The W Chicago–City Center hotel has a bold new look — one that plays up local lore and the property’s prime location in the Loop.
The public can check out the revamped lobby, restaurant and bar as of Saturday morning, marking the end of months of construction that went on behind blacked-out doors and curtains on the ground level of the 1928 Beaux Arts building.
“We’re proud to be one of the only W properties in a historic building, and we wanted to make the most of that with this redesign,” marketing manager Matthew Leavis said on Friday afternoon as crews climbed ladders, wielded hammers and put the final touches on the refreshed space at 172 W. Adams St.
Nods to the city, both subtle and overt, are everywhere. Guests walk through the front door and are surrounded by dark, charred wood and a large gold bucket overhead — an homage to the Great Chicago Fire. The oversized pail is a reference to Mrs. O’Leary’s dairy cow, unfairly saddled with the blame for burning down much of the city in 1871.
Above the hotel’s reception desk is a bright red sculpture of the L tracks in the Loop.
Gone are the hotel’s old Living Room Bar and IPO Restaurant, which shut down in mid-October.
The centerpiece of the new watering hole is an expansive, illuminated bar that’s shaped like a horseshoe. It’s backed by a soaring, Art Deco-style arch that draws the eye up two stories, toward the lobby ceiling.
More than 60 bottles of Templeton Rye — reportedly Al Capone’s favorite — will be displayed on the arch’s glass shelves.
“If people ask, ‘Why all the Templeton Rye?’ There’s a story behind it,” Leavis said. “We want everything to be a conversation piece.”
The bar area abuts the new 65-seat restaurant, Midland Social Club, named after the building’s original use as a private gentlemen’s club back in the day.
The diverse dinner menu from executive chef Mark Powierski features food inspired by Chicago’s neighborhoods, with dishes like West Town Pierogis, Taquitos de Pilsen, Armour Square Crispy Snapper, Chinatown Sticky Pork and Argyle District Bang Bang Shrimp, as well as a Chicago Stockyard Burger, of course.
Chicago artist Ryan Lape blanketed a long wall of the restaurant with colorful graffiti depicting scenes of the city.
This marks the second redesign — and the first in nearly a decade — since W Hotels made its 2001 debut in the former Midland Hotel.
The second phase of the renovation will focus on the 403 guest rooms, but the timetable for that work hasn’t been set.
While the W will unveil its new look with a soft opening on Saturday, it’s official coming out party is 6-11 p.m. on April 5. The shindig’s theme is a modern spin on the World’s Fair.
Admission to the event is free on the ground level, but you need to RSVP for that party, which is already at capacity. Tickets that include an open bar and food stations on the second floor are still available for $125.
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