ABOUT OUR LUXURY TEACHING HOTEL Located on the beautiful Kirkwood Community College campus
The Hotel at Kirkwood Center offers convenient access to The Eastern Iowa Airport (CID) and Interstates 80 and 380; downtown Cedar Rapids is a 5-minute drive away. Designed with chic, European influences, the hotel showcases an extensive, completely original art collection of hand-blown glass, student, faculty and local art – over 100 pieces in total, carefully chosen to create a distinguished atmosphere for our guests.
The Hotel at Kirkwood Center also has the proud distinction of being the only luxury teaching hotel of its kind in the nation, serving as a learning laboratory for Kirkwood Community College’s Hospitality Arts program. The 350-plus students in this program are excited about the industry and eager to learn; they work alongside experienced professionals who give them constant, daily learning situations – and the students in turn deliver high-value hospitality to you, our guests.
Indeed, service is our most noteworthy hallmark. We boast a one-to-one service employee to guest ratio, and because The Hotel is also a teaching facility, our professional staff is required to bring service to its highest level. Our commitment to superior service has earned us the American Automobile Association’s (AAA) prestigious Four Diamond Award for lodging 11 years in a row. The Hotel is the only Four Diamond award winner in Cedar Rapids and one of only four Four Diamond rated hotels in all of Iowa.
The Hotel at Kirkwood Center also has the proud distinction of being the only luxury teaching hotel of its kind in the nation, serving as a learning laboratory for Kirkwood Community College’s Hospitality Arts program. The 350-plus students in this program are excited about the industry and eager to learn; they work alongside experienced professionals who give them constant, daily learning situations – and the students in turn deliver high-value hospitality to you, our guests.
Indeed, service is our most noteworthy hallmark. We boast a one-to-one service employee to guest ratio, and because The Hotel is also a teaching facility, our professional staff is required to bring service to its highest level. Our commitment to superior service has earned us the American Automobile Association’s (AAA) prestigious Four Diamond Award for lodging 11 years in a row. The Hotel is the only Four Diamond award winner in Cedar Rapids and one of only four Four Diamond rated hotels in all of Iowa.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Environmental sustainability is important to us. The Hotel at Kirkwood Center is pleased to be a 2022 TripAdvisor Green Leader Gold Award winner.
We employ the following green hotel practices:
- Seven pumps freeze ice in nine "ICE KUBE" units late at night when energy rates are lowest. That trapped ice then melts the next day, cooling the classrooms, kitchens and Class Act Restaurant when daytime electric rates are much higher. That, along with geothermal ground heat exchanges, cool and heat the 117,000-square-foot facility.
- Advanced controls continually monitor kitchen cooking surfaces, activating air handling on low speed when any heat is detected. If smoke is detected, the fans increase in speed to dissipate the output until it is controlled.
- Six high-efficiency water heaters provide hot water delivery through a series of smart control mixing valves. These allow precise hot water supply even at low flows for the teaching kitchens, as well as hotel guests.
- A system of motion sensors detects occupancy in classrooms or other spaces, turning lights off when no one is in the room. Unoccupied guest rooms are put into a dormant mode. A new guest registration automatically re-activates the room.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Environmental sustainability is important to us. The Hotel at Kirkwood Center is pleased to be a 2022 TripAdvisor Green Leader Gold Award winner.
We employ the following green hotel practices:
- Seven pumps freeze ice in nine "ICE KUBE" units late at night when energy rates are lowest. That trapped ice then melts the next day, cooling the classrooms, kitchens and Class Act Restaurant when daytime electric rates are much higher. That, along with geothermal ground heat exchanges, cool and heat the 117,000-square-foot facility.
- Advanced controls continually monitor kitchen cooking surfaces, activating air handling on low speed when any heat is detected. If smoke is detected, the fans increase in speed to dissipate the output until it is controlled.
- Six high-efficiency water heaters provide hot water delivery through a series of smart control mixing valves. These allow precise hot water supply even at low flows for the teaching kitchens, as well as hotel guests.
- A system of motion sensors detects occupancy in classrooms or other spaces, turning lights off when no one is in the room. Unoccupied guest rooms are put into a dormant mode. A new guest registration automatically re-activates the room.
