Cincinnati Hospitality Market Report

Riverfront serves as magnet for events. Projected bookings are on a path back from 2024’s dip, even as the Duke Energy Convention Center remains closed for renovations. This closure may stifle inbound travel for events that cannot be moved to smaller venues in Sharonville or in Northern Kentucky. Even if that happens, Cincinnati hotels should continue to benefit from attractions near the riverfront. For instance, the Redbull Flugtag, a homemade aircraft competition, will return to the city after it last hosted the event in 2023. This demand improvement comes at a time when the supply of hotel room nights is set to increase 3.7 percent annually — almost double last year’s pace — with completions biased toward the select- and full-service tiers. On balance, this dynamic puts the market’s occupancy rate on a course to fall slower than in 2024.