CLUBS + HOTELS
The Hotel
At Midtown
Chicago, IL
Located off Chicago’s Elston industrial corridor and towering above the new Midtown Athletic Club, the 55-room Hotel at Midtown provides active travelers an exclusive fitness experience and brings a high-end lifestyle center to boutique hospitality. The Midtown Athletic Club and Hotel project is part of a 575,000 sf development, transforming what was the largest indoor tennis club in the country to the largest lifestyle center in the country.
In a 35,000 sf, 2-story reflective glass volume, the Hotel at Midtown is located on the 4th and 5th floors of the Club for the most spectacular views of Chicago. There are 51 guestrooms, three suites, a two-story penthouse, two meeting rooms, a board room, and an event space on the rooftop. Despite the difference in program and volumetric presence, finishes from the Club are brought into the guestrooms to provide a cohesive experience.
Where fitness is a small part of the typical hotel, the Hotel at Midtown flips that model upside down. Here, the Hotel serves as an amenity to the 200,000 sf high-end Club. Hotel guests have all of the perks of Club members – from boutique studios such as Yoga, Pilates, group fitness, multimedia Spinning, Boxing and rooftop workout areas – to custom amenities such as a signature Restaurant, indoor and outdoor Pools, an extensive Spa and a full-service Salon. Staying true to the project concept and requirements, relentless attention was paid to the overall unification from master planning to the smallest detail.
With relaxation and ease in mind, guest rooms are spacious and detailed with custom furnishings and finishes. Upon stepping into the foyer, city views are perfectly framed by walnut panels. Warm hardwood flooring extends into the bedroom where a long walnut desk is delicately supported by a thin vertical frame with a built-in robe hook and door stop. The bed sets against a wall covered in floor to ceiling custom-printed textured wallpaper, like an abstract painting, deferring to the urban context and lit for radiance and warmth. In the bathroom white marble tiles are carefully sequenced so the stone grain continues as it folds from one panel to the next; and similar to the desk, a thin metal frame supports the vanity with built-in features to keep toiletries and towels dry and within arms length.
Human interaction was the measure to design both the interiors and exteriors of the project. From the gradual height increases in section to the clear intuitive wayfinding, every detail is considered part of the human experience. The new Midtown Athletic Club and Hotel defies convention in this hybrid model, creating a destination for the ultimate experience in overnight stays, fitness, entertainment, relaxation and more.
