21c Museum Hotel Cincinnati in Cincinnati

First time staying at this location. We were really impressed with the speed of valet & check in, the gorgeous art galleries, and the overall vibe of the building. The room was spacious, bed was okay (definitely bring your own pillow), the views were good, and location was fantastic for where we wanted to be downtown. The reason for a 3 star is due to the smell of the building (it smelled like a nursing home??), & the mold & broken tile along the bottom of the shower, and the very dirty windows and carpet. I think our room truly needs a deep clean and the mold deeply cleaned and tile repaired. I respectfully mentioned it at check-out and was asked if they could do anything for us. I declined, because honestly just clean it better for the next people. But appreciate being asked.

We did order food from the restaurant downstairs, and that we would not do again because of veryyy slow service, cold food, and the overall quality of food didn't match the price or the hype on IG. *We didnt allow that experience to impact this review though, since it is a separate entity in a way. Just mentioning here if you stay at this hotel, use discretion in ordering room service for breakfast.

We probably wouldn't stay at this hotel again unless we knew the smell wasn't like it was and the mold had been taken care of. My husband and I agree the art & location saved the experience for us.

I really wanted to love this hotel. Visually, it’s lovely — beautiful art pieces throughout the lobby, and the front desk staff were warm and welcoming. My room was spacious with nice views of downtown Cincinnati, and the bed and pillows were extremely comfortable. I genuinely had a great night’s sleep.

Unfortunately, the cleanliness and attention to detail fell far below expectations.

When I first entered the room, there was a strong smell of cat urine. The reading lamp didn’t work, and there were no water bottles provided in the room. When I went to get tap water from the bathroom sink, I noticed the glasses were dirty — clearly used and not cleaned. The two glasses in the bathroom still had toothpaste residue, and the two near the coffee machine appeared to have been put back after use. Even the coffee mugs, while not dirty, were covered in noticeable water marks.

While plugging in my phone behind the TV, I noticed heavy dust buildup — something I’ve honestly never noticed in a hotel room before. Given that this was a weekend with a major snowstorm, I was also surprised to find only a thin blanket on the bed with no extra blankets available in the room.

To make matters worse, I found someone else’s Neosporin on the floor by the bed and a robe tie left on a shelf in the closet. These oversights made me question whether the room had been properly cleaned at all.

I did address these issues with the front desk, but overall, I expected much better attention to cleanliness and detail from an otherwise beautiful hotel. With improved housekeeping standards, this could be a great place to stay — but as it stands, the experience didn’t match the presentation.

Great location for access to the Arnoff Center. Staff was courteous. The mattresses, however, were hard. It was not a restful sleep.

We were there with another couple in two different rooms. Neither room had a refrigerator. And none were available. Surprising that a hotel would charge that much for a room without a refrigerator. And to make matters worse, there were no ice machines. You had to request ice from the front desk and then it was delivered. Also the bathroom fixtures were nonfunctioning. The stopper in the sink wouldn’t drain and the stopper in the bathtub was sitting on the wall. Meaning there wasn’t one. Pretty poor presentation for what comes across as an upscale hotel. The only positive was the beds were comfortable and we all slept well.