Hotel Manchester, Middletown Ohio

The former Hotel Manchester is associated with the commercial development of downtown Middletown near the peak of its post-World War I economic boom. Following World War I, there was a focused effort on producing modern hotels to provide a combination of the most advanced mechanical technology with a higher standard of living. The adoption of steel frame construction, improved heating and ventilation, and vertical transportation (elevators) resulted in the construction of very complex hotels. The Hotel Manchester is an excellent representation of that complexity. In 1964 it was renovated into the Manchester Motor Inn. Prior to the construction of the Hotel Manchester, Middletown had several smaller and outdated hotels. As the economy in Middletown continued to flourish following World War I, led primarily by the American Rolling Mill Company's (ARMCO) success in the steel industry, Middletown businessmen decided that a grand modern hotel should be constructed as a symbol of that economic success, and to provide hostelry services to the numerous travelers coming to the city. Noted Ohio architect, Frank L. Packard, was contracted to design the Hotel Manchester. The prestige the Hotel Manchester added to Middletown was summarized in an editorial published in The Hamilton Daily News upon the opening of the hotel:

The city of Middletown was laid out in 1802 by Stephen Vail, a pioneer who had traveled to what would become the Middletown area from New Jersey. The original plat of the town contained 52 lots located east of the river, southwest of the former Hotel Manchester. In 1825, the ground breaking ceremony was held for the Miami-Erie Canal in Middletown, and by 1827, the canal was opened from Cincinnati to as far north as Middletown. In 1833, Middletown was incorporated as a town while canal traffic continued to increase. By the mid-1830s, approximately 1,000 travelers a week passed through the city via the canal. It was during this period when the United States Hotel, Middletown's first official hotel, was constructed on South Main Street. The US Hotel served as Middletown's most prominent hotel into the early twentieth century.

The start of the twentieth century would prove especially fruitful for the city of Middletown. On January 1^st, 1901, the Middletown News-Signal published a scholarly edition summarizing Middletown's accomplishments of the nineteenth century. While the historical summary was educational, arguably the most important article in this paper concerned the future of Middletown. ARMCO was poised to open a giant new industrial complex in Middletown for the purpose of steel production. Under the leadership of company president and treasurer, George M. Verity, ARMCO began operations in the middle of January, 1901, employing approximately 500 workers. By 1903, the quality of ARMCO steel was well known, and a representative from the Westinghouse Electric Company traveled to Middletown with specifications for a new type of steel required by the growing electricity industry. ARMCO was able to create this specialty steel and sent its first shipment in June 1903. This specialty steel production enhanced ARMCO's respect within the steel industry and increased demand for its product.

Also at the start of the twentieth century, the Middletown Business Man's Club was organized out of the Quixotic Club, originally established in 1870. The Business Man's Club was the "leading organization of the city, taking the initiative in all matters of pertaining to the industrial and business advancement of the community". The newly reorganized club held its first meeting on March 3^rd, 1903, and by 1906, had a membership of over two hundred people. Every male citizen of Middletown over the age of 21 and of good repute was eligible for membership. The purpose of the club was to discuss and develop plans for business priorities and matters of general public interest. Most of the prominent men of Middletown were members of the group, and through their efforts, many new commercial and industrial ventures were encouraged as well as substantial publicity and advertising campaigns for the city.

By the end of World War I, the US Hotel was showing its age, and the Middletown Business Man's Club began to focus on getting a modern grand hotel constructed to demonstrate Middletown's success. To accomplish this goal, the Manchester Hotel Company was incorporated under the leadership of J. A. Aull and J. M. Iseminger. A nationally-recognized Ohio architect, Frank L. Packard (1866-1923), was hired to design this prominent hotel. Packard was educated in architecture and engineering from The Ohio State University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Packard's architectural career began in 1886, when he received the commission for the Girl's State Industrial Home in Delaware, Ohio. In 1892, he entered a partnership with Joseph Warren Yost which lasted for seven years. After Packard and Yost ended their partnership, Packard continued to work until his untimely death in 1923, which means that the Hotel Manchester was one of Packard last designs. The Hotel Manchester displays the Second Renaissance Revival stylistic tendencies for which Packard was noted. The selection of such a prominent architect as Packard reinforces the importance placed upon the development and construction of a hotel on the scale of the Hotel Manchester by the local business-owners in Middletown.

