The Kent State Hotel and Convention Center turns 10 this month, celebrating the community, campus and companionship that helped build it through the years.

The hotel and convention center, located in the heart of downtown Kent, has 5,000 square feet of event space and a full-service restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch, brunch and dinner made with locally sourced materials. Additionally, it has 94 rooms, a saltwater pool and a terrace on the second floor that overlooks the city.

Kent Skates, The Beatles Festival and The Chocolate Walk are a few events the hotel and convention center have been a part of. The hotel has also hosted celebrity guests like Steve Harvey.

“Anything the community asks of us, as far as auction donations, things like that, we are always there to help, to contribute,” Jannie Jordan, sales manager at the hotel, said.

The hotel’s dedication to aiding the community and campus hasn’t changed since the hotel opened 10 years ago on June 13, Jordan said. With only minor remodels and updates made inside the building since its opening, the only differences are those made downtown with new shops and restaurants.

“We have a lot of people who are just in awe of the city changing. They [guests] just couldn’t believe the changes to campus and downtown and how we really do work together as far as the campus and the town,” Jordan said.

One way the hotel and convention center has changed things up on Kent State’s campus was by being a part of a hotel operations class. In the class, the building’s managers speak to students about real-life experiences. Students are then given the opportunity to form connections and learn firsthand from professionals.

Educational partnerships, like on campus, expand out of Kent too. The hotel’s general manager and chef are on the advisory board at Stow High School, where they speak to students in the hospitality program.

Faculty members at the hotel are also involved in multiple chambers in the Northeast Ohio area, General Manager David Schoeffler said.

“Our director of sales, Mary Kline, is a part of the Kent Chamber and is very involved in that, and the managers are also involved in the Streetsboro Chamber and the Stow Chamber too,”  Schoeffler said.

Working at a community and campus-focused place helped Jordan and Schoeffler build upon their interpretation of community.

“Community is the support and development of the area by going above and beyond and participating in the events, the city, and the university,” Schoeffler said.

Kent is a big family and community is about the comradery of neighbor helping neighbor, Jordan said.

“What’s best for everybody,” Jordan said, “is what’s best for Kent.”

Evelyn Willett is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected]