Illinois
The Godfrey hotel, in Chicago’s River North neighborhood, recently opened and offers 221 guest rooms and the striking IO Urban Roofscape, a four-season lounge area with a retractable roof, fire pits and skyline views. The roofscape offers 15,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space, plus a video wall, accommodating up to 330 guests. Two standard meeting rooms are also available.
The 328-room Hilton Chicago Oak Brook Hills Resort & Conference Center launched a two-year renovation project that will update all of its public spaces, ballrooms and meeting rooms. Guest room updates will take place during the second phase of the project. Completion is projected for March 2016. The resort offers more than 42,000 square feet of convention space.
The Hotel Indigo Chicago–Millennium Park is scheduled to open this spring with 156 guest rooms. Located in a historic 100-year-old bank building, the hotel will offer a basement wine lounge, rooftop bar and locally sourced restaurant.
Indiana
The former Canterbury hotel reopened in December as Le Meridien Indianapolis following a $9.5 million renovation. The property offers 99 guest rooms and 2,500 square feet of meeting space. Additional features include the Meridien Hub social lobby concept complete with a sophisticated coffee experience. The hotel’s UNLOCK ART program offers guests access to local cultural attractions.
The new DoubleTree by Hilton Lawrenceburg is open outside Cincinnati, adjacent to the 37,500-square-foot Lawrenceburg Event Center. The $50 million development offers 168 guest rooms and views of the Ohio River.
Minnesota
The former Minneapolis Boulevard Hotel reopened as the DoubleTree by Hilton Minneapolis North following a $4 million renovation. The hotel boasts 174 guest rooms and 10,000 square feet of meeting space, including two ballrooms. www.doubletree.com
The Minnesota State Legislature approved funding for a full renovation of the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. Originally opened in 1988 and located adjacent to the Walker Art Center, the garden will close during construction and is scheduled to reopen in 2016.