Two buildings, designed by Packard towards the end of his career with similar Second Renaissance Revival styles are the Putnam County Courthouse and the former United States Embassy building in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. These buildings feature first story round-arched windows which create an arcade-like appearance, pronounced horizontal divisions created by belt courses, and clay tile hipped roofs. The architectural features proposed for the Manchester Hotel included a red-brick facade, decorative quoins on the corners, overhanging eaves, a wide belt course separating the first and second stories, and a thin belt course separating the third and fourth stories. Although the former Hotel Manchester has experience substantial alterations that have reduced the building's overall architectural significance, the building remains an example of a 1920s Second Renaissance Revival architectural style hotel designed by notable Ohio architect, Frank L. Packard. The Second Renaissance Revival architectural style is conveyed by the decorative brickwork, first story round-arched windows which create an arcade-like appearance, pronounced horizontal divisions created by brick belt courses, and a red clay mission tile hipped roof.

A lot was chosen at the northwest corner of East Second Street and Broadway for the Hotel Manchester, measuring approximately 210 by 170 feet. The hotel was located less than a block east of Main Street which had been incorporated into the Dixie Highway system. The Dixie Highway consisted of numerous improved roadways linked together to allow motorists to travel from northern Michigan all the way to southern Florida. The increased traffic would greatly benefit the commercial concerns operating along Main Street including the Hotel Manchester. In 1923, a city ordinance was passed to rename East Second Street to Manchester Avenue while Broadway became North Broad Street. Manchester Avenue was chosen for the street name specifically because of the prominence of the Hotel Manchester.

The American Bridge Company was selected as the prime contractor to construct the five-story, 119 guest room Hotel Manchester. The American Bridge Company, based near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, began constructing civil engineering projects in 1900, and by the 1920s, was well-respected for their work in both bridge and building construction. On November 2^nd, 1922, the Hotel Manchester was opened with much fanfare. The building was constructed with reinforced concrete, steel, and brick with 12 inch thick walls and was noted as "fire proof construction" by the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps. The hotel cost approximately $1,000,000 and was a larger commercial development than just hostelry. In addition to the hotel, an ice plant produced approximately two tons of commercial ice a day, and several amenities, including a cafe, a ballroom, and formal dining room, were included within the newly constructed building.

By 1936, the Hotel Manchester was withering because of the effects of the Great Depression on the traveling public. To preserve Middletown's grand hotel, ARMCO, under the leadership of George M. Verity, purchased the hotel. ARMCO was Middletown's primary employer, and the hotel served a prominent role for the company by providing guest rooms and fine dining for potential clients and business associates, as well as meeting space for various company conferences, meetings, parties, and other functions. During ARMCO's ownership, the second story ballroom addition and attached two-story kitchen area were added to the one-story west portion of the hotel. This expansion allowed for the expansion of hotel's food service while increasing the hotel's social prominence within the community.

ARMCO's ownership allowed the Hotel Manchester to survive the economic woes of the Great Depression, and then to modernize following World War II. In 1955, ARMCO was responsible for installing air conditioning throughout the hotel. This renovation required the installation of new duct work and mechanical equipment, but allowed for the increased comfort of the hotel's guests. Without air conditioning, the Hotel Manchester would have been hard pressed to compete against the modern hotels of the time. By the 1960s, the automobile had become the primary mode of transportation for the American traveler. To cater to the increasing automobile travelers, motor hotels or motels were being constructed along the major roads throughout the country, and were competing against older hotels. The Hotel Manchester's location less than a block east of Main Street and the Dixie Highway provided an opportunity to attract those automobile travelers away from the motels. In 1964, the automobile entrance was added to the northeast corner of the hotel, and the name was changed to the Manchester Motor Inn as a result of the growing competition of the motel.

The prominence of the Dixie Highway began to decline following the construction of the national interstate system. Beginning in the 1950s, construction began on Interstate 75 (I-75), a major north-south highway intended to connect northern Michigan and southern Florida. In 1958, I-75 opened approximately four miles east of downtown Middletown. Because I-75 represented a major new transportation corridor, new commercial development in Middletown, including hostelry services, shifted east away from downtown to take advantage of travelers along I-75. As suburbanization around Middletown increased, the downtown commercial district began to experience a decline in consumers. In 1973, a plan was established for a downtown shopping area to compete with the growing commercial development along the outskirts of Middletown. The plan included a scheme to permanently enclose the western portion of Central Avenue, a block south of the Manchester Motor Inn. To connect the hotel with this enclosed downtown shopping area, a skywalk was constructed on the southwest corner of the west elevation in 1974. The skywalk and the enclosed shopping area were both removed at the beginning of the twenty-first century, but the stairwell for the skywalk remains on the corner of the hotel.

