Some of you might be asking: Cleveland? Well, you see, it’s a long story as to how we got here, but the short version of it is that Ian and I recently had to cancel a Los Angeles trip, due to wildfires, and for later this year an Asia / Middle East trip, due to the impact of COVID-19. We were, of course, still inkling to get some travel in and began to look into some road trips that we could take from our home base of Chicago. There were many contenders, but ultimately we landed on Cleveland as we had both never been, had heard good things, and I wanted to check out this hotel. The Hyatt Regency - Cleveland the Arcade, is a full service historic hotel located in the heart of downtown Cleveland. It traces its roots back to 1890 as a Victorian Era Arcade building, of which Cleveland has several, and is widely believed to have been one of the earliest examples of a shopping mall in the states. It was built by Eisenmann & Smith and the Detroit Bridge Company, and now finds itself on the National Register of Historic Places. Its location is truly stellar, located just next to the 4th Street Entertainment district, walking distance to all sports venues, a skip and a jump to Lake Erie and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and a short drive from many of Cleveland’s neighborhoods, as well as Cuyahoga National Park. Booking I booked this hotel directly at www.hyatt.com using a Hyatt Friends & Family discount code, similar to my Colleague Rate at Hyatt Regency Sonoma & Hyatt Regency Indianapolis. By booking in this manner, I achieved a great discount off of the advertised rate of $169/night. I booked using my American Express Platinum, as part of a spending challenge for a statement credit, and earned 5x Points for the total cost of our hotel stay, but did not earn any World of Hyatt Points due to the stipulation of my rate. Arrival, Check In & Lobby Ian and I drove in from Chicago in a rental car, after snagging a great rate using the tips in our Beginners Guide to Car Rental. The ride was relatively easy, save being pulled over in Indiana for doing 65 in a 55, up until arriving near the hotel. The entrances were clearly marked, but the roads around the building were like a bowl of spaghetti with many turns, one way demarcations, and dedicated bus routes - not a problem, but something to be aware of if arriving by car. We ended up being able to snag a street parking space just outside the rear entrance of the hotel’s Arcade, which is actually one of the more lively streets in the area, and ended up leaving the car overnight as we would be up for an early morning hike before parking enforcement began. Upon walking in the entrance of the hotel, we both were immediately struck by the space. I think the both of us dropped our luggage and started snapping pictures. After our iPhones were back in our pockets, we began our search for the front desk, which isn’t clearly marked from the entrance we came in, but was intuitive to find. Had we come in at the front entrance, our entry sequence would’ve been much clearer - there is both an elevator lobby and a grand marble staircase to bring guests up to the registration area. The Arcade is truly stunning, but the lobby itself is small, and a bit cluttered - which appears to be because of a temporary relocation of Hyatt Regency’s Market and the removal of traditional lobby furniture. Regardless, we strolled up to the World of Hyatt Check-In and were quickly helped by a friendly employee. He thanked me for my loyalty, explained that he’d upgraded us to a City View Room and answered all of the questions we had. Guestroom / Suite As I mentioned above, we were upgraded from a Standard Double Guestroom to a City View Double Guestroom on the second highest floor of the hotel. The view certainly did not disappoint either, we had a vista of surrounding historic buildings, the stadium, and Lake Erie in the distance. After checking out the view, we remarked on how large and spacious the room felt, and then took to inspecting it for cleanliness. I’m happy to report that it was clean, but for extra comfort, Ian took to bleaching the bathroom and other high touchpoint areas while I scoped out our dinner plans. We were caught up by the size of the room and the view, and too had to backtrack to take a look at the layout. When one enters the room, there is a small foyer space with the bathroom directly ahead and the main room to the left. This area, of course, is equipped with two double Hyatt Grand Beds, and while they themselves were quite comfortable - I can’t emphasize this part enough - they had the ABSOLUTE WORST pillows that I have ever had in any hotel. It was like sleeping on pancakes, or as if they were stuffed with newspaper. We did not sleep well in this hotel, further exacerbated by the fact that only thin blankets were on the beds, not the standard duvets that I’ve come to expect at Hyatt Regency - I can only assume they were removed to reduce labor costs in light of COVID. Directly across from the beds was a desk, credenza that housed a refrigerator and coffee maker, a lounge type chair, and a 42” TV mounted on the wall. One major disappointment was that this room was lacking the brand standard Chromecast on the TV - we had really hoped to have a movie night to avoid driving or Ubering after a night out, so this hindered our plans. While the furniture felt confused, a bit mismatched and aging, the room was a really comfortable space with calm and light finishes - it was relaxing, but also bordered on bland and in need of a refresh. We did like a few of the nicer details like the high ceilings, arched windows and introduction of crown molding and a paint change to bring down the height of the space. Back near the entry was a very generously sized bathroom with a backlit mirror and a huge vanity - a major plus, in my book at least, when traveling with multiple people. There was also a shower and bathtub combo that had a rainfall head with good water pressure, and was stocked with single use Pharmacopia amenities - the standard for the Hyatt Regency brand - which Ian liked, but I am not a huge fan of. Our only complaint on the bathroom was that the toilet occasionally made obnoxious noises several minutes after flushing. Amenities & Features The hotel’s major amenity is the Arcade Space that sits within it - it is AMAZING from an architectural perspective. Under normal times, it would be great to dine, drink or shop in some of the vendors, but many were currently closed or out of business during our time. This space also pulls double duty by utilizing the lower levels as an event space - part of the 14,000 SF of event space the hotel offers. There was also a 24-hour gym, which we did not visit, and an on-site spa, which I presumed was closed. Food & Beverage The hotel’s sole official food and beverage offering is the 1890 Restaurant & Lounge located in the lobby. While it was closed due to COVID-19, it doesn’t appear that we missed out on much as the space felt a bit dated - I love hotel bar though, so it would’ve been nice to have given it a try. Room service, however, was still on offer with a limited selection and a drop and go service. As mentioned before, the Grab & Go market was relocated to the lobby and also functioning. COVID Effect As with our other posts about Hyatt properties, and how travel has changed amid the pandemic, this property followed the brand’s Global Care & Cleanliness Commitment with mask mandates in public spaces, social distancing on elevators, plexiglass dividers between guests and staff, sanitizing stations and reduced service offerings. The hotel also felt quite clean, which was appreciated now even more than ever. Final Thoughts This hotel is definitely beginning to show its age. It seems to me that it is from an era when Hyatt Regency was the brand in the Hyatt portfolio that most closely aligned with the property, but in an age of multiple brands, and being a property with so much unique potential, I’d love to see it redeveloped and realigned to become an Unbound Collection hotel, much like the Eliza Jane in New Orleans. To put it simply, the purpose of a hotel is to foster the safety, security and comfort of a guest for a good night's sleep, but that just wasn't the case here. Between the pillows and blankets, and the amount of corridor noise heard in our room, we slept horribly. The hotel; however, did provide excellent value, was perfectly clean, and is ideally located for getting around the city. As with most properties, it’s a balancing act, and provided bedding was upgraded, or that I’d brought my own pillow, I would return if the price was right... 
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