Kent State University Hotel and Conference Center

Surprisingly nice hotel. Very modern & updated. Lounge & bar area are great. Really comfortable bed. Glass walk in shower.

Just this past weekend I had a 2 day conference at the hotel. Everything about it went amazingly. From the A/​V help, to the wifi, to the amazing food on Sunday and the beverage service all day both days. We had nothing but glowing reviews of our venue and their service from all of our attendee’s, including those who also booked and stayed at the hotel. I highly recommend anyone looking for a venue for a conference speak with Sage and her team.

I have stayed here 10 plus nights over the course of two years since its opening for business trip. With very limited lodging options in the vicinity, I was excited at the beginning. However, unlike most reputable business that bears such prestigious name, the entire operation of this property has declined, and managed to maintain poor/​mediocre. The only reason I have endured my stays thus far is because of the location/​convenience and my work pays for the rooms. The most recent stay was about a month ago, and I have decided to NEVER stay here ever again event if I got paid to stay there (it took me more than one hour for them to check me in, find my reservation which was made MONTHS ago, and took additional hour to finally get me to the right room– which turned out, it was not the right room anyways…). My team has reserved a block of dozen rooms once including the suits, and they managed to mess up the WHOLE reservation– this was called a «mishap»…I will be very happy to drive extra 20 minutes and stay at Sheraton nearby. Rather, the Holiday Inn Express down the street for half of the price is a MUCH better option.
— Bar & Beverages: very limited selection, EXTREMELY slow service, yucky food– small town USA version of mainstream food, ex. frozen food!
— Cleanliness: usually ok, but I have walked into stinky room with shower with hair on tiles, AND wrinkled sheets.
— Location: Close to KSU, and Kent downtown
— Service: Absolute WORST I have experienced from travelling small & big cities nationally & internationally. Reception staff is the worst I have ever encountered, completely incompetent, rude, and SLOWWWWWW. I don’t even have words for the management. *Room service was delivered in plastic containers with plastic silverware?!?
— Amenities: everything about this hotel is cheap & mediocre at its best– hot tub size «pool», terribly uncomfortable bedding, thin walls (you will hear people’s TV & toilet flushing), horrible toiletry, I cannot list all… Slow Wi-​Fi… gross «free breakfast».
— Vibe: ATROCIOUS!!! I had a night when I could not sleep at all because there was a party going on all night on my floor, called security many times, nothing happened. The next morning, I walked out of my room, and stumbled on pizza crusts, and trash.
respect yourself and DON“T DO IT! you deserve better.

I have stayed here a total of 5 times over the past few years (most recently June 2016) and have always had a good experience. I am a bit shocked by the super negative reviews below. I think you have to take the hotel for what it is. This is a small-​ish hotel in Kent, Ohio close to KSU which presumably employs mostly students. This is not a five star resort in a major city. Before the downtown revitalization there were zero lodging options close by (unless you count the University Inn… yuck!). Your best bet was to stay by I-​76 and drive into town. As a KSU alum, I always wanted something close for homecomings, visits, etc. The addition of this hotel in downtown Kent has be great for the town, alumni visiting, and others who need to stay close to campus! It is in close proximity to both the campus and the downtown attractions. I have never had an issue with noise and never have found the bar area to be rowdy (dead, if anything).
I am hoping that since the hotel is still relatively new they are working through some of the kinks in their process and services. I personally have never had a long wait to check in, but it appears others have had to wait a bit. I have noticed some recent upgrades/​changes (better continental breakfast with the addition of hot items, walling off of the dining area so it feels more like a restaurant instead of a continuation of the lobby, etc) which I appreciate. Hopefully they will continue to improve! I have had drinks at the bar a few times and they are pricey, but fine. There are many better options nearby for drinks or food, but again, I feel like that is to be expected. The beds are fairly comfortable (could use extra blankets though) and the rooms are attractive. Nice views of downtown Kent/​KSU from any part of the hotel.
I do think the prices could come down a bit and it is sometimes annoying how much they vary based on time of year and events taking place at KSU or in town. But again, probably to be expected as I think most hotels structure their pricing in this manner.
Overall, if you are looking for a place to stay in Kent that is a convenient location and nice hotel I think this is a great option. I have always enjoyed my stay and will continue to visit!

We had a terrible experience at this hotel. They gave away our reserved suite (reserved for over 4 months) and we ended up in 2 conjoining standard rooms instead. Before arriving I was already VERY upset with the hotel. But it got worse! When we arrived we laid our 3 year old son down in the bed in room 218(5/27/16) and after 45 minutes I went in to check on him from our conjoining room 219 and found 4 bed bugs on his pillow and sheets near him. We had to move all our stuff and sleeping children in the middle of the night.(11:30pm) I don’t believe the bed bugs followed us thank goodness. We ended up in rooms 426 and 427(not conjoining). The hotel did comp our entire stay as we were not able to really leave since we were attending a wedding on site and had a babysitter coming to watch our children so we could attend. We did notice some sort of bug exterminator coming in the next morning. After our stay I do understand why people gave it good reviews overall it is a nice hotel. However I can not look over the fact that they gave away our reservation and were not willing to make it right by calling the last person that reserved a suite to explain that they double booked. And ESPECIALLY can’t overlook that they had bed bugs.

