The Cincinnatian Hotel

We never stayed here as the reservations woman at the direct hotel number was so incredibly RUDE — twice — while my husband was seeking to book a room for me for a business trip to see one of the largest employers in Cincinnati — for which they offer a wonderful rate. I really wanted to stay at this property as I’m a lover of older hotels with history and character vs. «sleek modern sleeping boxes» but we don’t pay to be treated like idiots. Will be at the Hyatt. Really, do your employees not know that there are THOUSANDS of good hotel rooms right near your property?

Super nice and clean room, but horrible customer service. Stayed the night for a concert and at 11pm no one could tell me where to order a pizza. I would have been better off saving my money and driving home to Columbus.

Terrible service from a non responsive staff. Air conditioning broke in the room and the engineers said the fixed it in the afternoon. Hot muggy Memorial Day weather. Then at 3am it breaks again– had to pack up all of the stuff and move to another room. Hotel staff offered a $ 50 credit against the bill. Seriously? Broken AC and a 3am move does t equal killing the entire bill for the 1 night stay? That’s terrible service

Luxurious room and great service!
This is my first time in Cincinnati and I am so glad to have the opportunity to stay at this hotel.
I originally ordered a room with a king bed but since they are sold out, they have given me an upgrade to an executive room with 2 Queen beds. The room is spacious with luxurious bedding and decoration. The bathroom is very nice with large tub and a separate makeup area.
There is a small gym on the first floor and two restaurants. The hotel is in downtown area and there are plenty of restaurant choices like Indian, American, Japanese and Spanish food.
The cost of the hotel is $ 139 per night and it also provides shuttle service to and from airport for $ 45 roundtrip.
Comfortable and luxurious hotel!

I stayed here for the first time the night of my wedding. My brother came down mid-​day and loaded the room with flowers, champagne, etc. Wen we arrived after our wedding we were told since we booked through a third party, Expedia, that we had to put down a $ 100 deposit. We didn’t have our cell phones or wallets coming straight from the reception so we sat in the lobby, my wife in her wedding dress and I was in my tux, for about 30 – 40 minutes while we tried to get ahold of someone (at 1 am) to put a credit card on file. We should have been notified by the hotel when my brother prepared the room, or they could have made an exception. Room and hotel were very nice but that put quite a damper on our experience.

The room had a bad mildew smell. I’d guess there was an issue with the plumbing in that room that caused water damage behind the walls. It was overpowering. I asked front desk for a different room. The only one available was an upgraded room. She took me to it and then said if I wanted to switch this room was an additional $ 80 per night. The hotel is old and the room, while no smell still felt drab and outdated. I declined her «offer» and said I wasn’t willing to pay any more. She said I was welcome to leave but would receive no refund. I left and went to another hotel (chain with less «stars» but still much nicer than this one) I called the manager the following Monday. Incredibly condescending and rude. Basically screamed at me «you will not get a refund» so I disputed the charged with my credit card company. I told them exactly what went down, showed them I bought another room down the street and guess what? I got a refund.

We stayed here for 2 nights on business. We loved it! The hotel has such great historical character while still having the modern conveniences we appreciated. The room we stayed in was beautiful with hardwood floors, comfy beds and large tub. Breakfast at The Palace was delicious and the gym was very well maintained with a great variety of equipment and waters/​towels. Everyone from the concierge to the valet was fantastic and made us feel so welcome. We will be back!

Let’s start with the positive: I really liked the bartender who worked the night I was there. He was attentive, willing to chat it up and let me and my party stay beyond closing.
Ok, now that that’s out of the way…
The hotel has the feel of something out of the 1960s. In theory that should be good. The problem is that I think the beds haven’t been replaced since the 1960s. I could never fall asleep because every time I turned even a little in my sleep, the bed would make a loud creaking sound that once again would awake me. It was maddening. And before you suggest that maybe it was just the bed in my room, may I let you know that I switched rooms for every night of my three-​night stay in an effort to find a bed that didn’t creak and failed each time. I probably slept for a total of an hour over three nights.
Also, the room key is an actual key. It’s 2016. Key cards please? It’s hard to replace a real key of you lose it and it’s easy to lose a key. A key card can be easily stored in one’s wallet, a regular key is extremely inconvenient. But as I said, it’s as if the hotel hasn’t been upgraded since the 1960s which would explain both the creaking beds and the lack of updating to key cards.