Although the economic fortunes of Middletown were declining, in 1977-1978, ARMCO designed and constructed a new parking area north of the hotel, complete with landscaping including ornamental trees and shrubs. ARMCO continued to operate the hotel into the 1980s, but by 1984, the cost to maintain the operations of the hotel proved too much for ARMCO and the hotel was briefly shuttered. In 1985, State Senator Barry Levey purchased the hotel from ARMCO, renovated the building, and reopened Middletown's most prominent hotel. Another major renovation to modernize the guest rooms, corridors, lobby, and front desk was completed in 1995-1996 which allowed the hotel to operate into the twenty-first century. In 2009, the hotel was once again temporarily closed when a burst pipe caused approximately $230,000 in damages to the hotel. This damage was repaired, but by 2011, the patronage of the hotel had declined to the point where the hotel was vacated and the ownership of the building was transferred to the city of Middletown.

The hotel's hostelry services were enhanced by a variety of commercial and social tenants. The Middletown Business Directories from 1924-1934 only list one business within the Hotel Manchester, George T. Schraffenberger's Cigar Store. Schraffenberger had operated the tobacco shop in the US Hotel since around the turn of the twentieth century, and after the Hotel Manchester opened, he relocated to take advantage of this new supply of customers. 1In 1935, the Schraffenberger Cigar Store was joined by the Hardenbrook & Little Beauty Shop and the Manchester Coffee Shoppe. By 1940, the cigar shop had become the Manchester Cigar Stand, the beauty shop was the Aristocrat Beauty Shop, and the Manchester Coffee Shop remained. In addition, the Shrine Club, Civilian Club, Cooperative Club, Kiwanis Club, Lions Club, Mid-day Club, and Rotary Club were also located within the Hotel Manchester. In 1946, the Manchester Cocktail Lounge was added while the other businesses and clubs remained. The investment firm of Greene & Ladd and the Optimist Club were new additions in the 1955 directory, while the Aristocrat Beauty Shop had been removed from the hotel listing. In 1960, the Middletown Area Chamber of Commerce moved into the hotel. During the last half of the twentieth century, the Manchester Room, in the southwest corner on the first floor of the hotel, served as a major restaurant to the Middletown community while the Manchester catering services were operated out of the offices in the southeast corner of the hotel. In 2011, all of the hotel, including the restaurant, catering services, and offices, were vacated and remain that way at this time.

The Hotel Manchester also served a significant role in Middletown's entertainment and recreational history. The conference center and formal dining room provided places for many conventions, dances, musical events, award ceremonies, reunions, parties, and receptions to be held. The hotel also provided travelers a place to stay and enjoy the social life of Middletown throughout the twentieth century. Many of the newspaper clips regarding the Hotel Manchester/Manchester Motor Inn from Middletown and the nearby city of Hamilton are related to the entertainment and recreation opportunities offered by this community resource. In addition to serving prominent members of the Middletown community and surrounding areas, nationally prominent figures also used the entertainment facilities provided by the hotel. In 1930, conductor John Philip Sousa visited Middletown and was honored with a banquet in the Hotel Manchester as the honorary president of the Bandmaster's Association of North America. On October 17^th, 1960, then Democratic presidential nominee, John F. Kennedy, spoke at the Jackson Day brunch held at the Hotel Manchester. Additional prominent people who have stayed at the hotel include: presidents Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan; vice president Dan Quayle; senators Bob Dole, Phil Gramm, and William Saxbe; first lady Barbara Bush; Prince Henri of Luxembourg; and Russian leader Leonid Breszhnev.

This historic Hotel now faces demolition.

