Cleveland Spiffs Up Convention Center, Airport
<B> Cleveland Spiffs Up Convention Center, Airport</B>
By Robert Selwitz
Cleveland is planning a brand new convention center and hotel complex to make it more competitive with other leading meeting and convention sites.
The new 400,000-square-foot facility, to be built on the site of the existing center, will feature a 40,000-square-foot ballroom, 150,000 square feet of breakout space and an attached 750-room hotel.
"The new center is a critical element in Civic Vision Two, the plan that's intended to guide the city into the next century and strengthen our efforts to ensure that Cleveland is the business destination of choice between New York City and Chicago," said Greater Cleveland Convention and Visitors Bureau president David Noland. While the present facility offers enough meeting space, Noland acknowledged, "it is not user-friendly, only has one loading dock and is very costly in terms of exhibit set-up and take-down times."
Cleveland's Hopkins International Airport is in the midst of a $500 million-renovation program. Highlights include extending one runway to 12,000 feet to accommodate larger Pacific-Rim-bound aircraft, and a new 38-gate concourse to accommodate Continental Airline's ExpressJet service. Other improvements include a new parking garage, an improved airport road system, airport signage and a new visitor information center.
Getting from Cleveland's airport to downtown is easy and inexpensive, thanks to the light rail system operated by the Regional Transit Authority. Travelers can access the RTA via an escalator located in the airport's baggage claim area. Twenty minutes and a $1.50 fare later, they arrive at Tower City Center in Public Square--close to major downtown hotels such as the Ritz-Carlton and Renaissance Cleveland, and home to 160 retail shops and an 11-screen cinema. From Tower City, passengers can transfer free to the two-year-old, 2.2-mile-long waterfront line, which reaches the new NFL stadium, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Flats Entertainment District, Galleria Shopping and the Burke Lake private airport. RTA offers all-day passes for $4.