I recently stayed at this hotel, where I attended a wedding (which took place in the Conference Center). As a Kent State alumn, I was impressed initially by the appearance, however, it did not take long to realize it was a majority smoke and mirrors. I asked the front desk how to get to the terrace where the rehearsal dinner was taking place, and he had no idea what I was talking about. Since I was not staying at the hotel that night (the day before my check in) he was obsessed with not allowing me upstairs (to where we were schedule to meet). The young man at the desk then told me to exit the building and go to the conference room (where there is not terrace). I walk back in my casual clothing, and step into the middle of a wake. Embarrassed and irritated, I walk back and request the proper location. At this time, the Manager walks by, and I ask her, she tells me its on the 2^nd floor and I can go right up. The front desk challenges informs her I don’t have a key, and she says no problem, you do not need one. I don’t understand how incompetent you have to be to direct someone to the location they mention by name.
The next day, I called the hotel at 8 AM requesting for an early check-​in (because this hotel has 3 PM check-​ins). I ask for a noon check-​in, the lady at the desk says «no problem» and I am happy. I get to the hotel just before noon, and they do not have my room ready, nor do they have the 3 other rooms ready for the groom and members of the bridal party. With the first pre-​wedding event at 1, time was valuable. They finally get me into my room at 12:45, where I take a shower and find out the tub is clogged, so I am bathing in whatever matter is stuck in the drain… Why am I not surprised.
Around 4 PM the same day I go back into my room and change once more, but as I am changing I hear my door unlock! An older woman comes into my room during me changing, and I let her know its occupied. Come to find out, its the mother of the bride, and they gave her the room they assigned to me hours ago… I then realized they gave us the handicap room that she needed… Then come to find out my key no longer worked, so they basically kicked me from the room in the system and give it to someone else. How can the people working there be so incompetent and neglectful… YOU CANNOT GIVE SOMEONE ACCESS TO YOUR ROOM.
If I were to compare this hotel to others, i’d say Holiday Inn at a Ritz price ($ 160 a night?! ha)
Everything else was mediocre, but if you go to the lobby bar at night, don’t expect the highest or even middle“est” of class. It can get pretty rowdy.

Mediocre. Room service was awful. They sent the food up on a tray in styrofoam. No plates, no condiments, no glass of water etc. Lame
Slowest internet this side of the Pecos.

Hotel is visually impressive for the price and the front desk staff is polite, but that’s about where the good impressions end. The fixtures in the room are somewhat cheap. Cardboard thin walls, uncomfortable bed, not enough lights in the bathroom. The continental breakfast was better than most I’ve seen for hotels at that price, but nothing spectacular.
Also, keep in mind that this place is run mainly by college students. The can be unprofessional at times. Management is just as rude as the late night security guards.
Options in Kent are limited but if I were to come back I would probably stay somewhere else.

Modern clean hotel, however our check in process was less than ideal. Firstly, the entrance sucks. Secondly, there were no luggage carts. Searched the whole hotel before finding one. Apparently the entire hotel only has 2 carts total? Seems a bit under stocked since it was 8 pm on a Wednesday and there were non available. The first room we were given had a toilet that was boxed in on 3 sides making it difficult to use. Asked to switch rooms and the second room we were given hadn’t been cleaned. Finally after nearly an hour, we were switched again to a 3^rd room which worked. Bed was decent. Room was mostly clean, although I did find someone’s discarded acrylic fingernail in the chair… kinda gross. I don’t think I would return just based on what a hassel getting checked in to a room was.

Great hotel! The executive suites are bargains and huge. Highly recommended. Staff here super friendly and helpful. Food very good although the fee breakfast pretty bad — but really good places for breakfast in walking distance. Cannot go wrong with this place, period.

Stayed at the Kent Univ. Hotel for a concert at Blossom.
Pros: The hotel is clean and the rooms are modern and above average. The lobby is also new, modern, bright lights and high ceilings. There’s a nice open floor plan seating area and café with a decent breakfast (complimentary) which consisted of bagels, muffins, pastries, fresh berries, oatmeal, hard boiled eggs, yogurt, Starbucks coffee, Tazo teas, juice. They also have an a la carte menu for option to buy breakfast.
Huge con: the AC in our first room (231) was extremely loud and sounded like there was a motor in our room. Unable to sleep if you like quiet. We asked to switch rooms and the concierge was extremely accommodating, understanding and gave no attitude. They also have us a $ 30 discount.
Huge con: paying for parking. Pricey hotel, shouldn’t have to pay. There is zero overnight parking in Kent.
With that said, Kent is a great city. Tons of awesome food and cute shops.

Very nice hotel w huge rooms. Great value & location. Parking is an issue. Front desk clerk said nearby parking deck was best bet but didn’t say it was $ 10 a night. Surface Lot across street was free. Otherwise great stay.

Impressed with the cleanliness and ambiance of the hotel. It was quiet and great for business trips.