Historic Greater Cincinnati inn faces demolition amid severe deterioration

Building Description

The Hotel Manchester was constructed in 1922 on the northwest corner of East Second Street (now Manchester Avenue) and Broadway (now Donham Plaza) in Middletown, Butler County, Ohio. The hotel was designed by architect Frank L. Packard (1866-1923) in a Second Renaissance Revival architectural style. The hotel occupies a "U"-shaped footprint that measures approximately 180 by 140 feet. The east and center portions of the hotel are five stories in height, and the western two-story portion is equal in height to the third story of the other portions of the hotel. The building features decorative brickwork, first story round-arched windows creating an arcade-like appearance, pronounced horizontal divisions created by brick belt courses, and a red clay mission tile hipped roof. The red-brick facade is laid in a Flemish-bond pattern, and the decorative brickwork includes brick quoins on the corners, wide overhanging eaves with brick corbelling, a wide brick belt course separating the first and second stories, and a thin brick belt course separating the third and fourth stories. In 1964, a new automobile entrance was added to the northeast corner of the hotel, and this entrance and the main entrance were covered by round-arched stainless steel canopies. The canopies are excellent examples of the Mid-Century Modern architectural style. The former Hotel Manchester remains in its historic location, and retains its integrity of design, including a recognizable Second Renaissance Revival architectural style, decorative brickwork, first story round-arch window openings, unmodified upper story window openings, and the hipped-roof configuration with red clay tiles. Although the interior hotel has experienced numerous renovations and is now vacant, the building maintains the characteristics and feeling of a grand hotel constructed during Middletown's industrial boom of the 1920s and utilized throughout the twentieth century.

Detailed Description

The former Hotel Manchester is located at 1027 Manchester Avenue in Middletown, Ohio. The city of Middletown is located in northeastern Butler County with a small portion of the city extending into northwestern Warren County. The city occupies approximately 26 square miles and is located approximately half way between Cincinnati and Dayton. As of 2010, the population of the city was 48,694 (US Census Bureau 2013). The city is located along the eastern bank of the Great Miami River. The two primary streets in the city are Central Avenue (east-west) and Main Street (north-south) which intersect approximately a half mile east of the Great Miami River. The former Hotel Manchester is located one block northeast of this intersection. Formerly, Main Street through Middletown was part of the Dixie Highway system, and the Hotel Manchester's location, less than a block east of this thoroughfare, provided travelers easy access to the accommodations. The hotel experienced a substantial renovation in 1964 specifically to cater to automobile travelers, including changing the name of the hotel to the Manchester Motor Inn.

Originally called Second Street, Manchester Avenue was renamed in 1923 because of the significance of the Hotel Manchester to the city of Middletown. In 1980, the section of North Broad Street to the east of the hotel was closed to vehicular traffic and was transformed into a pedestrian park named in honor of Bill Donham, a longtime chairman of Middletown's City Commission in the 1960s and 1970s. Single family dwellings were originally located north of the hotel, but those have since been demolished and the area is now a paved series of parking lots with modest landscaping constructed in 1977-1978. To the west of the hotel are a paved service road and a parking area, previously utilized by the former Snider Ford Dealership building on the northeast corner of Manchester Avenue and North Main Street.

The east and center portions of the "U" are five stories in height while the west portion extends to the third story of the east and center portions, but it is actually only two stories tall. The south elevation, extending along Manchester Avenue, is the primary elevation of the hotel. The south elevation of the east portion is three bays wide while the center portion is six bays wide. The west portion is four bays wide with its western-most bay inset. The main entrance uses the middle two bays on the first story of the center portion. This entrance is now covered by a modernistic metal canopy stretching from the entrance door south to Manchester Avenue. This canopy, installed during the 1964 renovation of the hotel, is an excellent example of the Mid-Century Modern architectural style featuring a simplistic curving form constructed of stainless steel. Historic photographs show that the main entrance was originally covered by a flat roof with an ornamental surround supported by lattice metal posts extending to the road to allow passenger drop offs to remain protected from the elements while crossing the sidewalk on their way into the hotel. The first story windows, two on each side of the main entry, are large modern eight-over-four replacement units while the upper story windows are eight-beside-eight modern casement windows. A decorative cartouche is set above the main entry.

The east portion of the south elevation features three corbelled brick arcading round arched windows on the first story adorned with round brick medallions. The arches themselves have been partially in-filled by sheet metal and modern display windows have been installed. The upper story windows of this portion are the same as the center portion. Similar to the east portion, the west portion of the south elevation has corbelled brick arcading round arches on the first story adorned with round brick medallions, but these arches have not been in-filled. The inset western-most bay was used as the entrance to the restaurant formerly located on the southwest corner of the hotel building, while the remaining three first-story bays have modern eight-pane display windows with round arched transoms that are protected by round cloth awnings supported by metal frames. The second story windows in the west portion are large modern six-over-four replacement windows with four pane transoms.

