Illinois
The largest hotel group in South Korea, Lotte Hotels and Resorts, will introduce its first stateside L7 HOTEL in downtown Chicago later this spring. Lotte Hotels and Resorts acquired the 191-room, 13-story Chicago property, formerly known as Kimpton Hotel Monaco Chicago, in the beginning of 2022 for $36 million. Following renovations and a rebranding, the property is set to become the country’s first L7 HOTEL this year.
There are four L7 HOTELS in South Korea and one in Vietnam. Highlights of the properties include their entertainment options, such as indoor driving ranges, video game competitions and collaborations with fashion and beauty brands. Lotte Hotels and Resorts says it is hopeful that Chicago’s high tourism numbers and architectural uniqueness will help the South Korean company’s new acquisition thrive in the U.S.
The new Chicago property is close to the Riverwalk, North Michigan Avenue and Millennium Park, three tourism and shopping hubs in the city. The property will also include at least one F&B outlet and three banquet halls, with the renovation planning to showcase the unique lifestyle of the L7 HOTELS brand.
[Related: Chicago’s Meetings and Events Industry Thrives With Local Partnerships]
South Dakota
Numerous hotel developments are happening throughout South Dakota. The Ramkota Companies, a Sioux Falls-based hotel management company, began construction of a four-story, 90-room hotel scheduled to open this spring. The property, which will be called ClubHouse Hotel & Suites, Rapid City, will be The Ramkota Companies’ third property in Rapid City and will include an attached restaurant featuring American cuisine tied to the region.
The new Canopy by Hilton Sioux Falls Downtown is slated to open in October. Overlooking the river in the Steel District next to historic Falls Park and Levitt Outdoor Amphitheater, the property will introduce an additional 21,865 square feet of meeting and event space to downtown Sioux Falls.
Canopy by Hilton Sioux Falls Downtown will feature an onsite restaurant, a new patio and a fitness center. The property will also provide complimentary Canopy Bikes allowing guests to explore attractions, museums and dozens of eateries within a five-minute radius.
The 86-year-old structure formerly known as the Brookings Armory building in downtown Brookings will soon be transformed into a multi-cultural hub.
Hotel Indigo Brookings at The Armory will feature a new event space, a 73-room upscale hotel and a restaurant. The hotel is partnered with IHG and is intended to be part of IHG’s Hotel Indigo brand.
The gym and auditorium portion of The Armory will be transformed and utilized as an event space for corporate events and conferences, able to seat nearly 400 attendees banquet-style.
Wisconsin
The historic Pfister Hotel, a AAA Four-Diamond hotel owned and managed by Marcus Hotels and Resorts, entered the second phase of an extensive $20 million renovation. Set to be completed by early summer, the hotel has begun a total update of its guest rooms, lobby, first floor public spaces and the Pfister Cafe.
The first phase of the renovation was completed early last fall and involved a redesign of the hotel’s Imperial Ballroom, Grand Ballroom and Hall of Presidents. The new phase of renovations will focus on reimagining the hotel’s guest rooms with updated furnishings, draperies, window treatments, light fixtures and bathrooms. The lobby and first-floor public spaces will receive enhancements similar to those in the ballrooms and meeting spaces, with the hotel’s iconic domed ceiling undergoing restoration as well.
The Winds of Change
Located in the East Hazel Crest and Homewood neighborhoods and scheduled to open this summer, the Wind Creek Chicago Southland Casino will be the first AAA Four-Diamond casino in Illinois and Northern Indiana. The $300 million casino resort began construction in June 2022 and will be centrally located and conveniently accessible for all south Chicago suburbs.
Wind Creek Chicago Southland will feature a 16-story, 252-room hotel with 53 luxury suites, a skyline lounge, three restaurants, an indoor pool, fitness center, spa and a 15,800-square-foot entertainment center. The resort will also have a 70,000-square-foot casino with 1,400 slot machines, 56 table games and a sportsbook. Wind Creek Chicago Southland will offer 35,000 square feet of conference and event space for groups looking to gather in Chicago’s south suburbs.
Wind Creek Hospitality, the principal gaming and hospitality entity for the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, is a well-respected brand in the gaming industry and currently manages 10 premier gaming properties in Alabama, Florida, Nevada, Pennsylvania and the Caribbean. The company prioritizes giving back to the communities where its properties are located and is partnering with the Chicago Bulls to create the Southland Public Benefit Fund, which will distribute $150,000 annually for the casino resort’s first five years of operation to fund scholarships for disadvantaged local students and provide health services in the south suburbs.
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