Cleveland Press

$25 a night to stay in Cleveland? This could be a reality if Mark Raymond opens The Cleveland Hostel near the West Side Market. The hostel would be the only stopover in Northeast Ohio.

A three-story building will be converted to hold 60 beds and a shared kitchen. It may also include a bicycle-rental shop and a rooftop patio.

The new hostel hopes to attract not only young travelers, but also retirees and church groups looking for a cheap no-frills place to stay.

Cleveland might not be a tourist destination like Miami or Las Vegas, but we still have plenty of people who visit and want to explore our fine city. Hopefully, more folks on road trips will consider stopping over in Cleveland since they have an inexpensive place to sleep.

The project is costing nearly $500,000 in investments and is set to open in May. The city of Cleveland is considering offering a $40,000 low-interest loan for the bike-rental shop. Also, a local non-profit group, Ohio City Inc., may issue a $10,000 to $15,000 grant to help.

Furniture will be donated by the local chapter of Hostelling International. They plan to give the new Cleveland Hostel furniture from the former Stanford Hostel in Peninsula, OH. The Stanford Hostel closed in 2008 and has been converted into a bed-and-breakfast.