimillion-dollar renovation expected to be essential — if it wishes to retain the prized Marriott affiliation.

 

Michael Sneyd, Skyline CEO, confirmed the firm has a purchase agreement in place for the inn in a phone interview with Crain's. He acknowledged the firm is in a due diligence period on the transaction. Skyline bested at least three other major hotel operators to buy the hotel, according to three Cleveland real estate sources familiar with the situation.

 

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20150726/NEWS/307269993/renaissance-hotel-cleveland-is-on-verge-of-landing-a-new-owner

No longer on the verge....

 

Skyline International Development Inc. enters contract to purchase Renaissance Hotel for about $20 million

August 12, 2015 UPDATED 43 MINUTES AGO

By STAN BULLARD   

 

Downtown Cleveland’s Renaissance Hotel is under contract to be sold for just under $20 million, prospective buyer Skyline International Development Inc. (TASE: SKLN) of Toronto announced Wednesday, Aug. 12.

 

Skyline, which also owns the Hyatt Regency Cleveland at The Arcade, disclosed the prospective purchase price as it announced it had reached an agreement with an affiliate of Washington, D.C.-based CTF Holdings for the property. CTF manages U.S. assets for the Hong Kong-based Cheng Family, which owns multiple Renaissance properties globally. CTF had owned the property since the early 1990s.

 

Skyline said it will undertake a “multi-million-dollar” renovation after the deal closes in October, which will build on more than $60 million the current owner has invested in the 1918-vintage property. The hotel has 491 guest rooms. Cuyahoga County land records value the inn at 24 Public Square at $25 million for property tax purposes.

 

MORE:

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20150812/NEWS/150819908/skyline-international-development-inc-enters-contract-to-purchase

That seems like good news, since they own other Renaissance properties.

The article has been updated (from Michele) and now has some quotes from Skyline including possible plans to develop street level retail on Superior and reopen two empty restaurant spaces as well as add a spa.

I am excited about Skyline and the renovation but I wish there was money to either knock this down and start over or at the least give it a new exterior. Something, anything.

I see a hotel tower for an additional 300 rooms, allowing it to rival the Hilton. Just give it 6 months and we'll hear an announcement.

Hey they planned to do just that in the 90s... So it's obviously possible.

Can we really rely on Skyline to come through? They made a lot of plans for the Arcade/Hyatt, but it seems like that's mostly fallen flat.

Can we really rely on Skyline to come through? They made a lot of plans for the Arcade/Hyatt, but it seems like that's mostly fallen flat.

 

They have renovated the Hyatt but the retail part of the arcade until now has fallen flat.  However Rising Star and Pizza 216 are filling in vacant spots at either end of the Arcade so hopefully things will pick up.

So, no confirmation that it will change its name back to Hotel Cleveland? I really hope that's still a possibility.

Cleveland stem cell conference hosts 225 international researchers this week

 

http://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2015/08/cleveland_stem_cell_conference.html

Tourism hits record numbers as word spreads about Cleveland http://www.freshwatercleveland.com/innovationnews/destinationcle081915.aspx

Tourism hits record numbers as word spreads about Cleveland http://www.freshwatercleveland.com/innovationnews/destinationcle081915.aspx

 

Just checked Kayak for this coming weekend.  Downtown hotels all around $200/night.  That's a great sign.   

 

http://www.kayak.com/hotels/Cleveland,OH-c4321/2015-08-21/2015-08-23

Just checked Kayak for this coming weekend.  Downtown hotels all around $200/night.  That's a great sign.   

 

http://www.kayak.com/hotels/Cleveland,OH-c4321/2015-08-21/2015-08-23

 

Last weekend my employer held a rail and development tour of Cleveland with many guests coming in from around Ohio. Most wanted to stay downtown but all of the "cheap" places like Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express and Residence Inn were sold out by early July. Nothing for under $200 was available. So we had to put them up in the Airport North LaQuinta Hotel at the Puritas Rapid station (West 150th at I-71) with an $85/single rate. They said it was the next best thing, but they really wanted to stay downtown.

Cleveland Tourism Industry has a Record Year

Posted By Tyler Singleton on Thu, Aug 20, 2015 at 3:53 pm

 

Destination Cleveland, the local tourism bureau formerly known as Positively Cleveland, has some good news. According to the organization's "2014 Convention & Leisure Tourism Metrics Report," Cleveland tourism has reached record numbers. The report states that the Cleveland area tourism industry grew by 4.5 percent year over year in 2014, a five-year record increase, and boasted a visitor volume of 16.9 million people.

