Community Corner

Kent State Hotel Opens to Guests

94-room, 5-story boutique hotel is latest downtown Kent redevelopment project to open

The Kent State University Hotel and Conference Center opened to the public today via a soft opening.

The boutique hotel at 215 S. DePeyster St. features 94 rooms spread on the top four floors with special conference areas and a presidential suite, which features a private balcony overlooking the Esplanade connection to campus.

The first floor includes a 50-seat bar and lounge and the 300-seat conference center, which has its own separate entrance off Erie Street near PARTA's Kent Central Gateway transit center and parking garage.

The Riley Hotel Group, based in Medina, OH, will operate the hotel and runs several in Northeast Ohio.

Michael Riccio, of the Riley Hotel Group, said just 10 people are staying in the hotel on its first night, as they didn't want to advertise the opening night publicly until they were sure of the opening date and all the last-minute details were squared away.

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