Construction of The Barker Hotel, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel by Marriott, is slated to begin later this year with a completion date in 2027.
BEREA, Ohio — The Haslam Sports Group, owners of the Cleveland Browns, has announced plans for “The Barker Hotel” as part of the District 46 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus at the team’s Berea headquarters.
Construction of The Barker Hotel, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel by Marriott, is slated to begin later this year with a completion date in 2027. The Haslam Sports Group is partnering with Independence-based developer DiGeronimo Companies on the project, along with real estate developer Crawford Hoying and the Shaner Hotel Group.
Planners say the hotel “will encompass more than 96,000 square feet and will feature a range of amenities, including a bar and restaurant, a fitness center, meeting space, and more, all crafted to enhance the guest experience.”
While the Haslam Sports Group continues to push ahead in its plans to build a domed stadium for the Browns nearby in Brook Park, they also are working to expand their existing footprint in Berea by creating a new neighborhood of over 16 acres.
Last fall, the Haslams unveiled plans for District 46, which will include:
- A community field lined for multiple sports for youth, high school, and adult participation
- An upscale hotel
- A sports medicine facility operated by the team’s health-system partner, University Hospitals (UH)
- Market-rate apartments
- A field house for community use
- A parking garage
- 30,000 square footage of retail space to support the new pedestrian-friendly neighborhood
District 46 is slated to open in early 2027.
“Adding The Barker Hotel as part of District 46 at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus will not only help continue to grow Berea and the surrounding areas, but also provide fans with an ideal place to stay right in the backyard of our facility,” said Haslam Sports Group Chief Operating Officer David Jenkins in a statement. “We look forward to working with DiGeronimo Companies, Crawford Hoying, Shaner Hotel Group and Marriott on this project to help complete the neighborhood, which is already bringing a variety of spaces to benefit the region.”
In May 2024, Sean McDonnell of 3News partner Cleveland.com first reported that the Browns were setting the stage for a $200 million mixed-used development area within the city of Berea. Club spokesman Peter John-Baptiste told the publication the territory will include a hotel, offices, retail stores, and new housing along with a rec center and youth sports fields.
According to McDonnell’s May reporting, the Browns had already bought up and demolished dozens of homes in the formerly residential neighborhood that suffered a decline from increased railroad traffic from nearby CSX and Norfolk Southern. The organization also sought to tear down the former Serpentini Collision Center on Front Street and pay for a new Mount Zion Baptist Church building roughly a mile away.
Unlike the domed stadium project, McDonnell reported that the Browns’ Berea proposal would be paid for nearly entirely with private funds. The city will ask the state of Ohio for about $15 million for the public rec center and sports fields