Could a Hotel Work in Downtown Lakewood? City Wants to Know

Lakewood is looking into whether it could attract a . 

But first, city officials want to know if it could work.

issued a request for proposals on Tuesday that would “invite qualified consultants to gather data, analyze and develop a feasibility study to evaluate the community’s potential for further development in the hotel and leisure industry.”

“We’re hopeful we’re going to find a great consultant and do a financial analysis that will give us a bevy of good information, and a better understanding of Lakewood,” said Dru Siley, the city’s director of planning and development.

“There’s been a lot of discussion anecdotally about the need for a new hotel in the center of the city. Instead of guessing, we need to do a hard-line analysis.”

The following was included in the city’s request for proposals:

In addition to traditional drivers of occupancy, such as business travel during the week we would be interested in the impact of non-traditional sources:

• weddings
• funerals
• family visiting relatives at the hospital or senior care facilities
• youth sports tournaments
• events at our Civic Theater
• the trend towards staycations and quaint getaways over bustling tourist traps
• and the return to walkable, authentic communities

The deadline for submissions is Sept. 17.

Last month, city council unanimously OK’d spending $7,000 — from the city’s economic development fund — on a feasibility study.

Ward 3 city councilman Shawn Juris, who first pitched the idea to council in April, has been active on a committee that's been looking into the proposal for a few months.

The group talked about capitalizing on some of the development in downtown Cleveland — think casino and Medical Mart — as well as the development along Detroit Avenue in Lakewood.

“From the feasibility study, but also without any preconceived ideas, I would expect that an operator could come in and convert office spaces,” he said last month, adding that could be a potential location.

“But it may not be that simple.”

Some of the early feedback suggested that a hotel off of Interstate 90 would make the most sense.

But the study would specifically seek the feasibility of a boutique hotel. "We would also be interested in data related to a banquet facility or a bed and breakfast operation," according to the request for proposals.

“Nothing is off the drawing board,” Juris said last month. “Everything is on the table right now.”