CLEVELAND, Ohio – A local development group plans to build two new hotels, along with two restaurants, across Brookpark Road from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
The development is slated for about 10 acres of land between the Orbit Hotel and the Aviator restaurant, just north of Cleveland Hopkins and south of I-480.
The same developers that opened the Orbit Hotel and adjacent Centaur apartments in 2022 are behind the new project.
The Orbit and the Centaur, both in renovated former NASA Glenn Research Center buildings, are in Fairview Park; the new hotels will be in Cleveland.
Cleveland City Council tonight is expected to approve the sale of 2.9 acres of city-owned land to facilitate the development. The sale price is $140,000.
Developers already own 8 acres of land for the project.
Included in the $60 million development: Two new extended-stay hotels, including a 124-room WaterWalk by Wyndham, which would be new to the Cleveland market. The second hotel could be part of the Marriott brand, perhaps a SpringHill Suites, said Richard Marshall, vice president of LaPine Legacy LLC.
Construction is likely to start next summer, with completion on the WaterWalk in late 2026 or early 2027.
“We’ve been working on this for a couple of years,” said Marshall, whose mother, Susan LaPine, heads the development company.
The company is working in partnership with Ceres Enterprises, a Cleveland company that develops and operates hotels.
The two firms also collaborated on the conversion of the former NASA buildings L and K into the Orbit and Centaur.
Marshall said there is a need for more hotels near the airport, particularly with the closure (and subsequent demolition) of the Sheraton Cleveland Airport Hotel, which will be converted into additional on-site airport parking.
The Orbit is consistently sold out, according to Marshall, and the 84-unit Centaur is fully occupied.
“Our basic premise is to bring amenities and better hospitality to the airport area,” said Marshall.
Both the current and future properties are geared toward NASA Glenn contractors as well as airport travelers and employees.
“This was contemplated long before any of this Browns stuff was brought up,” said Marshall, referring to a proposal by the owners of the Cleveland Browns to put a domed football stadium on nearby land in Brook Park, surrounded by hotels and other entertainment-focused developments.
Bryant Francis, direct of Cleveland Hopkins airport, said the airport could use more hotels nearby. “The availability of hotel inventory is not great for an airport the size of Cleveland Hopkins,” he said during a city council committee meeting last week. “I believe the airport would benefit from this.”
In addition to the hotels, plans include building two new restaurants on the property, including possibly a retro-themed McDonald’s as well as a fast-casual chain that is new to the region, possibly a Portillo’s or Fatburger, said Marshall.