Hotel Review: The Lytle Park Hotel, Autograph Collection

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The Lytle Park Hotel, Autograph Collection is one of Marriott’s nicest properties in Cincinnati. It was built in 1909 and is a historical gem. I attended an event held there and spent the night. The public areas and rooms are elegantly designed and the hotel has a special feel to it. It’s conveniently located and offers everything you need, but the staff is incredibly junior and needs a lot of training to get it to its true luxury potential.

Anthony’s Take: I had a bad taste in my mouth as soon as I attempted to check-in. The very young agent (I’m not sure if he was even 21) tried to put me in an accessible room on the ground floor near the elevator. I did not book this room type and was quite surprised when he told me this was what he was assigning me. The hotel was pretty empty with every type of room and suite for sale. He pushed back that the room was fine. I asked for a manager and with a few keystrokes she apologized and had me in a gorgeous suite. I’m not sure why he tried to give me one of the worst rooms in the hotel, but between Titanium Elite status and the fact that my company was spending a ton on the event in the hotel it felt wrong. This was corrected and the stay was fine, overall. Service needs lots of polish and employees have not been trained enough. When a colleague’s car got stuck in the valet garage they shrugged and struggled to fix the issue (which they caused valeting the car).

Booking

I booked a 1 King Bed, Meadow Guest Room directly with Marriott on a “Member Flexible Rate.” It was $489 plus taxes and fees per night. Marriott did away with award charts a few years ago, but redemptions can be had for between 40,000 and 73,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points.

Transportation to/from the Hotel

I took an Uber Comfort from Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) to and from the hotel. It cost around $48 each way for the 19.1-mile trip. It took around 30 minutes to get there and a similar amount of time to return the next morning.

Location

The hotel is around lots of offices (P&G, Kroger, Fifth Third Bank, and others). It’s also within walking distance of the Cincinnati Reds’ Great American Ballpark and plenty of restaurants are not far away.

The lobby is gorgeous with some seating, a bar, a restaurant, and mini-market filling the space.

The design really fits the space and feels luxe.

I loved the trees and natural light in this space.

It’s nice to see some of the original fixtures still at the hotel.

Check-in

I arrived at the hotel around 2:00 PM and was met by a junior agent who was confused as to what he was doing. The check-in desk is to the left after entering the lobby. I outlined the issues with check-in above, but this was sorted thanks to a manager. She found me a Talia, Executive Suite, 1 King, Ohio River View, which was not surprising considering literally every type of room and suite was showing for sale. I was offered 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points and told that breakfast was also available. I left too early to enjoy that, but appreciate that this is what is given to Platinum, Titanium, and Ambassador members. Late checkout was not offered, but I did not need it. I had keys a moment later and was on my way.

The elevators are across from reception.

The elevator lobby and hallways had a homey feel to them. The colors were warm and comforting. All public areas were clean and in good repair.

Talia, Executive Suite, 1 King, Ohio River View (522)

The Lytle Park Hotel, Autograph Collection has 106 rooms and suites.

The suite opened with a long hallway and the bathroom on the right side.

The bathroom was large and contained a vanity with two sinks, a toilet, a soaking tub, and a glassed in shower.

I loved having so much counter space.

A tray held various amenities between the two sinks. This included DIPTYQUE brand bar soap and lotion.

The tub was large, but I did not use it.

More soap and shower gel were on the edge of the tub.

The shower was a good size and offered decent water pressure and temperature. It’s always nice to have a shower bench.

More toiletries were on a shelf in the shower.

The toilet was tucked away in its own space.

Further down the hallway, there was a small bar.

It contained the safe and an empty refrigerator.

A Nespresso machine, coffee pods, condiments, and cups were on top.

Bottled water and glasses were also found here.

The living area was further down the hall. It held a couch, several tables, and a TV.

The TV was mounted to the wall across from the couch.

The bedroom was to the side of the living room. A door separated the rooms.

It held a king-sized bed, nightstands, a desk, chair, and another TV.

The other TV was mounted between the windows.

The desk was large and great for taking some business calls.

Nuts were found on the desk as a welcome amenity.

A closet held robes, an iron, and an ironing board.

Public Areas & Amenities

The Lytle Park Hotel, Autograph Collection offers two restaurants called Subito and Vista (which is a gorgeous rooftop space), a fitness center, a market, and meeting and event space.

The lower level holds the fitness center and more seating.

The fitness center was a good size.

It did not have windows, but the mural brightened up the space.

I liked that it had Peloton Bikes.

It offered a good assortment of equipment.

Towels, fruit, water, and Clif Bars were provided.

A concierge desk was near the entrance.

The market can also be found near reception.

Our event was held in Vista on the rooftop and it was the perfect evening.

It offered both indoor and outdoor space with great views.

Overall Impression:

The Lytle Park Hotel, Autograph Collection is a lovely hotel and great for business or pleasure. The staff needs some additional training and time in their roles, but with more experience this hotel will be truly top notch.

(Featured and Reception Desk Image Credits: Marriott.)