ASHTABULA - The River Bend Hotel will make its appearance in 2020, with 26 rooms and a region-only scenic rooftop wine bar.
Ashtabula City Council has agreed upon a 10-year, 75-percent tax abatement for the development of the city’s first new hotel in almost 99 years.
The boutique hotel will be located at the corner of West 6th Street and Goodwill Drive and will overlook the Ashtabula Lift Bridge and Lake Erie.
A 480-person independent study across Ohio and the Pittsburgh area, conducted on behalf of the Ashtabula County Convention and Visitors Bureau, showed that Ashtabula was a growing attraction known for its wineries, lake recreation and covered bridges. However, of those polled, 67 percent cited a lack of attractive lodging options, according to a press release announcing the hotel’s development.
The River Bend Hotel will feature a 1,200-square-foot wine bar serving beverages from local wineries and visitors will enjoy the unmatched and unobstructed views of the Ashtabula River as it bends under the Ashtabula Lift Bridge and disappears into Lake Erie.
Todd Canter, who was born and raised in Ashtabula and now resides in Baltimore, Maryland, is the project manager and co-owner of the hotel. Mr. Canter was formerly the Asia Pacific Chief Executive Officer for LaSalle Investment Management Securities.
Upon returning to the United States after six years in Hong Kong, Canter approached Ashtabula City Manager Jim Timonere, expressing his desire to give back to the city of his youth and his hopes of creating something unique and transformative.
The idea was later conceived for an upscale hotel that would capitalize on growing tourism in the region and fill a much-needed lodging gap, officials said.
Canter states, “River Bend Hotel was born out of a love for my boyhood home. My mother and family still live there, and I’ve been a witness to the Ashtabula Harbor’s amazing evolution over the last four decades from a major shipping and industrial center to a sought-after Great Lakes tourist destination.”
Timonere reached out to several local investors, including Larry Laurello of Laurello Vineyards and Delta Railroad; Pete Huggins of Iten Industries; and Chuck Borsukoff of JCI Contractors, and introduced them to Mr. Canter. They then formed a consortium to create and design the hotel. From there, the vision of
the hotel became a reality. Timonere states, “This hotel development is a significant milestone in Ashtabula history. We are seeing a rise in jobs and wages in our great county and, once completed, River Bend Hotel will undoubtedly be a huge shot in the arm for further economic advancement through tourism. Our study and available data indicate great demand for a hotel property of this type, in this location. In 2017, tourism to Ashtabula County alone generated roughly $451 million in sales, up $17 million from 2013 and up almost $100 million since 2009. We expect this trend to continue.”
The construction of the River Bend Hotel will be a $5 million project with a $3.1 million loan from Erie Bank. The project will further be financed by public funds from the city, the county and through funds from the Ashtabula County 503 Corporation.
According to the press release, River Bend Hotel will offer an ideal setting for the town’s overnight guests, with access to 30 miles of shoreline on Lake Erie and proximity to Walnut Beach Park, Geneva-on-the-Lake and, notably, the area’s popular wineries.
The property will include a first-floor wine bar, a 500-square-foot conference room, a fitness center, two connecting family suites and a combined lobby and gathering space with fireplace. The second through fourth floors are comprised of 24 northeast-facing, upscale suites with sitting areas, eat-in kitchenettes and panoramas of Lake Erie.
“People from around the region come to Ashtabula to enjoy a number of different recreational activities on beautiful Lake Erie, our historic and much-photographed covered bridges and, of course, our burgeoning wine country. We will be able to provide visitors with a piece of the puzzle that has until now largely been missing – upscale lodging where they can gather and enjoy the vista while also having immediate access to the many attractions greater Ashtabula County has on offer,” said Timonere.
Architectural design firm Stephen Berry has been chosen for the project and the hotel will be managed by a third-party hotel management firm, yet to be selected.
Canter states, “Our plan is to develop a new property that will accommodate and round-out the needs of tourists to Ashtabula. Our vision is a regionally-unique destination hotel that blends beautifully into the fabric of the neighborhood and provides a stepping-off point to recreation, covered bridge tours and winery expeditions. My background in commercial real-estate investment management coupled with the talents and passion of Jim, my partners and other area business leaders is a sure formula for success, and I couldn’t be more excited to embark on this journey with them.”