The east elevation extends along Donham Plaza, formerly North Broad Street. The 1980 plaza has multiple concrete pillars and concrete benches with brick walkways. The east elevation is 11 bays wide with an arcade-like first story, the appearance of which is created by corbelled brick round arches adorned with round brick medallions. A side entry is sited in the fourth archway north of southeast corner. The side entry is inset with paired wood doors, with a sunburst arch stained glass transom. This entry opens into a hallway that connects to the lobby and the former office/commercial areas on the first floor of the east portion of the building. The remaining arches have been partially in-filled by sheet metal and modern display windows have been installed in the same manner as in the arches in the south elevation of this section. The upper stories on this elevation have the same eight-beside-eight modern casement windows as in the upper stories of the south elevation. A shield-and-garland ornamental stone panel is centered under the thin brick belt course between the third and fourth stories on this elevation.

Historic photographs of the Hotel Manchester focus on the southeast corner of the building. These photographs show that the south and east elevations of the building have experienced some alteration over the years. In addition to the replaced main entrance canopy and the in-filled arcade-like arches, the west portion of the hotel was originally one story in height, but in 1938, another story was added to the one-story portion, extending to the height of the third story in the other portions of the building. The original eight-over-eight double-hung windows have been replaced by modern eight-beside-eight casement windows. The original corbelled brick round arch arcade-like windows were comprised of a large single pane display window with multiple-pane round arch transoms. The historic photographs also reveal that additional entrances existed through the present-day arched windows along the first story of the hotel. These additional entries would have provided access to the variety of additional businesses that were operating within the building, primarily along the east elevation

The north elevation of the former hotel was renovated in 1964 with the addition of an automobile entrance to the northeast corner of the building. This entry on the northeast corner is covered by a modernistic triple-arched stainless steel canopy representative of the Mid-Century Modern architectural style. Extending east of the triple-arched canopy is a flat stainless steel canopy with the word "Manchester" in stainless steel script and "AUTO ENTRANCE" in stainless steel block letters. The flat canopy is supported by metal rods. This entrance has a pair of metal frame doors and is flanked by mosaics of "The Manchester Motor Inn" spelled out over a portrayal of Noah's Ark. The north elevation of the east portion is three bays wide and the upper stories are the same as the opposite portion of the south elevation. Also on the north elevation is a two-story kitchen addition. In 1938, a two-story addition to expand the kitchen area was also added to the northeast corner of this section. This addition, sited in the interior of the "U" at the rear of the building, is in a fenced-off area. Within this fenced-off area are two metal fire escapes and a loading dock for deliveries. An exterior brick chimney is sited on the northwest corner of this elevation.

The west elevation is 11 bays wide with corbelled brick arcading round arches on the first story adorned with round brick medallions and large modern six-over-four replacement window with four pane transoms on the second story, similar to the south elevation of the west portion of the hotel. In 1977, a skywalk connecting the hotel to a parking garage, the YMCA building, and the Centre City Mart was constructed. A two-story stairwell to connect to this skywalk was constructed on the southwest corner of this elevation. The skywalk has been removed, but the stairwell remains. In addition, a small privacy fence created by stacked round roof tiles extends north from this stairwell along part of this elevation forming a semi-secluded patio area installed in 1994.

The interior of the former Hotel Manchester has experienced several major renovations throughout the years. Despite currently being vacant, the feeling of a grand hotel remains when one walks through the main entrance into the expansive carpeted lobby complete with mahogany ceiling beams, paneling, and columns. Unfortunately, the original floor plans for the hotel have been destroyed by moisture and mold, so the precise historic layout of the hotel is unknown. The hotel experienced several major renovations, including ones in 1938, 1955, 1964, 1973, 1985, 1995, 1996, and 2009. These renovations focused primarily on modernizing the facilities and decor to allow the hotel to continue to attract customers into the twenty-first century. The layout of the lobby and front desk are original, but a new front desk was installed during the 1995 renovation. The new desk fits the character of the lobby by featuring dark wood paneling that matches the pillars, paneling, and ceiling beams. To the west of the front desk is the main elevator and stairwell. The main elevator is located on the south side while the stairwell is on the north side of the hallway leading to the side entrance on the east elevation of the hotel. A modern elevator was likely installed during the 1985 renovation of the hotel, but the original letter box remains. Floor plans suggest that two elevators were formerly located here, but only the one remains and it is unknown if the other elevator remains covered up or if it was removed. A freight elevator is located just north of the stairwell and can be accessed from all five levels of the hotel. Directly west of the front desk is a carpeted concrete staircase leading to the second floor foyer for the ballroom.

