What service can you provide to groups that they normally might not receive?
The Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago has an advantage by providing our guests with exceptional service due to the guest-centric departments available at anytime. Any task our guest can think of are executed with the first person they encounter, within any deadline. Our Banquet, Sales, and Catering departments are all prepared to think of what our guest may have forgotten, our Attaché department is available for pre-arrival and guest experience personalization, and our staff of Les Clefs d’Or Concierge is able to skillfully fulfill any request at a moment’s notice. The space our tower offers cannot be found anywhere else in the city. Each meeting room offers floor to ceiling windows that showcase the surrounding Chicago skyline. Our Executive Boardroom is state of the art featuring its own catering station, 80-inch flat screen TV, and has all the cutting edge audio/visual capacities. When planning the group event during site-visits, our guests are always given any visualization mark-up they may need by the tap of an iPad; our team is never without one when touring the property. Together we are able to delivery above and beyond anyone’s expectation, all while giving our groups the space to stay focused on their goal of achieving a successful and productive meeting.
What are your bar or nightclub recommendations?
Chicago is home to some of the world’s most entertaining venues, offering a little something for everyone. For our guests that are not seeking a ‘party’-like environment but still seeking the evening’s action, our lounge Rebar overlooking the Chicago River is perfect. The evening music, the Liquid Kitchen cocktails, and the stunning urban views make this the spot for an enriched evening. For those venturing out, our hotel is ideally located in the active River North neighborhood. Our team of concierges is able to find the perfect venue nearby to accommodate those looking for a little action, and those looking to celebrate until the late hours of the night at both casual and exclusive venues such as Cuvee, Studio Paris, and The Grid.
Can you recommend a good place to take a stroll?
The best way to see and get to know the diverse city of Chicago is to take a long stroll with no destination in mind. At the direction of the concierge desk we can highlight a few iconic and historic architectural landmarks or assist with locating the perfect jeweler along the famed Michigan Avenue just steps away. My personal favorite is to wander through Millennium Park with a camera in hand to capture the many angles of Anish Kapoor’s Cloudgate and Frank Gehry’s Pritzker Pavilion. And if you time it just right, Millennium Park’s volunteers lead complimentary walking tours to make sure you haven’t missed a thing.
Are there any quirky places we should check out?
There are two ideas that I have, one being the center of the ‘quirky’ activity, and the other watching others be ‘quirky’. One amazing activity is to jump aboard a Segway and be taken for the ride of your life while viewing the sights of Chicago and learning a little history by your guide. You’ve seen others on them, now I dare you to join in on the fun! The second option is to leave the quirkiness to others…and sit back and laugh! Attending one of The Second City’s famed sketch comedy shows will certainly leave you full of laughter as the veteran actors act out famed skits and hilarious improvisation. Both activities are perfect for any size group and a great way to bring each other together.
What is an unusual request from a group you’ve had?
We have had a few notorious requests from our groups. From getting our hands on a white rabbit for a corporate meeting, to getting a barber chair with an experienced barber to perform a straight razor shave in front of their colleagues -all in the name of a charitable organization of course. However I find the most amusing requests to be of those who seek humorous room décor for their colleagues as a traditional prank. We have turned a guest suite into a tropical Hawaiian luau that included a bath tub full of floating inflatable pink flamingos with a grass skirt and coconut top bedside -instead of the traditional cozy bath robe. Another request involved filling a colleague’s guest suite bathroom with colorful balloons from floor to ceiling. All requests were in the name of fun and ended in a good laugh for everyone involved.
A party of 12 wants to have dinner right away. What restaurant can accommodate last-minute requests of this size?
Luckily our Les Clefs d’Or Concierge team has many city contacts that are more than willing to lend a helping hand when these situations arise. Depending on the group’s dining preference, we are able to tap on our hospitality friends to make any groups’ dinner outing a success by making it fun, interesting, and most of all, delicious. Our Michelin-rated restaurant Sixteen is very accommodating with these situations as are our neighbors such as, Keefer’s, 437 N Rush, and my personal nearby favorite, Benny’s Chop House. In the end, we do not look towards restaurants that can accommodate right away, but to those that meet the requirements of our valued group.
What’s a unique event that has taken place at your property?
The Trump International Hotel & Tower has been home to many unique events that have included indoor racecar tracks, event space transformed into the inside of a jumbo jet, and even a scary haunted house that included live actors. My personal favorite would have to be the event that transported our guests to Carnival in Brazil. Our guests were greeted by a professionally dressed airline stewardess at a ‘boarding gate’, and then escorted them into an elevator that lifted them into Rio de Janeiro for the famous Carnival celebration. Professional dancers were on hand as well as a ballroom exploding with color. Our guests truly felt like they were far from home and enjoyed their ‘trip of a lifetime’ that evening.