This is in my 5 places to stay in Cincinnati, probably #4. It’s historic and interesting, but like the aging dowager it needs just a «little» botox. Hallways are dull and drab. But rooms are all different and interesting. Love the ones with gas fireplaces and spa tubs. Some have wood floors as well, and I think that’s so clean and nice.
There’s a great restaurant, but bring your wallet. Once when we checked in they gave us a 20% off card and that was great. But only happened once. This place actually uses real keys as well… how long as it been since you had a real key? Nice lounge but expensive unless you hit it at happy hour — Monday thru Friday only. And they use squatty martini glasses. Really? Who does that in a historic hotel.
Valets and desk personnel are helpful, but we’ve been panhandled right in front of the valets. They should prevent that. Saw Jerry Springer here… standoffish but I wouldn’t have approached him in any case. If you’re into historic… this is your place.

The room is nice and the stay is good. I was on the side with the garbage haulers so 5 am wake-​up calls with no alarm clock are free. I worked long days and had breakfast and dinner at the hotel. The food is great if you are trying to drop weight, it is so bad you won’t eat it all (it smells funny). I don’t understand how breakfast can be bad but they figured it out. The bacon is cooked in burnt sausage grease as an example.
The staff is fantastic. The server at the Cricket was new but fantastic, the breakfast servers are very nice. The food is just bad.
I like the hotel and would recommend.
Correction: Garbage pick up 3:40am

Was in town overnight for work. Appreciated the proximity of this hotel to some fun breweries. And where I needed to go for work. Close to the usual downtown stuff. Room was great and I want the shower in my house. Gilchrist & Soames products. The hotel was under construction but I was two floors above it so it did not bother me at all. Hallways have some interesting unlevel floors. Hotel is an interesting clash of designs. Staff were friendly and helpful. I’d stay here again no problem.

If there was an option to select NO stars for the review for this hotel. I would certainly select it. Giving this hotel a one star is being nice. The hotel is a piece of crap. Nothing like what they advertise online. Although they have a GREAT marketing coordinator, sure did a great job selling the place. Bathroom was gross and so old fashioned! I’ve worked at a nursing home and the sink vanity I had in my room. Was literally straight from the nursing homes! Very small tv. On a cheap cheap dresser. Tiny desk right next to bed was super dirty. There was literally only ONE light in the room. For $ 250??? They should consider remodeling! The place even smelled old! Definitely do not recommend this hotel. You’re better off spending $ 50 at a freakin motel

On our vacation we stayed at several chain hotels. Since Cincinnati was going to be one of the spots where we took in the most sights, I decided that it would be nice to stay somewhere more unique. While in the Columbus area we were talking to a gentleman from Cincinnati, and he recommended the Cincinnatian.
The hotel was renovated in 1987 and I feel like I saw some 1980s touches in the public spaces, however the hotel did retain a lot of lovely French flair and there were several antiques in the public spaces as well.
As far as our room, it was very attractively decorated with a boutique feel. The toilet and shower were in their own room with a sink while there was another sink outside that room, which I appreciate. Nothing like wishing you could wash your hands or get a drink of water when someone else is in the bathroom where the only sink is housed.
There was a pocket door to bathroom, and the floors appeared to be cork but could have been laminate (I didn’t examine them very closely). In any case, they were attractive, and covered by a nice plush area rug. The shower was a nice showpiece, roomy with crisp white rectangle tiles that made me feel a bit like I was in Europe. The soap and products provided appeared to be of a decent quality.
We booked a smaller room, so had a queen bed and I think it had a pillow top on it. The only negative with this was if you were laying on the bed near the edge, you felt a bit like you could just roll off the side easily.
We didn’t have a great view, but our third floor room was quiet.
The young lady who checked us in and helped us with a few things throughout our stay was very nice, as was the valet and door staff.
As far as location, you can easily walk to bars, restaurants and Fountain Square from the hotel, as well as Macy’s and drug stores.
I would definitely consider this property again if I were staying in town as it added a touch of class to our vacation.

