Eschew those forgettable cookie-cutter rooms in favour of dazzling décor and bespoke art pieces at these design-forward hotels in Chicago.
Chicago is hands-down one of the US’s greatest cities, with its centuries-old skyscrapers, blues and jazz clubs, and vibrant neighbourhoods all a big draw. The Windy City also leads the way in accommodation, with plenty of quirky hotel options where you’ll find everything from abstract murals on terraces to gym equipment in rooms referencing a hotel’s sporting past. From 50s-style furnishing to polished concrete floors, here’s our pick of five top design-conscious hotels in Chicago.
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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 September 2022. The Amsterdam-based hotel group is famous for its art-filled public spaces: art collection manager and the hotel group’s curator Floor Haverkamp describes lobbies as having a “homey feel, a bit like things you collect from your travels,” and 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.
Soho House Chicago
Situated in the Allis Building, a former belt factory in the Fulton Market district that dates to 1908, Soho House Chicago is a members’ club and hotel spanning five floors that features industrial-inspired interiors and 40 bedrooms decked out in retro furnishings – think wooden four-posters and old patterned rugs and pouffes – with Marshall Bluetooth speakers keeping things contemporary. With an 80-foot long rooftop pool and gorgeous terrace overlooking West Loop, one of Soho House Chicago’s biggest draws is its art collection, with more than 250 pieces artfully placed throughout the hotel, including a Damien Hirst butterfly piece spelling out the name ‘Chicago’ in the ground floor lobby. Cinema lovers will adore the atmospheric screening room, with comfy seats and its own bar and lounge for pre-movie drinks.
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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 wood-panelled 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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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.
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Chicago Athletic Association
Housed within a Venetian Gothic building that dates back to 1893, the Chicago Athletic Association infuses modern amenities infused 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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