CLEVELAND — The City of Cleveland is known for sporting events, concerts, the lakefront and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But visiting The Land comes with a price. According to a survey from Boutique Hotelier, Cleveland has one of the priciest hotel rates in the nation. 

What You Need To Know

  • Cleveland has one of the priciest hotel rates in the nation according to Boutique Hotelier
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  • The survey found Cleveland hotel rates rose 25% compared to 2022

  • Zack Hamzy paid $350 for a flight from Connecticut and around $230 a night for a hotel room

Zack Hamzy left his hotel in downtown Cleveland for an Airbnb ahead of a weekend full of activities in northeast Ohio.

“I had to sacrifice some money for my own benefit to see two of my favorite artists,” he said.

Hamzy made the trip all the way from Connecticut to enjoy a Drake concert and a Cavs game at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, but the visit wasn’t cheap.

“My flight was around $350 from Connecticut to here, but it was well worth it, in my opinion,” he said.

Hamzy also had to pay a high amount for a hotel room, something that caught him off guard.

“Originally they were around I would say $200 a night and when I ended up booking, I was paying around $260 a night,” he said.

According to a Boutique Hotelier survey in 2023, Cleveland was the fourth priciest city for hotel rooms, with an average rate of $234 a night.

The survey also found Cleveland hotel rates were up by 25% compared to 2022.

Hamzy said price is the reason he left his hotel to stay in a cheaper Airbnb.

But the Ohio Hotel and Lodging Association said hotel prices in Cleveland only spike during big events like concerts and sporting events and questioned the results of the Boutique Hotelier survey. 

The association said the timing of the sample for the survey may have affected the findings because big events are happening in Cleveland this spring, like the NCAA Women’s Final Four. 

The cost of the trip didn’t change Hamzy’s opinion of the city for his first visit to the Land.

“It’s a lot better than I expected to be completely honest. You know, the Ohio memes and stuff like that, everyone’s like, ‘You’re going to Ohio?’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, it’s probably not the best.’ But I got here, and it definitely blew my expectations out of the water,” he said.