I have to say… I needed a change from the chain hotels, and the Cincinnatian was absolutely lovely. Very botique like, without faking it, and going over the top. Very authentic. In fact, they don’t have those magnetic keys… they have REAL keys. I can’t remember the last time I stayed at a place that had real keys to the hotel.
So let’s break it down. The rooms… Happened to get the view facing a building, but it was kind of… cool? Red brick, made me feel like I was in Boston or something. The bed was VERY comfortable. The cable tv was very basic… but again, I kind of liked that… no renting movies or cable box to detract from the room and atmosphere.
Staff. Unbelievably nice. They seem to have a lot of people that work here, so a guest gets a lot of attention. Walked in, they valeted my car and said «you’re all set». So easy.
Food — my wife and I had breakfast there. The food was delicious, although the portions were large, so may not need to order a ton unless you’re very hungry. When at the sit-​down area, it really felt like we were at a high-​end french restaurant, but decorated like a queen’s home. 2 staff members waited on us, and the whole experience was brilliant.
I’m here for business, and do plan on coming back again.

Clean hotel. Nice people. This hotel is old school. Down to the REAL key to get in your room. lol. I think that’s what they’re going for with the old décor designs in the rooms.

I full-​heartedly disagree with all the negative reviews I found on Unilocal about The Cincinnatian. While I can’t speak for the stay someone else had, I know mine was superb.
We stayed in the hotel on our wedding night. We didn’t check in until after 2am and the staff had no problem with that.
We unlocked (with a real key) our magnificent room. It is easily the nicest hotel room I have ever stayed in. The lighting was anywhere you needed it to be. The temperature was easy to control, including the heated flooring in the bathroom. Speaking of which, the shower was on another level. There were separate shower heads with individual temperature controls and rain bars, which I’ve never seen before. Everything was clean and seemed brand new and high-​class. I hope the pictures help illustrate the beauty!

I liked this hotel very much. What you must keep in mind is that this is a historic landmark, heck this hotel actually still uses physical metal key’s to open guest rooms. I can’t remember the last time I stayed at a hotel that actually used REAL keys. Also the floors are uneven everywhere.
That being said, I loved the Jacuzzi tub, the hard wood floors with area rugs, rose petals on the bed, chocolate covered strawberries, lots of sunlight in the room. It was a very nice room! A very nice experience for me and my lady.

My wife and I have stayed here a few times. Hotel staff have always been pleasant and helpful. Valet seems to take longer than expected but what do you do.
My complaint is about the food. The Chef the last time we stayed was on his game it seemed. We were informed this visit that a new Chef was in the kitchen. Well this is no Chef but in fact just a cook as far as I am concerned. For any Chef to allow a product to leave the kitchen looking the way my breakfast did is unacceptable. We do not eat land meat and asked to have the ham and bacon removed from my sandwich and salmon added in its place. So I took off 2 proteins and replaced with another for a $ 5 up-​charge, making it a $ 18 sandwich, and this is what was delivered to our room. Tomato ends? Really? And scarred up at that. The previous morning the poached eggs on the salmon Benedict’s were overcooked to the point of being hard and the request for well done muffin was definitely not filled. This cook should maybe go to Denny’s for his future employment.
Not that we won’t stay here again, just won’t be ordering room service.

