Cleveland Convention Center Hotel to Hit Construction Milestone Today

By Andrew J. Tobias, Northeast Ohio Media Group 

Work on the Cleveland convention center hotel will hit a milestone today. Around noon, workers will hoist the last of roughly 1,600 steel beams for the hotel's four-story podium, according to a news release. Officials will commemorate the occasion with a ceremonial signing of the beam. Meanwhile, structural work continues on the hotel's 28-story concrete tower, which will sit atop the podium. When done, the 600-room hotel, which is being developed by the Cuyahoga County government, will be linked to both the Cleveland Convention Center and the Global Center for Health Innovation. It will be managed by Hilton Worldwide. Dave Johnson, a spokesman for the project, said workers are adding about a story a week to the building. Officials expect the $270 million hotel to be finished in time for the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in summer 2016. The county is also overseeing the construction of a 900-foot pedestrian bridge connecting the convention center to the lakefront.