As a visitor to Greater Cincinnati, you likely think the claim that “bigger is better” is accurate when suites in hotels are the subject of discussion. At Garfield Suites Hotel, you will find bigger suites, according to Darren Schreiber, guest service manager for the property. The hotel is located at 2 Garfield Place, fronting Vine Street in Cincinnati’s downtown grid. The hotel also features Café Martin, where breakfast, lunch, dinner and room service are offered.

The suites at the Garfield hotel tend to be significantly larger, he said, because each suite was built on the order of a residential apartment rather than just a hotel suite. The cumulative result is more square footage and larger rooms, as well as larger kitchen and bath areas. “We get a lot of guests here who comment on the added space they enjoy in our suites, and that’s to be expected since they are a lot roomier than what you find in the average suites hotel,” Schreiber said.

Schreiber and his front-desk staff cater to business and leisure travelers alike, and guests range from singles to couples and families. The focus at the front desk is to help every type of guest fully enjoy the stay and the visit to Greater Cincinnati.

He said one of the most appreciated services offered at the front desk is the courtesy shuttle provided by Garfield Suites Hotel to help guests needing a lift. The shuttle takes guests to downtown grid locations such as Great American ballpark, Paul Brown Stadium, The Banks and Over-The-Rhine entertainment districts, Findlay Market and the Union Terminal Museum Center. “Everybody likes the courtesy shuttle,” is the word from the front desk.
Trying to anticipate guest needs is central to the job at the front desk. “If a guest comes to us needing change for the hotel laundry, we’ll ask them if they need laundry soap and fabric softener sheets, and give them that as a courtesy,” he said. That kind of little extra may be why the Garfield Suites Hotel has been recipient of the Best Front Desk award offered by Cincy Magazine in area-wide competition.

Mostly, people come to the front desk wanting to know where to eat, according to Schreiber. Many more want good bar scenes, or places to take kids for special fun things to do, or good places to shop for special gifts.
“When we have information on places of interest that we can point out to guests, we do that, and they can make decisions based on that,” he said. “For us (at Garfield Suites), we are working to exceed guest expectations. If we do that, then they are going to be happy with us and with their visit.”

Visitors to Greater Cincinnati may not find a better voice for this area’s dining and entertainment options than the folks at Cincinnati midtown Spring Hill Suites. The Marriott property overlooks Cincinnati’s downtown skyline from north of the city, located at 610 Eden Park Drive.

GM Mike Houle has an extraordinary approach to promoting Greater Cincinnati and all it offers to his guests at Spring Hill Suites. He sees his front-desk personnel as concierges for the hotel, and here’s what he says about that: “We really like all our guests to have a good idea of the city—and we use all our resources, such as Key magazine, to help educate (our front desk personnel) on the city and all the great things we have to offer here in Cincinnati. Guests want to know first-hand, and we want our front-desk personnel to be able to say ‘hey, I’ve been there,’ to be able to talk from experience.”

Houle does more than might be expected to assure his personnel have the experience. “We like to send our front-desk team out to local attractions, like lunch at the Horseshoe casino, or a trip to the Art Museum in Eden Park, or the restaurants in Mt. Adams, so they know what they are talking about.”

Management at the Midtown property has put together special sheets for guests wanting to take advantage of the sights, shopping and eateries in Greater Cincinnati. A sheet of nearby restaurants features 30 options, with phone numbers, addresses and types of food. A similar sheet exists for shopping areas, with 10 areas listed. And there is a “Cincy Eats” sheet that highlights local, hometown favorites such as Skyline Chili, Graeter’s ice cream, Montgomery Inn ribs and more. “We do that little extra to help make the stay of our guests’ more enjoyable,” he said.

As for the suites at Spring Hill, each is at least 20 percent larger than a typical hotel room. Plus, each has a fold-out sofa for added sleeping space, making it easier for a family to fit in a suite in comfort.

The breakfast at Spring Hill is included in the room cost, and Houle stated it’s a better breakfast than most hotels offer. “Weekdays, the breakfast includes fresh fruit, meats, cheeses, ham and eggs, sausage, things like that,” he said. In fact, in July of last year, Spring Hill upgraded its breakfast offering across the whole chain, and Houle says his guests love the change.

Spring Hill’s Midtown location features a pool with a handicapped lift for getting in and out of the water. Next to the pool area is a fitness center, and individual machines are equipped with TV screens. There is a small market next to the front desk for those you may need a personal item, want a quick snack or a beverage. Also, there is a bar in the lobby area, serving guests in the evenings from 5 to 11 p.m.

See you at Spring Hill Suites Midtown!