Cleveland Hotels with an Indoor Pool, by Neighborhood
For a Cleveland hotel with a pool, stay downtown if you are here for a game, a show or a convention, and in University Circle if you are here for the Cleveland Clinic or the museums. The five hotels on this page all have an indoor pool, which is what you want in a city where lake-effect snow off Lake Erie can run from late autumn into spring. Four sit downtown: Drury Plaza on East 6th Street, Hilton Cleveland Downtown on Lakeside Avenue, Hilton Garden Inn across from Progressive Field and Crowne Plaza at Playhouse Square. The fifth, Residence Inn on East 101st Street, is in University Circle. Together they average 8.5 out of 10 across 4,870 reviews, but the right one depends more on the address than on the score.
Cleveland stretches along the southern shore of Lake Erie in northeast Ohio. Downtown holds the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on the lakefront, the Huntington Convention Center, Progressive Field and Rocket Arena in the Gateway District, and Playhouse Square on Euclid Avenue. About four miles east, University Circle gathers the Cleveland Clinic, Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Which Cleveland pool hotel fits your trip
In Cleveland the pool is rarely the reason for the trip: it is how you end a day of meetings, a doubleheader or a hospital appointment. That makes location the real decision. Downtown is compact and walkable between the lakefront, the Gateway District and Playhouse Square, while University Circle is about four miles east along Euclid Avenue, linked by the HealthLine bus.
For a convention, I would book Hilton Cleveland Downtown. It stands at 100 Lakeside Avenue East, next to the Huntington Convention Center, and it opened in 2016 as the city's convention headquarters hotel. The indoor pool and fitness room share the sixth level, so a swim between sessions does not mean crossing the building. It scores 9.0 from 720 reviews. The trade-off is the setting: Lakeside Avenue is a district of civic buildings and offices that empties after business hours, so plan dinner on East 4th Street or in the Warehouse District rather than next door.
Drury Plaza Hotel Cleveland Downtown is the most reviewed hotel on this page, with 2,206 reviews and a 9.0 score. It occupies the former Cleveland Board of Education Building at 1380 East 6th Street, completed in 1931 and on the National Register of Historic Places since 1975, now converted into 189 rooms. The indoor pool and hot tub come with Drury's evening Kickback, the brand's hot food and drinks hour. Families like it for that routine; travelers who want a quiet lobby at 6 pm may find it busy. The convention center is a few minutes away on foot.
Baseball or basketball fans should look at Hilton Garden Inn Cleveland Downtown, at 1100 Carnegie Avenue directly across the street from Progressive Field, home of the Guardians, with Rocket Arena about a seven-minute walk away in the same Gateway District. It has 240 rooms, an indoor pool and a hot tub, and it accepts pets. It is also the weakest score here, 7.6 from 466 reviews, and recent guests mention wear and renovation work. I would book it for the walk to the ballpark gates, not for the room, and ask for a room facing the stadium on game nights only if noise does not bother you.
Theatergoers should stay at Crowne Plaza Cleveland at Playhouse Square, a few steps from the theaters of the largest performing arts center in the country outside New York. The hotel lists its indoor pool open from 8 am to 10 pm, with a 24-hour fitness center on the third floor, so a swim before an evening show is realistic. It scores 8.3 from 994 reviews. The HealthLine stops at East 14th Street at Playhouse Square, which makes it the easiest of the downtown hotels for a trip out to University Circle without a car.
Residence Inn by Marriott Cleveland University Circle/Medical Center, at 1914 East 101st Street, is the only hotel on this page outside downtown, and the one I would choose for a medical stay. The main Cleveland Clinic campus is about a five-minute walk, University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve are within roughly ten to fifteen minutes on foot, and suites have kitchens for a week-long stay. It scores 8.6 from 484 reviews, has an indoor pool and accepts pets. Do not book it for a Browns game or a Playhouse Square show: downtown is a HealthLine ride away.
A traveler's perspectiveI would pick by the reason for the trip, then by the pool. For a convention I would stay at Hilton Cleveland Downtown and accept that its block goes quiet at night. For a family weekend with a game, Drury Plaza is my choice: the highest volume of good reviews here, a hot tub with the pool and an evening food hour that saves one restaurant trip. Hilton Garden Inn only makes sense for its position across from Progressive Field. For a show, Crowne Plaza. For the Clinic, Residence Inn rather than anything downtown. None of these suits travelers who want an outdoor pool in summer: all five pools are indoors.
