Although most of the hotels along Vine Street are part of luxury or business hotel chains, the Cincinnatian Hotel is a genuine piece of Queen City history. Built in 1882, the Cincinnatian was originally known as the Palace Hotel and was designed by Samuel Hannaford, the same architect responsible for Cincinnati's City Hall and Music Hall. The hotels 146 rooms range from a host of standard rooms to seven unique suites. All rooms include at least queen-sized beds and dual shower heads, while the suites also provide sofas with pull-out beds and marble tubs. The hotel has its own restaurant, separate cocktail lounge and tea room.
Not quite as old as the Cincinnatian, the art deco styled Hilton building, also known as Carew Tower, opened its doors in 1931 and has since been named an historical landmark. It rests at the corner of Vine and West Fifth Street and, at 49 stories, is the second tallest building in the city. The nearly 600 different accommodations include standard guest rooms, suites and a handful of handicap-accessible rooms. From the lobby to the Orchids at Palm Court hotel banquet hall, the art deco design is prominent, with high ceilings and chandeliers. The hotel also contains several conference rooms, a classroom and a speaking hall.
Literally across the street from the towering Cincinnati Hilton is the Westin Cincinnati. While not nearly as tall at the Hilton, the hotel has more than 450 rooms, many of which overlook the famous Fountain Square just outside. Aside from the standard style of accommodations, the modern Westin also features the "workout" room, which provides guests with treadmill and a variety of other fitness accessories. In keeping with the healthy lifestyle theme, the McCormick & Schmick's restaurant in the lobby serves up an array of seafood and salad dishes. The Westin also includes 18 spaces of various sizes for all types of business meetings.
Up at the northern end of street, within walking distance of the Cincinnati Reds' home field, the Garfield Suites Hotel sits at the corner of Vine and Garfield Place. Much smaller than the other Vine Street lodgings, the Garfield is less than 10 stories high and is made up of mostly apartment-style hotel rooms, with separate kitchens, living rooms and bedrooms. The prize suite at Garfield is the penthouse, which is actually a duplex on the top two floors, offering ideal views of the downtown area. The modestly sized hotel still manages to squeeze in a gym, pool and an on-site Starbucks.
