Let me preface by saying that I went to Kent. I bleed blue and gold and I love everything about the school.
Ambience: I recently attended an awards banquet at the conference center. While the conference center is new, and the immediate inside has this new, modern vibe, the banquet rooms feel outdated (which is odd--they're new). The vibe isn't terrible, but it just reminds me of an older hotel.
Food: The food was plated beautifully and the portion was beyond generous. Yet, the chicken, the focal point of the meal, didn't have much flavor. The food was not memorable at all. Which is a tad disappointing on an expensive ticket (but hey, not my hosts' fault!)
Service: Shout-out to the servers, who were super quick and efficient with the large crowd. I also have to give props to the bartenders--they worked quite hard and knew their stuff.
Parking: It's a bummer there's no parking attached to the hotel/conference center. There's one across the street, so you'll have to walk outside to get to the Center. We had to walk through the rain to get to our banquet.
Location: Fantastic. Kent has really built up the downtown area, and the hotel/center is set amongst new restaurants, bars and boutiques. Lots of places to explore.
Overall, just OK. I think I had higher expectations because I adore KSU, but it was a totally just fine experience.