No New Year's Eve party at The Millennium; hotel shutting down today for new development

Randy Tucker | Cincinnati Enquirer

Turn out the lights.

The Millennium Hotel Cincinnati is preparing to shut down today, on New Year's Eve, after the last of 20 guest who spent the night there check out, according to the hotel manager.

The hotel is closing to make way for the potential development of a new convention center hotel.

The Port – the local public development authority leading the project – is currently assessing the viability of a new 600- to 1,000-room hotel on the site and the possible expansion of the Duke Energy Center.

But future development of the site at 150 W. Fifth St. is years away and contingent on public financing, which has yet to be secured.

It will take at least a year just to demolish The Millennium after The Port completes its acquisition of the hotel, expected in February, according to The Port. The total cost of acquisition and demolition is projected to reach about $52 million.

The backstory: The Port finalizes deal to buy The Millennium hotel

In the meantime, Cincinnati is losing a landmark property in the heart of Downtown, and displacing about 100 hotel workers.

The aging hotel has been much maligned for its outdated rooms and facilities.

But at least one couple said Tuesday that they had a "wonderful" experience there over the past several days and were disappointed to hear that the hotel was closing for good.

"It's just a shame,'' said Deborah Daley, who stayed at the hotel with her husband, Kevin, while they were visiting their daughter in Cincinnati. "The food was good. The service was excellent. And all the workers were so pleasant.''

Another highlight of their stay? The price: $66 a day for four days, the couple said.

While the Millennium may not have had the fanciest accommodations, the average room rate of about $100 a night was the cheapest you could find Downtown.

The hotel continued to operate as usual and honored all reservations up to its closing date. And the hotel's sales team helped groups and guests who had booked rooms beyond today relocate to nearby hotels.

"The Millennium & Copthorne Hotels would like to thank its customers and colleagues for their support over the past 20 years,'' a company spokesman said in a statement when the hotel closing was announced.

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