Renovating a Cincinnati Staple

The historic Cincinnatian Hotel has seen its share of changes throughout its 132-year history, however nothing quite compares to the current renovation project taking place at the landmark. In spite of the construction, The Cincinnatian continues to maintain its reputation of having the best service in the city.

"So far 21 rooms have been completed in 88 days on the sixth floor," says Martin Pittman, general manager of The Cincinnatian Hotel. "The design and construction ultimately played out to be luxury that is timeless and very contemporary."

To create a modern twist on the hotel’s reputation of luxury, Pittman hired a team of local businesses to bring his vision to fruition. Pittman worked with KZF Design, Standard Textile and Cousin Construction to bring his vision to life. Even the stunning, abstract art hanging on the walls is local. Artist Megan Triantafillou created striking pieces of art that can be found in every room on the sixth floor.

"We wanted to use local companies and artists because this is the namesake of the city," says Pittman. "People should have that local flavor when they are in the hotel. We also wanted to help the local economy as well, which is important. And they are here so if we ever need to make changes we already have that relationship – it’s all about relationships."

While renovating the sixth-floor rooms Pittman was able to nearly double the number of rooms with double beds in the hotel. Originally the hotel boasted a modest eight rooms with double bed accommodations, but with the changes to the sixth floor, the hotel now offers 15 for guests to enjoy.

"We decided to double the number of double-bedded rooms to keep up with demand and to also cater to the affluent family traveler," says Pittman. "We have king bedrooms that connect with double bedrooms. So mom and dad can travel with the kids and still have that connectivity."

As renovations continue throughout the hotel Pittman will work with the designers to create a unique color scheme that is unique to each floor. The sixth floor was renovated with bold splashes of deep royal purple with light green accents. New white hardwood flooring was also incorporated into the new design.

"Our guests absolutely love the product. We’ve had some guests that have stayed with us over 10, 15 and 20 years and we’ve asked them to try out this product – new color scheme and furniture," says Pittman. "The response has been overwhelmingly favorable."

In addition to providing the furniture throughout the hotel, each room on each floor will feature a signature custom chair designed by Hickory Chair Furniture Co. The signature chairs found on the sixth floor are a plush, velvet royal cream tone with the hotel’s newly designed logo.

"I really wanted to have something with our signature logo on it and all of the great hotels have a signature item, so we created The Cincinnatian Signature Chair," says Pittman. "With that we created a more forward moving logo to represent where this hotel is today and where it is going. The only place you’ll see them is in this hotel and on this floor."

The Cincinnatian Hotel continues to be the standard of excellence in Greater Cincinnati. Whether you are coming from out of town or want to get away for the weekend without leaving the city, it continues to delight guests with its outstanding service and accommodations.