2016-12-24 00:46:59
THE ROBEY Chicago has always been a city of innovation and a solid bet for fresh and exciting happenings. Roller skates, Cracker Jacks, milkshakes, pinball, zippers, steelframed skyscrapers and municipal cultural centers are among the many Chicago firsts. A whole host of new options are part of Chicago’s vibrant meetings landscape. THE HOLLANDER DISTINCT NEW HOTELS Opening March 2017, Hotel EMC2, a 195-room Autograph Collection by Marriott boutique, is dedicated to nourishing and inspiring the creative spirit. Hotel EMC2 will have 2,000 square feet of meeting space and sits steps from The Magnificent Mile. CONRAD CHICAGO The 12-story Northwest Tower in Wicker Park has been transformed into The Robey, a 69-room boutique property that opened in late 2016. The 1929 Art Deco structure has a restaurant, rooftop bar and limited meeting and event space. In an adjacent 5-story former warehouse, The Hollander will open later in 2017, adding 20 spacious guest rooms and another restaurant and bar. The Kimpton Gray Hotel is fresh, modern and set in a landmark building, making 293 memorable guest rooms and a large rooftop lounge, Boleo, a reality. The 13,000 square feet of meeting space are on the second, 14th and 15th floors. New in 2016, LondonHouse Chicago, Curio Collection by Hilton synchronizes a historic building with a 22-story, all-glass addition to offer 452 guest rooms and suites, a tri-level rooftop bar and 25,000 square feet of event space. THE KIMPTON GRAY HOTEL The new 20-story Conrad Chicago, artfully designed by Pierre-Yves Rochon, offers public spaces, 287 guest rooms, 10,000 square feet of meeting space and a rooftop lounge, Noyane, on The Magnificent Mile. Trendy 93-room Nobu Hotel opens late 2017 under Robert DeNiro’s development team. Guests indulge in large, luxury rooms that average 400 square feet, a rooftop lounge and a street-level Japanese restaurant along Randolph Street’s Restaurant Row. Viceroy Chicago, located in the Gold Coast neighborhood at the site of the 1920s-era Cedar Hotel, will offer a locally inspired luxury experience with 180 guest rooms, including 42 suites, a rooftop bar, pool and lounge, and 3,600 square feet of meeting and event space. FREMONT ROOFTOP EASY TRAVEL & EXPLORING ON THE GREEN LINE The ‘L’ train’s new Cermak-McCormick Place station for the Green Line is just a few blocks from the nation’s largest convention center, McCormick Place. It is a leisurely five-minute ride to downtown, and the station connects to train lines running to both airports and many top Chicago attractions. SWIFT & SONS STELLAR FOOD & NIGHTLIFE At the stylish, two-story Fremont in the heart of River North, go from an eclectic dining experience into elevated nightlife with three bars and a retractable rooftop. The space holds up to 600. Chicago’s West Loop is where the American steakhouse was born, and Swift & Sons takes this heritage a step forward. An elevated dining room, two private dining spaces, an oyster bar and taverns are part of the multi-level floor plan. Located at the gateway to River North, The Kitchen Bistro is filled with natural light, reclaimed woods, historic details and river views. Up to 187 can be seated, and a private dining room holds 40. Chef Richard Sandoval’s Latinicity Food Hall + Lounge is a colorful food oasis in the middle of downtown inside Block 37. Ten kitchens line the main hall, with a full-service bar, coffee shop and tapas restaurant and space for 700. THE KITCHEN BISTRO New in 2016, Revival Food Hall in the Loop is a 24,000-square-foot behemoth in the Daniel Burnhamdesigned 1907 building featuring 15 fast-casual stalls. Outposts include locations of Wicker Park’s Antique Taco, ramen-focused Furious Spoon and charcuterie operation Danke, along with a coffee bar that transitions into an evening liquor bar and a 10,000-square-foot indoor-outdoor event space on the sixth floor. OUTRAGEOUS TEAMBUILDING FUN ACEBOUNCE River North’s SpiN Chicago is part of a network of ping-pong social clubs cofounded by actress Susan Sarandon. A VIP private lounge, catering, bar service and on-site event planners make it perfect for groups. Downtown’s AceBounce is a trio of experiences, combining a restaurant and bar with high-energy ping-pong and gathering spaces for great energetic networking. VERTIPORT CHICAGO Give attendees a taste of skydiving without the risk at iFLY Chicago Lincoln Park. Custom events with flight enhancements, catering and unique event spaces are iFLY’s forte. LOFTY EVENT VENUES SPiN CHICAGO Located on the 29th floor of The Franklin, above the West Loop, R29 is a sleek and attractive event space with rich woods, lush colors and room for up to 200. Chicago-based AgencyEA, planner of events hosted by The White House, Oprah Winfrey and major corporations, has opened the 16,000-square-foot Savage Smyth in River North. The event space occupies the fourth and fifth floors and has a rooftop deck. KLAIRMONT KOLLECTIONS Adjacent to the Loop’s prominent steakhouse Prime & Provisions, Builders BLDG brings beautiful design and a prestigious landmark location to intimate dinners of 150, glamorous cocktail receptions for 1,000 and every event in between. AIR, RAIL & ROAD R29 Vertiport Chicago, a 10-acre private heliport adjacent to University Village and Little Italy, features a hangar, three large bays that open out onto a large tarmac, smaller spaces and private helicopter tours. The Railcar Club is a new Loop venue that hosts up to 80 seated and 120 for cocktails with a classic steakhouse menu. For a bit of chrome and chronology, book the Klairmont Kollections, a 100,000-square-foot facility that displays more than 300 classic and antique automobiles.
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