North by Hotel Covington, Knowledge Bar & Social Room celebrate grand opening

BY KENTON HORNBECK | LINK nky REPORTER

After months of anticipation, North by Hotel Covington and Knowledge Bar & Social Room are officially open to the public.

Construction on the 72,000-square-foot building began in the spring of last year. The space, which sat vacant since 2015, was the previous home of the Covington YMCA and Gateway Bookstore. The Salyers Group, the developer behind the project, expanded Hotel Covington’s presence on Madison Avenue by a city block.

On Wednesday, April 12, public officials, the Salyers Group and Northern Kentucky boutique hotel firm vR Hospitality celebrated the project’s completion alongside the public with a grand opening ceremony and ribbon-cutting. Speakers included Covington Mayor Joe Meyer, Salyers Group President Guy van Rooyen, Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce President Brent Cooper and meetNKY President and CEO Julie Kirkpatrick.

“North is an outstanding example of adaptive reuse of Covington historic buildings,” Meyer said. “The commitment to preservation and restoration of this historic building is simply superb. Do you remember what it looked like before when this was all brick, when that turret was missing?”

The expansion project cost approximately $26.5 million, according to a press release. In total, North added 53 luxury suites and lofts to Hotel Covington. Additionally, a new ballroom with a 500-person capacity was built over top of the YMCA’s old swimming pool. Dubbed The Lightwell, this space honors its past as a natatorium with traditional pool tile, cove lighting and a contrasting color scheme.

The building’s rooftop was completely transformed into modern penthouse suites, each ranging from 330 to 2,000 square feet. These suites feature kitchenettes, open floor plans, and private gathering spaces. Amenities vary from suite to suite with some including private terraces, while others have full-sized refrigerators.

Knowledge Bar offers patrons and guests a theme that showcases the roots of Kentucky’s horse-racing past. Racing-related artifacts, photographs, artwork and a large ceiling mural, are placed throughout the space. The bar’s interior features velvet bar stools, oversized booths, and leather and wood finishes.

The bar’s name, Knowledge, is derived from a winning racehorse bet by John Coppin, founder of the department store now home to the original Hotel Covington. Coppin used the winnings from his bet on Knowledge to open his department store.

“With North by Hotel Covington, travelers will now be able to enjoy a luxury stay matching the energy of our region as it continues to become a destination for so many,” van Rooyen said. “This development is a catalyst for Covington’s potential and an opportunity to showcase why our community is such a wonderful place to not only visit, but stay a while, too.”

In many ways, the completion of North and Knowledge Bar is a physical reminder of the Northern Kentucky tourism industry’s recovery and subsequent emergence out of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to meetNKY officials, Northern Kentucky’s official tourism bureau, the resurgence of overall regional tourism was anchored by a rebound in hotel revenues and hotel occupancy rates.

“As all of you know, this project was challenged. We had COVID hit us right in the mouth with all our hospitality peers and partners,” van Rooyen said. “We’ve come out of that as a region, and come out of it as a collective, in a far better spot.”

In the construction process, North and Knowledge Bar were part of the second phase of the development. Within the next year, Donna Salyers Fabulous-Furs and Donna Salyers Fabulous-Bridal showrooms are relocating to the first floor of North. Then Revival Vintage Bottle Shop is going to move into the former Gateway Bookstore space.

The original Hotel Covington opened in 2016 inside the former Coppin’s Department Store. Featuring 114 guest rooms, an outdoor courtyard, bar and restaurant and a variety of lounge spaces, the hotel helped reshape what was once thought possible for luxury lodging within the city. In 2022, U.S. News & World Report ranked Hotel Covington as the best hotel in Kentucky. Today, it serves as a symbol of the city.

Decades ago, the blocks were filled with department stores and served as a regional shopping district. Due to the opening of the Florence Mall and popularity of suburban shopping outlets, the department stores eventually shuttered, which left developers scrambling to figure out what to put in their place.

Now, North and Knowledge Bar joined a group of establishments on the street, including Hotel Covington, Madison Event Center, Agave & Rye, The Well, The Hannaford, Bircus, Rich’s Proper, Ripple, and Braxton Brewing, which are transforming the city’s central business district, providing patrons with more immersive options for dining and drinking.

“North by Hotel Covington’s opening will accelerate the considerable momentum in the evolution of Covington’s downtown core, and we congratulate its developers,” Meyer said in a press release.

Covington commission votes to enter into second national opioid settlement

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The companies involved in the settlement include Teva Pharmaceuticals, Allegra, CVS, Walgreens and Walmart.