“Selling the architecture is a real plus,” says Steve Conklin, director of sales and marketing for the JW Marriott Chicago.
The 610-room JW converted the historic Continental & Commercial National Bank Building, a striking neoclassical structure by Daniel Burnham, who also masterminded the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.
“We’re not just selling meeting rooms and guest space,” Conklin says. “We are selling a story of disaster and tremendous success that gives the planner themes that can’t be duplicated in a new-build.”
Chicago has a greater concentration of grandiose landmarks than most cities because downtown burned to the ground in 1871. Almost every major architect of the late 19th and early 20th century planted iconic office buildings, warehouses, private clubs and retail spaces, and today, they house some of the most unique hotels in the world.
One of Chicago’s earliest skyscrapers, the 40-story Reliance Building, was reborn as the Hotel Burnham, named for the original architect.
The Carbide & Carbon Building was reborn as the Hard Rock Hotel, complete with its original green terra cotta and polished black granite exterior.
The Oriental Art Deco style Medinah Athletic Club came back as the InterContinental Chicago, featuring its orginal Sumerian-inspired stonework, Mesopotamian-deco friezes and Art Deco lobby tilework.
Mies van der Rohe’s iconic IBM Building is being reborn as The Langham, a 316-room luxury property. The Soho Hotel is taking over a 91,000-square-foot warehouse near Fulton Market, the former meatpacking district.
Richard Branson’s Virgin Group is converting the 27-story Old Dearborn Bank Building into the first Virgin Hotel in the U.S. The property will open in early 2014 with meeting space and 250 guest rooms.
