Downtown Westin giving rooms a makeover

In efforts to keep the Westin Cincinnati fresh and current for leisure and business guests, general manager Kathleen Gilbey said renovations will take the hotel "down to the studs."

Efforts to remodel the 456-room hotel began in November and hotel owners and managers expect the upgrades to help improve the venue's competitive position Downtown.

Contractors are now working on several floors of the hotel to change features such as flooring, room lighting, wall panels, fixtures and bathroom finishes. The hotel declined to share renovation cost details, but officials called it a multimillion-dollar project.

Designs are intended to feature "harmonious and nature-inspired colors," which better reflect the hotel's theme and values, Gilbey said. Blackdog Studio, an Atlanta-based interior design firm, and CR architecture + design completed design work for the hotel's renovations.

The upgraded rooms also feature Westin's branded "heavenly" beds and shower. Remodeled guest room bathrooms had drop-down light fixtures and stainless steel borders around mirrors removed in favor of backlit mirrors. Hotel hallways and rooms are being upgraded to have more lighting.

"The Westin brand is about living well, and the changes that we are making to this renowned property are designed to inspire well-being in travel, work, meetings and vacations," said Gilbey, who has managed the Cincinnati hotel since September.

Construction began in November to remodel guest rooms, suites, a meeting space – now called Tangent – and other hotel corridors. The renovations are expected to be completed next month. Guests checking in after Thursday will be staying in renovated rooms.

There were no new hotels Downtown built for several decades until the Residence Inn was delivered in 2011 in the former Phelps Building. By year's end, four hotels will have opened since 2011 and more are under development. While those venues may be positioned as select-service venues, it has forced existing hotels to be ready for the competition.

Built in 1981, the last major renovation for the hotel at 21 E. Fifth St. happened in 2006. Upgrades on the meeting space were completed prior to the start of room renovations.

Gilbey said a lobby renovation is being planned once room renovations are complete. Maryland-based Continental Contractors is leading the renovation project.

Bethesda, Maryland-based Host Hotels & Resorts owns Greater Cincinnati's only Westin.

By the time the project's complete, crews would have used

2,478 gallons of paint

51,200 yards of wall vinyl

7,527 square yards of carpet for guest rooms, suites and hotel corridors