Hilton Cleveland Downtown
Cleveland
720 reviews
200 metres from the Convention Center, steps from the stadium
Check availabilityWhy guests love itThe lakefront location puts the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame about eight minutes away on foot, an easy outing with older children, and the Great Lakes Science Center sits next to it. FirstEnergy Stadium is about 400 meters away and the Convention Center about 200 meters, handy for game days and events. Pool towels are provided. Parking is valet, which simplifies arrival. A 9.0 score from 720 reviews shows consistent service.
Drury Plaza Hotel Cleveland Downtown
Cleveland
2,206 reviews
Free daily appetizers with a pool and hot tub, two blocks from Convention Center
Check availabilityWhy guests love itComplimentary daily appetizers and drinks are a real plus for families at the Drury Plaza Cleveland Downtown, often enough for a light early dinner with children. The indoor pool and hot tub keep everyone happy after a day downtown, and rooms have a microwave and a refrigerator for snacks. Pets are allowed. Parking is valet, which I would factor in if you drive. With a 9.0 score from over 2,200 reviews, it is one of the safest downtown picks.
Residence Inn by Marriott Cleveland University Circle/Medical Center
Cleveland
484 reviews
Kitchenette suites with an indoor pool near the Clinic
Check availabilityWhy guests love itFamily rooms with kitchenettes make this Residence Inn on East 101st Street a practical base for families on a longer stay linked to the Cleveland Clinic, or for several days among University Circle's museums. The indoor pool gives children something to look forward to whatever the weather, and some rooms have a city view. Pets are allowed, and garage parking is available. Downtown's stadium district is a drive away, so I would book it specifically for University Circle.
Crowne Plaza Cleveland at Playhouse Square by IHG
Cleveland
994 reviews
Valet parking and an indoor pool facing Playhouse Square
Check availabilityWhy guests love itTheater nights are the reason to stay here: Playhouse Square's stages are about two minutes on foot, and children usually love the giant outdoor chandelier hanging over Euclid Avenue. The indoor pool gives kids a reliable activity in Cleveland's long winters, and Brel's restaurant on site saves a search for dinner before a show. Parking is valet only, which simplifies arrival with luggage but should be planned for. Rooms have a work desk and coffee maker.
Hilton Garden Inn Cleveland Downtown
Cleveland
466 reviews
Saltwater pool and hot tub combined downtown
Check availabilityWhy guests love itAn indoor saltwater pool with a hot tub in the same space is rare in downtown Cleveland, and it is what I would book the Hilton Garden Inn for with children, especially in winter. Family rooms are practical rather than plush, with tea and coffee makers and a work desk. Carnegie Avenue keeps the Convention Center and the ballpark district within reach for a game day. Pets are accepted. The 7.6 score from 466 reviews is modest, so I see it as a pool-first choice.
Local tips
- 1From Cleveland Hopkins Airport, the RTA Red Line runs to Tower City downtown, and from there the HealthLine or the free downtown trolleys reach Playhouse Square without a taxi.
- 2All three RTA rail lines meet at Tower City, under Public Square, so a downtown hotel near Euclid Avenue is the most practical base if you will not have a car.
- 3The HealthLine runs along Euclid Avenue from Public Square to University Circle, which links Crowne Plaza at Playhouse Square and Residence Inn on East 101st Street directly.
- 4On Guardians game days, the streets around Carnegie Avenue fill quickly; at Hilton Garden Inn, arrive before the crowds if you are driving in to park.
- 5Crowne Plaza lists its pool hours as 8 am to 10 pm, so a late swim after a show that ends near 10:30 pm will not be possible there.
- 6Drury Plaza belongs to the 1903 Group Plan of civic buildings around the Mall, so the green space outside its doors leads on foot to the convention center and the lakefront.
- 7Residence Inn University Circle offers a free area shuttle, useful for Clinic and University Hospitals buildings beyond an easy walk in January wind off the lake.
- 8Hilton Cleveland Downtown sits next to the convention center but in a quiet civic district; East 4th Street is the nearest street lined with restaurants.