 

The return of LeBron James and the emergence of Cleveland as a destination for conventions and meetings contributed to this economic growth in the tourism industry, and Destination Cleveland has no problem admitting this. David Gilbert, president and CEO of Destination Cleveland, wrote as much the foreword of the report.

 

"We can all look back at 2014 and recall the pride we felt when we learned the city landed the coveted 2016 Republican National Convention, and those of us in the tourism industry won’t soon forget earning the 2017 American Bus Association Conference," Gilbert said. "Of course, the return of LeBron James significantly added to the interest in our city."

 

READ MORE AND SEE EMBEDDED LINKS AT:

http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2015/08/20/cleveland-tourism-industry-has-a-record-year

Either these content marketing people are kooky happier than the rest of us, on drugs or are really enjoying their stays here. Clicking on the primary hashtag on Twitter, say overwhelming positivity and overall good energy all day

 

Either these content marketing people are kooky happier than the rest of us, on drugs or are really enjoying their stays here. Clicking on the primary hashtag on Twitter, say overwhelming positivity and overall good energy all day

 

It's a combination of all 3 factors [emoji28]

I just met a married couple today that is personal friends of Jack Del Rio, the Oakland Raiders head coach, and traveled to Cleveland for this weekend's Browns game. Apparently, when the NFL schedule was released in April, the Raiders were unable to secure a block of rooms in a downtown Cleveland hotel and are staying at the Doubletree in Beachwood! They told me Jack was not pleased as the Raiders are staying in downtowns of cities for their seven remaining road games.

 

It seemed rather odd as there aren't any major events at the Q or Progressive Field this weekend or large conferences that I'm aware of. Perhaps there were a surge in weddings for this weekend?

Lately there have been several weekends where I wanted a hotel and to the best of my knowledge there's nothing major going on, but all major hotels downtown are booked. I guess that's a good sign!

Last year nearly all the visiting teams stayed at the Westin.

With two-months advanced booking, All Aboard Ohio tried to set aside a mere 10 rooms at different hotel downtown for a mid-August event. We couldn't find anything at the inexpensive hotels (Holiday Inn Express, Hampton, Residence Inn, etc). All those were sold out. There were some 10-room blocks still available at the more expensive hotels but none could be had for less than $200 per room. I thought that was an eye-opener until I read the story by flee2thecleve14.

Cleveland leaders and citizens...we need to figure this out NOW.  We cannot let such an event slip to another city...hold on tight!!

 

Republican National Convention could cost Cleveland next year's Alternative Press Music Awards

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Next year's Republican National Convention could inject as much as $400 million into the local economy. But it could also cost Cleveland one of the city's premier award shows.

 

The Alternative Press Music Awards, put on by Cleveland-based Alternative Press magazine, honors the best and brightest in contemporary alt-rock, from Weezer and Fall Out Boy to Paramore and Panic! at the Disco. However, the show may have to take place elsewhere in 2016 due to scheduling conflicts surrounding next July's RNC.

 

The convention has first rights to book events at 13 venues in Cleveland, including Quicken Loans Arena, host to this year's APMAs on July 21, and Voinovich Park, home of the inaugural APMAs in 2014.

 

"The two things that will cause us to leave Cleveland are scheduling conflicts, which I can't fault anybody for, and the fact that nobody cares that we're here," proclaims Shea. "I just remember something Trent Reznor once said: 'If you want to be famous in Cleveland, you have to be famous outside of Cleveland first. I hope that's not the case."

 

http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2015/09/republican_national_convention.html#incart_m-rpt-1

Comments are getting pretty scary on Cleveland.com saying we don't need the world-known Alternate Press.  Fellow Urbanohioers, please comment in support to counter these ignorant people!  This event is only going to grow and was the #1 thing tweeted globally during the 2014 awards show.

So Columbus isn't an option for AP?

surfohio[/member] The Warped Tour doesn't come to Columbus...the article posted mentions that the awards show coordinates with Warped Tour dates/locations, which is why the other cities were mentioned and Columbus was not.

How many hotel rooms are needed for the APMA?  My thinking is that while hotel rooms from Canton to Cleveland are "offered" for the republican convention, the ones further away in Akron/Canton will be less desirable than the ones downtown or closest to Cleveland. 

 

So with that said maybe this event be moved to, say the University of Akron's arena (which needs events apparently)...still close to Blossom Music Center as the tour needs according to the article but out of the main disruption area of the RNC.  The question is can Akron's facility meet APMA's needs, and can enough hotel rooms be secured for them and the convention...but if we thought about this problem as Cleveland+ (throwback time) maybe we could make it work.