CHICAGO
Already known as a haven of hospitality, the Windy City is showcasing a major hotel boom of recent and upcoming properties ranging from hip boutiques to modern full-service resorts.
The Chicago Central Business District offers 109 hotel properties with 38,053 rooms, and plenty more on the way. Here’s a quick look at some of the recent launches and buzzworthy in-the-works properties:
RECENT OPENINGS
Freehand Hostel and Hotel
The 217-room Freehand Hostel and Hotel hosts adventurers from around the world who care about exploring new cities with a local point of view and meeting interesting, like-minded people along the way.
AC by Marriott
Formerly Four Points by Sheraton, this hotel just off The Magnificent Mile joins the ranks of Marriott hotels and boasts 217 rooms, design-forward public spaces and free Wi-Fi.
Hampton Inn Chicago Downtown/N Loop/ Michigan Ave
Next door to the Hilton Garden Inn is the art deco Chicago Motor Club Building - a historic landmark and architectural gem - which has morphed into a 144-room hotel with an intricately restored multi-story lobby.
Chicago Athletic Association Hotel
Located on Chicago's fashionable Michigan Avenue across from the iconic Millennium Park in the city's famed Loop District, the 241 room Chicago Athletic Association Hotel builds upon its storied legacy as one of the nation's most revered social clubs and a cornerstone of American organized sports.
Hyatt Place Chicago/Downtown-The Loop
An 18-floor building with 206 guest rooms, 3 meeting rooms and a generous host of amenities complement the downtown experience. Hyatt Place Chicago/Downtown-The Loop offers convenient proximity to the Theater and Financial Districts, as well as some of the city's finest restaurants.
Loews Chicago Hotel
Located on the north bank of the Chicago River, this impressive 52-story glass tower houses 400 sophisticated guest rooms that boast floor-to-ceiling windows, streamlined décor and soothing shades of gray and ivory.
Virgin Hotel Chicago
As the first Virgin hotel inside the U.S., this new space with 250 guest rooms aims to provide guests with a seamless personalized experience (including an app that allows guests to check in, interact with staff and control in-room functions), environmentally responsible amenities and the brand's sense of fun and whimsy.
Hyatt Centric The Loop Chicago
This former vintage 1920s office building overlooking Chase Plaza brings to the business district 257 guest rooms with modern amenities, a cosmopolitan French bistro and a rooftop lounge.
LaQuinta Inn & Suites Chicago Lake Shore
After an extensive renovation, the Chicago Lake Shore Hotel (formerly The Ramada Lake Shore) has reopened as the 114-room LaQuinta Inn & Suites Chicago Lake Shore. The property features updated guest rooms/facilities, lobby and exterior.
The Godfrey Hotel Chicago
This sleek boutique hotel (221 rooms) features a striking Cubist-inspired exterior, spacious contemporary rooms and the largest all-season rooftop in the city: I|O Urban Roofscape, a lounge with a retractable roof, two-level fire pit and incredible panoramic skyline views.
SOHO House Chicago
London's exclusive, trendy club opened in Chicago last year - Soho House's largest outfit - inside a six-story, century-old warehouse. All 40 rooms give off an air of eclectic vintage elegance, and hotel guests have access to members-only areas, including a gym with its own boxing ring, a 60-foot rooftop pool and a luxurious 30-seat screening room.
Hampton Inn & Suites and Homewood Suites
Located in the former Avenue Crowne Plaza Hotel, this dual-branded hotel includes a 225-room Hampton Inn and a 127-room Homewood Suites, which share amenities such as Elephant & Castle Pub and Restaurant, a fitness center and a seasonal rooftop pool.
ON THE WAY
Hotel Indigo Chicago - Millennium Park (2016)
Just north of Millennium Park, this 156-room hotel will be housed in a 101-year-old building renovated to include a brand-new rooftop bar, a farm-to-fork restaurant and a basement lounge and wine room in the building's former bank vault.
Nobu Hotel (Early 2016)
This trendy 93-room hotel from Robert DeNiro's development team calls for large, luxury rooms that average 400 square feet, plus a rooftop lounge and a street-level Japanese restaurant along Randolph Street's "Restaurant Row."
Ace Hotel (Early 2016)
The upcoming 150 room Ace Hotel will be located in the West Loop, a booming neighborhood chock-full of new boutique hotels and restaurants.
Wicker Park Hotel (Early 2016)
This new 93 room art deco boutique hotel is slated to open in the gut rehabbed inconic Northwest Tower at the bustling corner of the Milwaukee, Damen and North avenues intersection in the heart of Wicker Park/Bucktown.
Kimpton Hotel (Spring 2016)
Kimpton will be converting a historic LaSalle Street 14-story office building into a four-star hotel in spring 2016, marking Kimpton's fifth Chicago adaptive reuse project. The 1894 building will undergo a $106 million renovation to include 281 hotel rooms, a restaurant, meeting and event space, a top floor ballroom and more.
LondonHouse (Spring 2016)
Chicago's historic London Guarantee Building on North Michigan Avenue is undergoing comprehensive restoration and redevelopment coupled with a 22-story Modernist tower addition to create a high-design, 452-room lifestyle hotel with two floors of upscale retail.
Marriott Marquis Chicago (2017)
This towering 40-story building at the McCormick Place convention center will be all about convenience. The Headquarters Hotel will offer 1,200 total rooms, include a 350-seat restaurant and be easily accessible via a new CTA Green Line station.
Viceroy Hotel (2017)
Viceroy Hotel Group has announced plans to open its first Chicago location by 2017. The hotel will be located at the site of the old Cedar Hotel at 1118 N. State Street in the Gold Coast.
Source: Choose Chicago (www.choosechicago.com).
