Illinois
Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel recently unveiled its $27 million lobby and guest room transformation. The lobby features a number of new elements, including a VIP Club Lounge and Artist Studio. Experiential works of art in the lobby include a piece that illustrates the Chicago “L” map, life-size photos and sculptures that allow people to become a physical part of the artwork themselves, and a multidimensional mural of pencils depicting a city cab. Even the lobby pillars are works of art, each featuring a different part of a taxi cab, which blend together to form one single image. The hotel offers 520 upgraded guest rooms and 40 suites. Renaissance Presents Events offers live events in the lobby with entertainment from local emerging artists.
The Chicago Athletic Association Hotel, set to open this month, will be located on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue across from iconic Millennium Park. Built in 1893, the building has spent the last couple of years being restored and is now home to a 241-room boutique hotel that features 17,000 square feet of event space with views of Lake Michigan, an interactive game room, curated retail space by Madison Hall and multiple innovative culinary experiences, and a rooftop bar.
GF Management recently acquired the 408-room Westin Chicago Northwest located in Chicago’s suburb of Itasca, marking the company’s first foray into the Chicago market. The hotel features more than 47,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 9,600-square-foot grand ballroom. The acquisition is the fifth in the last two years for GF Management, and the third Starwood-branded hotel owned by the company.
Iowa
The 81-room Fairfield Inn & Suites Waterloo Cedar Falls debuted in May. The hotel offers a spacious lobby for connectivity options, as well as an electric car charging station, indoor swimming pool, exercise room and complimentary Wi-Fi. The hotel also offers a venue for corporate meetings and private events that can accommodate up to 75 people.
Michigan
The 82-suite TownePlace Suites Detroit Auburn Hills recently opened, featuring a lobby designed to feel like a community coffeehouse. Other hotel amenities include an indoor swimming pool, an outdoor patio with a barbecue grill, an exercise room and complimentary Wi-Fi throughout the hotel.
Ohio
The Olympia Companies will manage a hotel that is being built in Oberlin by Oberlin College. The property will anchor The Peter B. Lewis Gateway Center, the cornerstone of Oberlin’s Green Arts District, an ongoing development. It is a planned 100,000-square-foot, mixed-use development that will incorporate renewable energy systems and other innovative technologies designed to meet a LEED Platinum rating. In addition to 70 guest rooms and suites, the hotel will feature a restaurant that highlights locally grown and sourced fare and a conference center with 6,500 square feet of space. The complex will also include a culinary training facility. Development of the Lewis Center and the Green Arts District is integral to the long-range plans of the Oberlin Project, a joint effort of the city and college to transform Oberlin into a model for sustainable economic development. The hotel is slated for completion late this year.