I have mixed feelings about The Cincinnatian. I can’t say I exactly enjoyed my stay, but I can’t say I hated it. Would I recommend it? Not sure. Told you, mixed feelings.
I stayed for three nights for a conference at the nearby convention center. I didn’t want to be with the hordes of attendees so I thought it’d be a unique, classier experience to stay at a historic hotel. The price was incredibly low given the charm, location and amenities.
Their shuttle service picked me up promptly from the airport. So far, so good. But things started to go awry at the reception desk (which is small, staffed by two at the very most, which can make for some congestion during busy check-​in/​check-​out times). I was greeted with a long, hesitating, «So…»
Oh boy, here it comes.
«We had a bit of an inventory problem so we will be putting you in a parlor room tonight and then make it up to you by moving you to a junior suite the next two nights.»
Um… Ok, what’s a parlor room.
«Well, it’s usually an addition to a suite and it doesn’t have a bed, just a day bed.»
Sigh. What was I gonna do, go someplace else? Fine.
«And we’ll provide a voucher for breakfast.»
Oh yay. Now I could avoid overpaying for a mediocre hotel breakfast (it’s just true — most hotel breakfasts are outrageously priced and offer poor renditions with sparse offerings).
So I get the key and yes, it’s pretty charming to get an actual key. And the bellman takes my bags to the room with me and I am flabbergasted. This parlor room that they apologized for was the bomb-​diggety. It was a corner suite — huge windows overlooking 6^th and Vine, white wooden floors, high ceilings with recessed lighting, tuffetted ottoman, large sectional sofa, glass dining table — and that was just the main room. There was a large foyer with foyer table, work desk and a make up table/​sink and then then the bathroom proper with a window overlooking Vine and a giant soaking tub. So there was no king sized bed. I didn’t miss it. After dinner, I made a point to stop by the front desk to apologize for my poor demeanor upon check-​in. The manager said he’d relay the comments to the staff person and we had a very friendly conversation about theatre. All was good now… Or so I thought.
The next day, after the conference hours, I returned, expecting that they had moved my bags to a new junior suite as they had told me they would. But the same staff member whom I had sought to apologize to not only said that they had moved my bags to the new room, but then gave me the same exact key to the room I was already in. When I told her this, she apologized and looked to provide me with accommodations. Given the long pause and grimaces, I could tell that things weren’t going to be delivered as promised. Instead of a junior suite, I got the king room I had originally booked. No biggie — it was a nice room, but one feels a little jerked around when they’re told one thing and get the other. Had I known, I would have requested to stay in the parlor suite.
Oh and that free breakfast totally turned out to be mediocre.
Anyways — the other drawbacks were the late night bartender and Cricket room servers. Either other patrons were annoying the hell out of them or they missed the whole memo on Midwestern charm cause I waited close to fifteen minutes before deciding not to buy a ridiculously overpriced glass of California blend.
And yes, the other reviewers are right — the valet and doorman are blah and not at all personable. No greetings, no chit chat — they’re just there.
I loved the accommodations but wish I had the ones promised to me. And some of the staff really sell you on Cincinnati. But overall, a disappointing experience.

OH MAN YOU GUYS.
We were in Cincinnati a few weekends ago and decided, impromptu, to stay overnight. On a Sunday night, we were able to score a double whirlpool tub room here for about $ 150 through
. Full price seems to vary, but I have to say, as long as I didn’t try to book a super-​desirable weekend (like that one coming up in February), I’d have no problem paying more for one of these rooms.
First, expect to pay about $ 30 for parking. I’d go ahead and valet. The Cincinnatian is downtown and cheap parking is not that bountiful; the nearby lot says $ 15 for x number of hours or whatever, but the fine print tells you that the day rolls over at 6 am, so you end up getting charged more.
When we went in, everyone treated us very nicely. The woman at the front desk was pleasant and struck up a conversation with me about my pizza box. We were in no way dressed to impress (I had a Batman t-​shirt on), but we were treated very respectfully.
We were also given a key. A GOD. DAMNED. METAL. KEY. Not a dinky plastic card that you will probably lose, but a key. Hey, we’re not the fanciest people; it impressed us.
We were also impressed that our room had a name on a little plaque outside. Pinkies up, y’all.
We opened the door onto a beautiful room. Very romantic, very luxe – nothing I would decorate with in my own house or anything, but really gorgeous, modern bedding and furniture that didn’t look like it came from Hotel Wholesale Inc. We had wrapped wineglasses (champagne glasses? I can’t remember, I think white wine though) that turned out to be glass, with glass tumblers also in the bathroom. Two bathrobes and tons of giant towels and washcloths.
And, the bathroom. Oh, this bathroom.
Double sinks. A shower with two shower heads that was big enough practically to be a ROOM, walled in with glass. (Regular knobs for the showers, no space age stuff.) Tiled with what looked like marble. Giant whirlpool tub that my husband and I could both fit into. TV over the tub because why not? (How did they know our idea of romance is to soak in a tub and watch HGTV?)
And, it was HUGE. The bathroom seemed almost as big as the living space. Three or four different light switches to control lighting. Actual posh toiletries instead of the bleh ones you usually get.
I’ve stayed in expensive hotels a few times; I’m not a world traveler or anything, but we’ve stayed in a couple that were upwards of $ 200 – 350 per night. They weren’t as nice as The Cincinnatian. I can tell that they invested their money well so that guests get the best bang for their buck.
Will stay here again and would gladly pay full price for a room.