Originally, the grand ballroom/dining room was on the first floor to the west of the lobby. In 1938, the second story addition was added and the ballroom was moved to the second floor where it remains. The ballroom served as a key place for many of Middletown's events and activities, including high school proms, company holiday parties, weddings, graduation parties, and multiple charity balls. The ballroom has a parquet wood floor which has suffered some water damage and has begun warping in some locations. A collapsible divider could be used to divide the ballroom into the grand or senior ballroom and the junior ballroom. In 1996, the building owners completed a $700,000 renovation, which resulted in the installation of a drop ceiling, track light system, large disco ball, carpeting around the parquet dance floor, and construction of a new bar area. In 2009, a burst pipe in the ceiling flooded the ballroom, causing approximately $230,000 in damages and resulted in the removal of the new bar area and a projection area. The removal of these areas in the ballroom allowed for better views of the city. Although the ballroom has lost much of its historic materials during modernization renovations, the ballroom retains its open and airy feeling with large windows, stage area for live music, and the overall feeling of a room worthy of hosting Middletown's special events.

The former ballroom area on the first story in the southwest corner of the hotel became a restaurant/bar area after the 1938 ballroom was completed. This area now consists of a dining room, bar area, salad bar, and a small stage. North of the restaurant area are the kitchen and storage areas, typically inaccessible to the public. The restaurant area was formerly in the southeast corner of the hotel before being relocated to its current site in 1964. Most recently, the southeast corner, east of the lobby, was utilized for the executive offices for the hotel and its catering services. North of these offices, a hallway leads to the automobile entrance on the northeast corner of the north elevation. Along this hallway are rooms used for commercial and social purposes, including the Middletown Area Chamber of Commerce, which operated out of a large office along the east side of the building.

In 1974, a large room in the basement of the hotel was inaugurated as the Ruthven Room, to be used as a conference center. The Ruthven Room was named in honor of artist and naturalist John A. Ruthven. He is known for his masterful wildlife paintings, some of which adorned the Ruthven Room, but have since been removed. The hotel was renamed as the Manchester Inn and Conference Center. The conference center served as the gathering place for numerous meetings and seminars, and the hotel provided attendees with easy access to over-night accommodations. In addition to the conference area, the public area of the basement included a lounge with a bar and a game room with pool tables. The remaining portions of the basement were used by hotel staff for hotel operations. These uses include mechanical rooms, storage rooms, a laundry area, offices, and employee lounges. Originally, the west portion of the basement contained a commercial ice plant capable of producing two tons of commercial ice per day. The ice plant stopped operating in 1940 and was converted into a compressor room for equipment used to heat the sidewalks around the Hotel Manchester for the convenience of the guests.

The upper stories of the five story portions of the hotel have always been used for guest rooms. When the Hotel Manchester was originally constructed, it housed 119 guest rooms, including both standard rooms and suites. As was customary at the time, the rooms lacked individual bathrooms and communal bathrooms were located conveniently on each floor. But as technology improved and public tastes changed, the guest rooms had to be renovated and modernized over the years. Private bathrooms were installed in each room, possibly during the 1938 renovation as a way to attract customers toward the end of the Great Depression. In addition, some rooms were merged into larger suites and semi-suites, and by 1997, the hotel had 75 guest rooms, including 20 suites and semi-suites.

The guest rooms are arranged on both sides of central hallways which form an "L" plan and this basic floor plan has not been altered. The suites and semi-suites are all similar in appearance with a few variations of the floor plans. The suites and semi-suites are generally the corner rooms and are named to honor various aspects of the hotel and Middletown's history. These suites include: the First Lady Suite (Room 525); the Kennedy Suite (Room 521); the Ambassador Suite (Room 518); the Presidential Suite (Room 508); the Prime Minister Suite (Room 503); the Royal Suite (Room 425); the AK Suite (Room 408); the Verity Suite (Room 403); the Vice President Suite (Room 325); the West Chester Suite (Room 321); the Senator Suite (Room 318); the Chairman Suite (Room 309); the Manchester Suite (Room 303); the Hamilton Suite (Room 221); the Fairfield Suite (Room 218); and the Oxford Suite (Room 203). In addition to these suites, Room 225 is the Miami Board Room and Room 210 is the Executive/Midday Room. The remaining rooms are typical hotel guest rooms, each with private bathrooms, basic dressers and night stands, and either a single or double beds, but some of the furniture and beds have been removed.