Kent State University Hotel and Conference Center

What Kent State University Hotel and Conference Center does

Kent State University Hotel and Conference Center operates a 94-room boutique hotel and conference facility at 215 S. Depeyster Street in Kent, Ohio, directly adjacent to the Kent State University campus under an exclusive "Official Hotel" designation with the university, its parent entity. The property offers four room tiers (King, Double Queen, Executive Suite, Presidential Suite), over 5,000 square feet of event space including the Pizzuti Grand Ballroom (capacity 250) and a 50-guest rooftop terrace, and a 10-seat executive boardroom. Ancillary amenities include a heated indoor saltwater pool, 24-hour fitness center, 24-hour business center, Flash Mart, and on-site ChargePoint EV charging. Nineteen10 Restaurant & Lounge provides breakfast through dinner service with bar offerings Tuesday through Saturday, and the property participates in the Downtown Kent Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) program.

Revenue derives from four streams: overnight room rentals across the four room categories, F&B through Nineteen10, event and meeting space rental (including kosher and vegetarian catering menus and audiovisual rentals), and ancillary fees including pet fees ($75 per stay), parking ($14 per night in the PARTA garage), and ChargePoint EV charging. Customer segmentation is anchored by Kent State University visitors (prospective students, families, alumni, athletic event attendees), wedding and celebratory event clients, corporate and business event planners, and broader social event hosts. Pricing is opaque — room rates are quoted upon request — while direct bookings via the SynXis engine are incentivized through a Best Rate Guarantee (with 10% additional savings for lower public rate matches), flexible cancellation terms, and 3 PM check-in versus 4 PM for third-party reservations.

Go-to-market runs a dual motion: direct-to-consumer for individual and family leisure/business travelers through the website, SynXis booking engine, and phone reservations, paralleled by a dedicated sales department handling enterprise-style group bookings, wedding room blocks, and corporate events. Technology stack is standard hospitality SaaS: SynXis for reservations, ChargePoint for EV charging, a Bootstrap 3/JavaScript marketing website with email newsletter capture and SEO-focused local content, and WCAG 2.0 Level AA digital accessibility conformance. The property is privately held as a university-affiliated entity with 51-100 employees, founded in 2013, and does not disclose financial, ownership, or governance detail beyond the KSU parent relationship.

Name

Kent State University Hotel and Conference Center

Legal name

Kent State University Hotel and Conference Center

Website

https://kentstatehotel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Kent State University Hotel and Conference Center is a 94-room boutique hotel and full-service conference facility in Kent, Ohio, operating under the exclusive "Official Hotel of Kent State University" designation to serve campus visitors, athletic fans, wedding clients, and corporate event groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hotel and Conference Services

NAICS

Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (72111)

SIC

Hotels & Motels (7011), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

University/Academic Conference Hotels (THAGALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Conference Centers & Dedicated Meeting Venues (THAHAAAB), Convention Center–Adjacent/Connected Hotels (THAGALAD)

Keywords

• Hotel accommodations
• Conference and event venues
• Wedding and banquet services
• University-affiliated hospitality
• On-site restaurant dining

Headquarters

HQ city

Kent

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Guest Room Revenue: Overnight accommodation revenue from 94 guest rooms and suites including King Rooms, Double Queen Rooms, Executive Suites, and Presidential Suite. Room rates are not publicly disclosed and vary by season and demand. Direct bookings receive the best available rate with more flexible cancellation terms.
2. Food and Beverage - Nineteen10 Restaurant: On-site restaurant serving breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner with a focus on locally sourced, seasonal ingredients. Bar service Tuesday through Saturday. The restaurant participates in the Downtown Kent DORA (Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area) program, allowing guests to consume alcoholic beverages in designated outdoor areas.
3. Event and Meeting Space Rental: Over 5,000 square feet of event space across four meeting rooms, including a 10-seat boardroom and the Pizzuti Grand Ballroom (capacity 250 guests). Revenue from venue rental, on-site catering services (including kosher and vegetarian menu options), and audiovisual equipment rentals. Also includes rooftop terrace venue (capacity 50 guests).
4. Ancillary Services: Additional revenue streams including EV charging fees, pet fees ($75 per stay), parking fees ($14 per night in PARTA garage), and business center services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kent State University Hotel and Conference Center operates a 94-room hotel and conference facility in Kent, Ohio, offering overnight accommodations, on-site dining at Nineteen10 Restaurant, and more than 5,000 square feet of meeting and event space for corporate meetings, weddings, and social gatherings. The property is affiliated with Kent State University and serves both individual travelers and group event bookings through distinct consumer-facing and enterprise sales channels.

