Overnights at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo might one day come with a room that looks straight into an animal habitat. Cleveland Metroparks is floating the idea of a themed hotel inside or next to the zoo, testing whether a roughly 135-room property could both pay for itself and plug into the busy sports-and-rec hub around Brookside.
According to Signal Cleveland, Sean McDermott, the park system’s chief planning and design director, told the Metroparks board that “we’re asking the market to tell us if they believe that a hotel could be possible at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.” Reporting from the outlet notes that a 2019 feasibility study looked at a hotel of about 135 rooms and concluded it was a possibility rather than a sure thing.
Where The Hotel Could Go
McDermott’s presentation highlighted four potential sites for a hotel. Three are within the zoo’s footprint and a fourth sits in Brookside Reservation. Brookside, which is directly adjacent to the zoo, includes multiple ball fields and the Jim Thome All-Star Complex and “connects to the zoo,” a link that Metroparks says could help support overnight stays, according to Cleveland Metroparks.
How Metroparks Is Pitching It
Lodging has been on the Metroparks wish list for a while. Reservation planning documents describe it as a potential asset, with one plan citing "enthusiasm for connecting neighboring residents and hotel guests to the park." As outlined by Cleveland Metroparks, staff argue a hotel could complement Brookside events and bring in a new revenue stream without the park system having to operate the property itself.
What Happens Next
Metroparks officials told the board they expect to hire a private operator and share revenues rather than run the hotel directly, and that the response from developers will determine whether the idea moves forward. The system hopes to have proposals in hand by the end of next month, putting an initial round of responses around May 31.
Any developer that bids would need to juggle construction costs, animal care requirements and neighborhood impacts in their feasibility work. For now, Metroparks is framing the outreach as a market test - one that could reshape the zoo precinct if private partners decide the numbers add up.