I finally joined Unilocal to review this hotel and I really struggled with whether it should get one or two stars. We stayed because we were attending a concert at Kent Stage and the hotel is within walking difference of the venue and many restaurants. It is a beautiful, modern-​looking hotel.
It is also the loudest hotel I have ever stayed in. The sound transfer between rooms and from the hallway was worse than any college dorm or apartment building I have ever been in. I could hear every word of the movie the folks in the next room were watching after the show. Cleaning staff turned on televisions or radios on our floor by 7 AM so they could hear them from room to room and yelled back and forth to each other.
I travel a lot and I enjoy finding new concert venues nearby, but I’m not sure I could ever stay here again. Not if I wanted to get any rest.

Beautiful, new, reasonably priced hotel. This is in a perfect location for me, so I will probably stay here again. The room was fine, and the free breakfast was better than it had to be, with fresh berries in February.
The pool and fitness room are both tiny. The pool is this itty bitty thing in the middle of a huge glass room where everyone driving by can see you. I wasn’t thrilled with the layout. Getting to the pool from the elevator requires walking though the lobby and restaurant, which is not a lot of fun in a bathing suit and flip flops. We liked the hot tub though when we got there.
It was pretty hard to get served at the restaurant. Room service was hard to get a hold of, and we felt that the waitress ignored us when we tried to order in person. We finally got through to room service and discovered they were out of most things. The food we got was fine, but the menu looked so amazing we were disappointed to discover they only had a couple of meals to choose from. If the weather were warmer, we’d have gone elsewhere to eat, but it was below zero and we didn’t want to go outside again.
I didn’t realize we had to pay for parking when I made the reservation so I was cranky when we got there. But then it snowed hard and I was happy we were in a parking garage, and the price was cheap by big city standards, so I decided I was happy with the situation.
All in all, I recommend the place and will stay there again. There are not a lot of hotels in this area, and this was a good value for the price.

Nice hotel – my room might actually be bigger than my apartment (and way cleaner), the staff is really nice, check-​in was a breeze, it’s easy walking distance to the university (weather permitting), it was well within my budget, and the pool and fitness center are a great perk. Glad I brought my running shoes after all!
The only major complaint I have is that room service is non-​existent here and the restaurant staff could not possibly care less. The free breakfast is sufficient but spare, and serve-​yourself – no one is there to greet you or even acknowledge that you exist. Three nights in a row I have tried to call room service, but there is consistently NO ANSWER. I have tried both calling and visiting the on-​site restaurant and have been totally ignored, which wouldn’t be an issue if it wasn’t in the single digits Fahrenheit at the moment – there are restaurants within walking distance, but maybe not in the dead of winter (unless you own a space suit and/​or you’re not visiting from California). If the restaurant is underperforming (and I wouldn’t doubt it is) that has less to do with it being new than its callous disregard for customers and failure to provide adequate staff. This is shameful and should be fixed asap.
Comfy beds and decent digs, but dump the restaurant management and it will really be great!

When my company told me we’d be staying in the Kent State hotel, I did not have high hopes. However I had a terrific stay. Probably the cleanest hotel I have ever been to. Spacious rooms, delicious breakfast. The nicest bar hotel I have been to. Would recommend.

This hotel is gorgeous! It looks brand new inside and out. Very modern looking.
Check-​in was easy and quick. There is free wi-​fi (no log in required).
Parking in the garage across the street was convenient and only a charge of $ 10/​day. They give you a separate room-​key style parking pass which allows you to come and go as you please from the garage without being charged each time.
The hotel was fairly quiet, the walls were thick and I didn’t notice much noise from the hallway or surrounding rooms even though it was a weekend.
Beds are soft and luxurious, nice HD flat screen TV in the room (with 2 HBO channels), and a microwave and fridge were the perfect touch. They serve Starbucks coffee in the room and the lobby. Continental breakfast is included with your stay — lots of healthy, fresh options as opposed to the greasy, fast food style breakfasts offered at many hotel chains. There were bagels, pastries, cereal, fresh fruit (including raspberries and blueberries), oatmeal, etc. The bathroom was a good size for a hotel room.
Many things to do within walking distance — lots of cute shops, bars, and restaurants as well as the Kent State University campus.
I would definitely come back here again!

Have a daughter who is about to start attending Kent State so we have made several trips here and by far this Hotel & Conference Center is by far the best one in town.
The lobby area is nice, and the team at the front desk were very kind and helpful in providing their suggestions on places to eat and drink. The hotel room was clean, roomy and the shower was really good. They have free WiFi, which for the most part worked well, but did seem to be a bit sluggish in late evening.
The hotel is centrally located and you can get to just about anywhere downtown and it’s not that far of a walk to the main area of Kent State.
The only item I did find odd here was the wall paper… which is especially noticeable when walking to your room. It is black & white and of some wacky design. I’m thinking if you had a few drinks and buzzing real good, the design on these walls could really mess with your balance and get you dizzy.
My guess is this place probably books up quickly, especially during big events at the University… so if you want to stay here, it would probably be wise to book early.

Very nice hotel! Perfect location to downtown bars and restaurants! Clean, comfortable rooms. Loved the little bar in the lobby and terrace on the second floor! Great addition to downtown Kent! Will definitely be back next time I’m in town!