Officials in Canton yesterday broke ground on a "new four-star, football-themed hotel," a centerpiece of the emerging Johnson Controls Pro Football HOF Village, an "elaborate playground for sports fans," according to Susan Glaser of the Cleveland PLAIN DEALER. The new hotel, scheduled to open in summer '19, will be part of the Curio by Hilton line, an "upscale brand" in the Hilton chain. Dallas-based HKS Architects is designing the building; Crestline Hotels and Resorts, in Virginia, will "manage the property in partnership" with Pro Football HOFer Bruce Smith, who "owns a development company." Among the hotel's feature are "four food and beverage options, including a farm-to-table restaurant, a Shula's Steakhouse and a lobby lounge; a grand lobby with a 40-foot-high ceilings; and 25,000 square feet of meeting space" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 4/26). In Akron, Jim Mackinnon notes if "everything falls into place," the 345,400-square-foot hotel "could host" at least part of the '19 NFL Draft. Besides the museum, Tom Benson HOF Stadium and the new hotel, the HOF Village will also "include a youth sports complex, retail stores, what will be billed as the 'world’s greatest sports bar'" and an assisted living area for retired HOFers. The Johnson Controls HOF Experience will "include virtual reality technology and a football-themed water park" (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 4/26). Welty Building Co. President & CEO Don Taylor, whose company is constructing the venue, said that the "cost for the entire structure" is estimated at $117M. In Canton, Alison Matas in a front-page piece notes Benson Stadium by August is "scheduled to be complete except for the fan plaza in the end zone closest to Interstate 77 and a scoreboard in the other end zone." The stadium is "expected to include an open-air lounge, suites and club seating, in addition to traditional seats" (Canton REPOSITORY, 4/26).
