Built in 1882, The Cincinnatian Hotel was designed as a "Grand Hotel" of the 19th century. Originally named the Palace Hotel, this eight-story French Second Empire hotel was the tallest building in Cincinnati and designed by the same architect as Cincinnati’s Music Hall and City Hall. The Palace Hotel featured 300 guestrooms and a shared bath at either end of each corridor. As the finest hotel in the city, The Palace hotel provided elevators and incandescent lighting to its guests. There were hitching posts outside and the hotel was conveinentally located where the trolley cars made their turn.
The hotel experienced a major $25 million renovation in 1987, reducing the 300 guestrooms to 146 rooms, including seven luxurious suites. The renovation retained the old world charm of the hotel - the marble and walnut grand staircase continues to maintain its imposing lobby presence while the exterior architecture still hints at the magnificence within. Fine dining has always been at the forefront of luxury services provided, and the original Cricket Restaurant has since been replaced by the Palace Restaurant and the Cricket Lounge.