Dive Brief:
- Marriott International’s luxury W brand is expanding to Ohio, with a dual-branded W Residences and W Hotels property coming to downtown Cleveland, according to a release from Brown Gibbons Lang & Company, which secured financing for the project.
- The hotel and residences project, valued at more than $218 million, will anchor a mixed-use redevelopment of Cleveland’s historic Erieview Tower and Galleria, the release detailed. Locally based Kassouf Development will lead the conversion project, set to create 227 W-branded residential units and 210 branded luxury hotel rooms.
- The project grows the W Hotels footprint to a new market, following the brand’s multiyear revamp. In recent months, the luxury hotel brand opened a flagship West Coast property and expanded to Las Vegas.
Dive Insight:
Construction on the W brand project will be phased, with the residential component commencing immediately and the hotel’s construction beginning later this year. The project, part of a larger mixed-use redevelopment, is expected to be completed in late 2026.
The property marks the first W Hotel in Ohio and will offer a rooftop bar, fine-dining restaurant, spa, fitness center and lobby lounge, as well as office spaces and a 15,000-square-foot ballroom, according to the release.
W Hotels has expanded in recent months following a multiyear brand evolution that focused on destination-specific design and unique activations that engage guests, Jenna Jacobson, vice president of luxury and mixed-use development at Marriott, shared at 2024’s Lodging Conference.
In October, the brand unveiled its West Coast flagship hotel, W Hollywood, in California. Later that month, W Hotels announced its expansion into Las Vegas with the conversion of MGM’s Delano Las Vegas on the Mandalay Bay Campus.
Also in October, Marriott’s W South Beach luxury hotel and residences sold for $400 million to Switzerland-based private equity investment firm Reuben Brothers. Upon closing, the buyer said it would lead the property through a “transformative new chapter.”
The dual-branded Ohio project comes as Marriott prioritizes portfolio growth in the luxury segment and seeks loyalty perks in the branded residential space. The W Hotels portfolio encompasses 23 properties in the U.S. and nearly 50 more globally.
