The Cincinnatian Hotel Story - Our Hospitality Promise

Perhaps it is simply owing to our name; or maybe it is a result of our proud history as one of the oldest and preeminent structures in the city of Cincinnati's formidable architectural past; or likely it's because of the awesome responsibility we feel as both the namesake hotel of the city as well as the eldest member in a close-knit fraternity of only a handful of downtown Cincinnati Hotels that obliges us to take our role as a gracious host and symbol of the town affectionately known as "the Queen City" very seriously. It has been a cheerful legacy and a pastime, as legions of former and current Cincinnatian Hotel employees and guests will attest, we have fully embraced.


But rather than take my word for it, consider the following from one our guests. In the 1891 Postcard shown here, two Cincinnatian Hotel guests certainly do take pride in their stay, dutifully marking for their loved ones back home the room in which they stayed well over a century ago. The text, scribbled but still legible, reads "Our room is where I made the mark." The Postcard itself reads the "Palace Hotel, Cincinnati, O," the original name of our establishment and the one affixed to our fine-dining restaurant upon our changing names to The Cincinnatian in 1951. It was only appropriate that we adopt a name for our hotel then as well as for our restaurant now that suitably fits the "Queen city" in which she resides. Ask yourself. What does a Queen already possessed of so much really need? Why, a Palace, of course. And the service and cuisine you receive in the Palace Restaurant today is we hope nothing short of palatial.

We have long had a saying at The Cincinnatian. It is a play on words, partly tongue-in-cheek but completely heartfelt, intended to encapsulate the superior and proudly uncompromising service tradition of our hospitality staff: While others elsewhere may fret about 'making mountains out of molehills,' here at The Cincinnatian we have long specialized in 'turning molehills into mountains,' that is, nothing shall be considered too trivial or too minor to escape the attention and oversight of our staff. At The Cincinnatian, in other words, we have a considerable amount of scruples. Some might even contend - and a few have - that we are overscrupolous. Afterall, we tend to make a 'Big' deal out of very 'small' things. No matter how tiny or seemingly paltry the matter, leave a guest's wishes unattended to or a guest's concerns unremedied here, and as a consequence we feel as if we have squandered just that mere portion of our reputation that is necessary to bring that particular guest back.

Over the years much has been made of our scrupulosity; and it is with no little fanfare that we wish to confess it forthrightly. Certainly our primary purpose for existing and the reason for our success has always been our commitment in providing every Cincinnatian Hotel guest and visitor to Cincinnati the luxurious accomodations, comfortable ambiance, and impeccable service each of them expects and deserves. To do anything short of that has always been considered in our estimation a failure.

We are proud to be who we are and to serve who we have served. For over 127 years, we have welcomed and served innumerable visitors to Cincinnati, among them actors, authors, artists, and other cultural luminaries, as well as businessmen, tourists, newlyweds, politicians and Presidents (from all three centuries). President Garfield had a special menu dedicated in his honor upon his death in the 1880's while President Ronald Reagan was the first to officially dedicate our Emery Presidential Suite when he arrived here several times in the 1980's.

We realize also that, upon taking leave of our town, the hotel a visitor chooses to stay at will, for better or worse, remain the most palpable presence in their memories of Cincinnati. Therefore it is without exception that we continue to take every measure we can to ensure that such a visitor leaves wholly satisfied that their time and resources have been well spent. It is a vocation as much as it is an occupation to make sure that, whenever possible, every whimsy and desire of our guests is fully satisfied and that we assist them heartily in churning out the best of all possible experiences during their time in Cincinnati. You can call that our Hospitality Promise and we don't take it lightly.

The goal of this blog is to further fulfill that promise, to report on the past and present traveling experiences of those guests traveling to Cincinnati, staying at The Cincinnatian Hotel and partaking of the many opportunities and experiences that our great midwestern town has to offer. In doing so we hope to bring you insight, news, interesting artifacts from our past - and from the city's past - as well as timely anecdotes of what's going on in and around Cincinnati presently. As such we will report on anything our current and future guests may wish to know about, and we invite your comments and suggestions to help us in this endeavor. This blog will certainly celebrate our own establishment, as there is a lot worth celebrating, including our history, sundry accomodations and, of course, our well-respected fine-dining heritage; but it will not stop there.

Our Concierge team will gladly respond to your questions and concerns about anything you wish to know about the events happening in the Queen City; and we will thank you for your questions and give you credit for anything you assist us with on this blog. We look forward to talking to you further and hopefully meeting you in the lobby of our hotel very soon. In the meantime, we invite you back each and every week to see what's coming up, what's going on and what's new at The Cincinnatian Hotel, the Palace Restaurant, the Cricket Lounge, and the city of Cincinnati.