Quaker Square Inn

Quaker Square Inn started life as an oatmeal factory, and touches of that historic past remain in the lobby, where oversize murals paint the story of Quaker Oats. The large, old-fashioned advertisements for cereal gracing the soaring walls -- a little girl proudly gripping her puffed wheat box, a mother in yards of lace feeding her well-frocked son -- are quirky, but the real treat is the hotel's undulating design. After the factory closed in the early 70s, designers carved 91 guest rooms into 36 silos. Each room is almost completely round, and just getting to the door requires navigating curved pathways and following an endless series of directional signs. The common areas of the hotel feature three-dimensional wall sculptures created by local artist Don Drumm. A two-story frieze of a black-and-white psychedelic sun, its nose affixed prominently to the wall, gazes down on visitors passing through the lobby to the elevators. A train made of gears is frozen midchugg on another wall in one sitting area. Wandering to our rooms was like a mini art-walk in itself. The rooms are a mixed bag of upgrades. Granite countertops add luxury in the bathroom, and there are traditional touches such as a four-poster and Queen Anne-style furniture. But the TVs and artwork were a bit outdated for our tastes -- no flat-screens here. However, we came for the unique architecture, and the curved room didn't disappoint. One other perk: Everything was free, from the Wi-Fi to the parking to the buffet breakfast and access to the University of Akron's new workout facility. For travelers who want to stay downtown and be able to walk to local restaurants, the minor-league baseball stadium and the art museum, this is the place to stay. It definitely doesn't rate as the "coolest" hotel we've seen in a metropolitan area, but the quirk factor makes it a must-see stop on any tour.