Eschew those forgettable cookie-cutter rooms in favour of dazzling décor and bespoke art pieces at these design-forward hotels in Chicago.
Headed to the original Windy City? Yes, you’re spoiled for choice when it comes to grand luxury hotels like the Langham, the Waldorf Astoria, the Four Seasons and of course the beautiful Peninsula, but if you’re looking for a stay that’s a little more intimate, and perhaps one that has a little more design in its aesthetic, the city also boasts a selection of boutique hotels that will enchant and fascinate. Here are some of our favourites.
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Thompson Chicago
Mid-century hotel Thompson Chicago offers 247 rooms and suites with 50s-styled furnishings in the historic, moneyed Gold Coast neighbourhood: in the King Bed corner rooms, for example, there are crushed velvet armchairs and L-shaped sofas to lounge on, while a colour scheme of deep browns, teals and greys convey a warm, homey feel. To deliver a more contemporary note, there are artworks by up-and-coming Chicago artist Jenny Vyas in every room, her vibrant female portraits adding a pop of colour above beds.
The mid-century feel continues in wine bar and cocktail lounge Salone Nico, where a skylight shines across brick columns and woodpanelled walls, while the hotel’s Italian seafood restaurant Nico Osteria is widely renowned, with crimson snapper and grouper dishes on the menu.
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CitizenM Chicago Downtown
Situated on East Wacker, citizenM Chicago Downtown is a relatively new addition to the city, having opened in late 2022. The Amsterdam-based hotel group is famous for its art-filled public spaces and in Chicago guests can scroll through the artwork descriptions on the citizenM app. We love the Daniel van Straalen neon artwork, Ding Dong Your Opinion is Wrong, in the bar area, and Chicago native Nina Chanel Abney’s vibrant, abstract mural on the 2,000-square-foot terrace. A plethora of eye-catching light installations and colourful contemporary sofas and chairs, meanwhile, add further pomp and sass to the hotel’s public spaces.
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Cindy’s at Chicago Athletic Association
Chicago Athletic Association
Housed within a Venetian Gothic building that dates back to 1893, the Chicago Athletic Association infuses modern amenities with grand historic details, including three original fireplaces in the Drawing Room with intricate relief work that you can admire from low-slung leather couches. With a nod to its former sporting status, there are pommel horses at the end of beds, and old-school gym benches in rooms, while retro climbing frames behind desks not only make a design statement but also double as storage.
Swing by Cindy’s on the top floor to admire the vaulted glass rooftop and Lake Michigan views and dig into Porterhouse au Poivre for two and blueberry pie with cornmeal streusel. Feeling sporty? Tee off at Chicago’s first Topgolf Swing Suite, where two gold simulator bays await.
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Clever Coyote at The Robey
The Robey
An art deco masterpiece standing 203 feet tall, this 89-room hotel was originally designed as an office building in 1929. Each of The Robey’s hotel rooms, lobby and roof spaces were recently transformed by Belgian design duo Nicolas Schuybroek Architects and Marc Merckx Interiors.
There are 69 tower rooms and 20 annex lofts, all of which offer bold accents in oxide red and Calcutta marble tabletops designed for work or dining; the lofts also offer polished concrete floors and 10-foot ceilings. Rock up to Clever Coyote for Tiki-inspired cocktails including the Sucker Punch, gin milk punch (pineapple, gin, sugar, lime) topped with a lollipop; or The Up Room to gaze at the Robey’s heaven-bound spire from the terrace.
