There’s a lot for sports fans in Cleveland to cheer about. At press time, the Guardians had the best record in Major League Baseball. The Cavaliers are one of the premier young teams in the NBA. The Browns’ Myles Garrett is arguably the best defensive player in the NFL. Local pole vaulter Katie Moon is reaching for gold in the Paris Summer Olympics.
But the buzz extends far beyond the stadium these days. For tourists to Northeast Ohio, the excitement stretches to lavish hotels, great restaurants and a thriving cultural scene, too. As Forbes Travel Guide noticed during a recent visit, a city that’s probably best known for its rabid football followers seems ready to win in the elevated tourism game as well.
Top Luxury Hotels
The Ritz-Carlton, Cleveland almost hides in plain sight. Connected to the Tower City Center and relying only on subtle signage from its interior entrance, the hotel is easy to bypass if you aren’t actively looking for it. But do that and you’ll miss a 206-room property stretching from the sixth to the 14th floors that has established itself as the city’s top luxury hotel with lavish floral arrangements, glass-enclosed fireplaces and a Peloton-filled fitness center.
Rooms are decidedly chic without being overly dramatic. Muted grays and blues set a sophisticated tone while Diptyque bath products fill the air with hints of fig and black pepper. But by balancing it all with unexpected touches of fun — during the total eclipse excitement back in April, the hotel handed out glasses and astronomy books — it comes together in a package of approachable elegance. The property’s Be A Rockstar promotion speaks to this duality by providing overnight accommodations, cocktails at Turn Bar + Kitchen and two adult tickets to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum, a beloved attraction sitting just one mile from the hotel.
But Marriott doesn’t just hang its luxurious hat at The Ritz-Carlton. The brand’s Metropolitan Hotel at the 9, Autograph Collection is another gem for visitors insistent on an elevated overnight experience. The 9 (as it’s affectionately referred to around town) sits in the former Cleveland Trust complex, so it’s understandable that its design aesthetic would call for restored architectural details, metal embellishments and a jaw-dropping basement lounge in an abandoned bank vault. The 156-room property is filled with character and just a few minutes from most downtown Cleveland happenings.
Great Food and Drinks
When the topic of America’s culinary hotbeds comes up, Cleveland is rarely a part of the conversation. After a few days of noshing around the city, though, you realize how half-baked those discussions prove to be.
At The Ritz-Carlton, Cleveland’s Turn Bar + Kitchen, you’ll find proteins, pasta and sausage-stuffed peppers — all done deliciously with a local touch. There’s Amish chicken breast piccata and, as a nod to the city’s German heritage, plenty of schnitzel on the menu, too. The establishment also honors the city’s blue-collar population with its drinks, namely at the 6 p.m. “Off The Clock” ceremony, when a bartender literally pulls a steam whistle and starts pouring specialty libations to signal the end of the workday.
Speaking of brilliant pours, the 9’s aforementioned Vault has some of the city’s most inventive cocktails. Order the Smoked Manhattan — have your phone ready because this production involves big flames and a little hammer that cracks the ice ball — and take your spot in a dimly lit nook that feels like it could have been in a Michael Mann heist movie scene. The vibe is effortlessly cool and cosmopolitan. And once the jumbo shrimp, beef sliders and other small bites hit the table, you’ll call the place delicious as well.
Not two minutes away from the hotel is bustling Prospect Avenue, a street where you’ll find restaurants serving corned beef sandwiches and bars pouring Great Lakes Brewing Co. beers. Zanzibar Soul Fusion stands out from the crowd with its R&B soundtrack, Kool-Aid drinks and menu of down-home dishes. It’ll be tough choosing between the soul rolls (a chicken- and black bean-filled egg roll) and jerk wings, so order both. The honey-glazed fried chicken may seem like too safe of a call, but the moment the golden half chicken and generous sides of candied yams and mac and cheese arrive, you’ll be pleased with the decision.
Exclusive Activities and Attractions
Marriott Bonvoy Moments are carefully curated experiences that offer people premier seats and behind-the-scenes access to some of the top sporting events and concerts that are redeemed with loyalty points. We got a front-row look at how the program worked this past spring when Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse hosted the NCAA Women’s Final Four. If the electrifying atmosphere from that weekend is replicated when Cirque du Soleil’s Ovo (September 19 through 22) and the Simone Biles-starring Gold Over America gymnastics tour (October 27) come to the arena, you are in for some memorable nights.
On October 19, the venue will also host the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, where music legends such as Mary J. Blige, Dave Matthews Band and Cher will be honored. Of course, if you can’t make it for that historic night, the fully immersive attraction is open every day for fans eager to learn more about the new inductees, see Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” jacket and create their own band stickers.
Another area attraction that’s no one’s opening act is Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland. This beautiful building famously avoids having permanent exhibits; instead, the roster of works regularly changes throughout the year. The digital art-focused “Message from our Planet” and Ruben Ulises Rodriguez Montoya’s “Skinchangers: Begotten of my Flesh” are both showing through December 29, earning the city even more points in a category that has nothing to do with sports.
