ILLINOIS Travel Guide
Hotel News / Hotel Indigo Hotels / IHG Hotels / Chicago Hotels / → All Tags
Come Next Year, Chicago Gets a Third Hotel Indigo
Chicago can now brag about being one of the few cities around the world to play host to three Hotel Indigos. These bragging rights can't officially start until the hotel opens after the winter thaw in 2014, though.
The Windy City will welcome the new hipster hotel that will take over the former Atlantic Bank Building along Chicago's most famous street, Michigan Avenue. The 101-year old building will be transformed into a 156-room hotel that, in true Hotel Indigo fashion, pays great attention to design while incorporating pieces of local flair. We would be surprised if being across from Millennium Park doesn't play a major role in design; the 'bean' is too cool not to.
This is no normal $30 million renovation since four additional floors will be added to the building creating a new, happening rooftop bar, and a restaurant managed by celebrity chef David Burke. With the bar on the top, the restaurant will take over the former bank vaults in the basement to provide a private dining experience. Just think of those killer views while enjoying a cocktail!
Hotel Technology / Hotel Renovations / Hotel News / Hyatt Hotels / Chicago Hotels / → All Tags
Chicago's Hyatt Regency Renovates & Gets All 'Tech'ed Up
Signing over a check for $168 millions dollars to refresh their rooms, the Hyatt Regency Chicago has created a haven for the most tech-savvy travelers. The hefty cost is not just for new coats of paint and a few new pillows, it creates an oasis for those that need to stay connected from check-in to check-out.
Not only the largest hotel in Chicago, the Regency is the largest in the Hyatt portfolio. With these milestones, it makes sense to roll out the flashest of technology in this flagship hotel.
Mimicking the check-in hall of the world's largest airports, Hyatt's lobby with offer guests plenty of ways to collect room keys and start the unpacking process. In addition to the traditional face-to-face check-in, the hotel will offer iPads to track your arrival. If you prefer to be a little less futuristic, self-service check-in kiosks will be available too. Of course, we just discussed whether customers want this kind of non-personalized service.
Hotel Art / Hotel News / Chicago Hotels / JDV Hotels / Hotel Lobbies / For the Sake of Hotel Art / → All Tags
Many Wrongs Make a Right at the Hotel Lincoln
Looks like the old saying still stands true: One man's trash is indeed another's treasure.
At least that appears to be the case at Hotel Lincoln in Chicago. The boutique hotel in Lincoln Park, which recently underwent some renovations, has installed what they're openly referring to as the "Wall of Bad Art,"--essentially a bunch of reject artworks placed closely together on a lobby wall.
Apparently it's so bad, it's good. (Sort of like the movie Bio-Dome).
Chicago Hotels / Hotel Restaurants / Hotel Spas / → All Tags
Sexy Oysters and a Scene at Dana Hotel's New Argent
A special for the night, the baked oysters we ordered were gone in a split second
A couple weekends ago we stopped by Chicago's Dana Hotel and Spa to dine at its new restaurant opened this past May, Argent Restaurant and Raw Bar.
Smack in the middle of Chicago's River North neighborhood on the corner of State and Erie, the hotel was abuzz both inside and out on one of the city's first warm nights of the season. No way did we want to miss all that action so we opted to dine outside on Argent's sidewalk patio under a lovely garden trellis.
Though indoor dining was just as tempting with the oversized, half-moon shaped booths on the first floor and a shiny upstairs Raw Bar where an old sink filled with ice keeps the oysters chilled. There we also saw walls peppered with images from the World Fair hosted in Chicago in the late 1800s, an event and era of rebirth that have served to inspire Argent's vibe.