Product overview

Kent State University Hotel and Conference Center is a full-service hotel offering 94 spacious guestrooms and suites (King Room, Double Queen Room, Executive Suite, Presidential Suite), over 5,000 square feet of event and meeting space including the Pizzuti Grand Ballroom (up to 250 guests), a 10-seat executive boardroom, and a rooftop terrace (50 guests). The property features Nineteen10 Restaurant & Lounge for on-site dining, a heated indoor saltwater pool, 24-hour fitness center, and business center. The hotel provides wedding services, group accommodations with room blocks, and special packages including KSU Spirit, Date Night, Bed and Breakfast, and KSU Student Tour packages. Guests can book directly for best rates or through the SynXis booking system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Guest Room Accommodations 94 overnight guest rooms including dog-friendly accommodations, equipped with free Wi-Fi, parking, and EV charging stations, targeted at individual travelers, families, and university visitors.
• Nineteen10 Restaurant On-site restaurant providing breakfast, lunch, and dinner service to hotel guests and the general public, named in reference to the founding year of Kent State University (1910).
• Conference and Meeting Space Over 5,000 square feet of meeting and event space available for corporate meetings, training sessions, conferences, and group events, supported by a dedicated sales department.
• Wedding and Banquet Services Full-service wedding and banquet hosting with dedicated event coordination, event space, and on-site catering, designed for couples, bridal parties, and social event planners.
• Meeting Packages

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Graduate Hotels: Collection of university-affiliated boutique hotels serving campus visitors, families, and alumni. Operates nearly identical lodging-plus-event-space value proposition at colleges across the U.S., making it the closest direct comparand.
• The Statler Hotel at Cornell University: University-owned full-service hotel and conference center located on the Cornell campus, offering guest rooms, ballrooms, and event services for academic and alumni visitors — a textbook university-hotel model.
• The Hotel at Auburn University & Dixon Conference Center: Auburn-affiliated hotel with dedicated conference center, dining, and event space serving campus visitors and SEC athletic events. Closely mirrors KSU's official-hotel positioning in a college-town setting.
• The Carolina Inn: Historic, university-affiliated hotel near the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, offering guest rooms, dining, weddings, and conference facilities — a comparable campus-adjacent full-service property.
• The Nittany Lion Inn at Penn State: On-campus full-service hotel owned by Penn State University, featuring guest rooms, ballrooms, and event venues serving alumni, athletic visitors, and academic conferences. Directly analogous operating model.
• Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center: University-affiliated hotel and conference center on the Virginia Tech campus providing lodging, banquet space, and event services to campus visitors and corporate groups.

Others

• Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa: While not university-affiliated, Hyatt Regency properties frequently anchor university-adjacent markets with conference centers, weddings, and group bookings — useful benchmark for pricing and event execution in similar geographies.
• Pyramid Hotel Group: Third-party hotel management company that operates numerous university-affiliated and conference-focused hotels, providing an operating-model comparator for the Kent State property.

Broad incumbents

• Marriott Hotels: Large, established full-service hotel brand with extensive conference and wedding offerings that compete with KSU Hotel for group business in the broader Northeast Ohio market.
• Hilton Hotels & Resorts: Global full-service hotel brand competing for the same group, wedding, and business travel demand that KSU Hotel targets; relevant for benchmarking RevPAR, loyalty programs, and channel strategy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/KentStateHotel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kent-state-university-hotel-and-conference-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kent State University Hotel and Conference Center