Oct. 03–Next month, downtown Akron's first new hotel in decades will open.

The opening — set for Nov. 17 — comes more than five years after local developer Joel Testa initially revealed his ambitious plans for the 10-story Northside Courtyard by Marriott in downtown's northern edge.

From the beginning, Testa has said the hotel will give a big boost to the redevelopment downtown, particularly the Northside District entertainment and residential area, which includes Testa's Northside Lofts condominiums.

"This hotel is unlike any you will see anywhere in the world," he said recently as he stood outside the building above the Little Cuyahoga River.

"It's the only Courtyard model that looks like ours is going to look, has the spaces that ours is going to have," he explained. "You'll never recognize us," in the standard, four-story suburban Courtyard, often built near a highway.

Already, the $25 million hotel on Furnace Street, across from Akron's iconic Luigi's Italian eatery, has attracted key corporate clients, including the Akron RubberDucks minor league baseball team. The team plans to book a minimum of 1,600 room nights a year for visiting teams.

The hotel has 147 guest rooms, including six apartment, or loft-style rooms, that feature exposed brick walls, a living area and 1 1/2 bathrooms.

The opening "average rate" for a regular room — with no discounts applied — will be $189. Loft rooms will be priced at $229. Room prices will fluctuate with demand for rooms.

Both room styles boast a streamlined decor, including light color finishes, walk-in showers and "spa-style" sinks on wood stands.

The ground floor of the hotel includes a small private movie theater, a conference room and two banquet rooms, each with a wall of windows. Below ground is a swimming pool and a fitness room with weight machines. A Starbucks and a convenience mart also will be part of the ground-floor mix.

The building's exterior mimics that of the 10-story Northside Lofts, located next door. With its metal balconies and a facade that is a mix of brick and a stucco-like material, the hotel meshes with the old brick buildings nearby and "has the look of an old brick warehouse building that somebody fixed up," Testa said

Tucked in the corner of the ground floor is the Northside Speakeasy, a small bar with private areas for business and social gatherings, as well as outdoor seating. Customers in the bar's private sections won't be interrupted by a server unless they punch a call button that lights up above their seating area.

The operator will be the Byte Dining Group — Testa and well-known Cleveland chef Dante Boccuzzi and partners. Byte owns the DBA (Dante Boccuzzi Akron) restaurant in the ground floor of the Northside Lofts housing and retail development.

Quest for downtown hotel

Testa initially planned to build more lofts on the hotel site. But after the University of Akron bought the Quaker Square hotel in 2007 and began converting it into student housing, Testa became convinced the area was ripe for a "flag" hotel.

Flag hotels are affiliated with a chain and benefit from its marketing power and rewards program. The Quaker Square hotel had operated as part of the Hilton and then the Crowne Plaza chains.

A big turning point in the quest to open a Marriott Courtyard downtown came in 2013, when Testa brought in hotel management company Concord Hospitality Enterprises of Raleigh, N.C., to help obtain financing from lenders and manage the property.

Concord and Testa Cos. of Cuyahoga Falls own the hotel. Testa is president of the family-owned Testa Cos; his father, Paul, is CEO.

Concord Hospitality's co-founder and CEO Mark Laport has said his company sees an opportunity in downtown Akron, where he expects many of the hotel's customers to be business travelers.

City officials are thrilled the Marriott will soon be open for business, providing an alternative to downtown's only other hotel, the aging independent Akron City Center.

"We still think there is room for one, even two more hotels, depending on their style and price points," said Adele Roth, Akron's deputy planning director.

Gregg Mervis, president and CEO of the Akron/Summit Convention & Visitors Bureau, said even though the Marriott is not in direct proximity to the John S. Knight convention center, "It begins to turn the dial on our ability to attract more groups" to the center.

Mervis joins Akron city and business leaders in hoping for a revival of plans to open a hotel closer to the center at Mill and High streets, about a half-mile south of the Marriott.

Two years ago, local investors and officials with Amerimar Realty of Philadelphia revealed plans to refurbish the city-owned Greystone Hall, across from the convention center, and build a seven-story, independent hotel next to it. But those plans have stalled, with Amerimar dropping out of the project.

Nearby amenities

Testa said a lot of work and time went into coming up with "a hip, urban" tower hotel concept that is a departure, inside and out, from the typical Courtyard, yet jibes with Marriott's new Courtyard prototype.

A spa, with operations in the region, has signed a letter of intent to lease the remaining retail space in the ground floor of the neighboring Northside Lofts, Testa noted. Yoga clothing retailer Lululemon is between the DBA and the space the spa plans to lease.

Guests will have access to the amenities of a full-service hotel, without paying for them in their room rates, Paul Testa said.

The Testas initially planned to have parking for the hotel underground, but the idea was scrapped to make space for more rooms. Instead, guests will park in a 192-surface lot on Furnace Street, about a block east of the hotel, under the All-America Bridge. City Council members last month approved a deal in which Testa Cos. will sublease the property, which the city leases from Metro Regional Transit Authority.

Paul Testa said a permanent valet stand, for use by those patronizing the hotel as well as other Northside businesses, will be built between the hotel and Northside Lofts.

Testa plans to further add to the Northside attractions by opening a new restaurant, Dante's Inferno, a new Byte Dining Group venture that will feature pizza baked in a wood-fired oven and other Italian eats. The restaurant will be housed in a free-standing glass structure that will be built on the lower level of the patio in between the hotel and Northside Lofts.

Guests will be able to book rooms at the hotel through Marriott closer to the opening date. Groups can book event space now by calling 919-455-2860.

Katie Byard can be reached at 330-996-3781 or [email protected]. You can follow her @KatieByardABJ on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com.