Cincinnati Builds Future with Restaurant Support
Downtown Businesses Adding Fee To Help Pay For Marriott Convention Center Hotel
New Downtown Cincinnati Hotel Powered by Local Restaurants’ Investment
A major new addition is coming to downtown Cincinnati — and it’s being built with the help of the city’s own restaurants. A 1% fee added to meals at 28 businesses in the urban core has played a key role in advancing the new Marriott Hotel next to the Duke Energy Convention Center.
That small fee is expected to generate $1.1 million a year, money that became essential in closing the financial gap for the $536 million hotel project. While some restaurant owners were hesitant at first, many ultimately agreed after realizing the power of a collective investment in Cincinnati’s future.
The project is part of a much larger $828 million wave of development planned for the downtown area — a long-term push to revitalize the urban core, attract major conventions, and draw more visitors into the city.
City leaders and business owners see the hotel as a critical piece of that strategy. By working together, local businesses helped bring a major project to life that’s expected to boost tourism, increase foot traffic, and strengthen the overall economic growth of Cincinnati’s center city.
The new Marriott is more than just another building — it’s a sign of what can happen when the community invests in itself.
