khabah

Less than a month after the announcement that the current Conrad on 521 North Rush will be leaving Hilton Hotels and joining the Starwood fold as an as-yet-unnamed Luxury Collection hotel this fall, an announcement has been made for a new Conrad at 101 East Erie Street at North Michigan Avenue. This former office building was rumored to become the city's second Conrad but now that the first one is leaving, this will become the only one in town and will assume the name of the former property. I find it interesting that the original will join Starwood; that hotel opened as a Le Méridien in the early 2000s before the brand was incorporated into Starwood and will now become part of the same family again, albeit under a different brand.

The current building is a vacant office block that is undergoing a complete renovation under the design guidance of Pierre-Yves Rochon and is due to reopen with 275 rooms and 12 suites in early 2016.

Nice to see Conrad coming back and remaining committed to the Windy City.

khabah

***

Conrad Hotels & Resorts Attains Smart Luxury Vision with New Chicago Property Steps off Michigan Avenue

Designed by the world-renowned designer Pierre-Yves Rochon, the 20-story property will offer 287-rooms, of which 12 are expansive suites. Over 10,500 square feet of state-of-the-art conference facilities will offer the most technologically advanced meeting spaces in North America

May 22, 2015 - Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Geller Investment Co., LLC, and Wanxiang America Real Estate Group today announced plans to open a new Conrad Chicago, expected to begin hosting global travelers in spring 2016. Overlooking North Michigan Avenue on Erie Street, the stunning new Conrad Chicago will provide guests with immediate access to high-end retail and award-winning restaurants in one of the most desirable locations in the city.

"The signing of the new Conrad Chicago underscores our commitment to delivering best-in-class hotels in key gateway locations that meet the growing needs of global luxury travelers," said John T.A. Vanderslice, global head, Conrad Hotels & Resorts. "This new property enhances the Conrad portfolio and supports our goal of connecting travelers to the most inspiring destinations around the world."

Designed by the world-renowned designer Pierre-Yves Rochon, the 20-story property will offer 287-rooms, of which 12 are expansive suites. Over 10,500 square feet of state-of-the-art conference facilities will offer the most technologically advanced meeting spaces in North America.

The hotel will feature fine dining outlets and attractive entertainment experiences throughout the property, infusing Chicago's unique food cuisine and culture into the property's breathtaking view of North Michigan Avenue.

The new Conrad Chicago will be the sixth U.S.-based Conrad Hotels & Resorts property behind the brand's upcoming projects in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Washington, D.C.

"We are proud to be bringing our clear vision of a much needed, dynamic, and exceptional luxury hotel into a vibrant market that clearly demands more true luxury choices for the modern, sophisticated and demanding traveller looking for unique experiences," stated Laurence Geller, Chairman of Geller Investment Co, LLC. "Conrad Chicago will become an inspiring destination delighting travelers with intuitive and customized service and innovative food and beverage offerings."

In addition to the unmatched views and amenities the hotel will offer, guests will be able to connect to the property and surroundings through their mobile device simply by downloading the award-winning Conrad Concierge mobile app. Launched in 2012, the mobile app gives guests mobile access to all concierge features and hotel services, including the option to pre-check in, arrange car transport, and select even the most bespoke amenities - from the type of pillow they prefer, what newspaper they would like delivered to their room, or choosing what brand of bath amenities they'd like waiting in their room, all before they arrive.

Conrad Chicago will participate in Hilton HHonors®, the only guest rewards program that allows members to earn Points & Miles® for the same stay and redeem points for free nights with No Blackout Dates at more than 4,350 hotels worldwide.

For more information about Conrad Hotels & Resorts, please visitwww.conradhotels.com or news.conradhotels.com.

Source: http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/g...0/4070365.html

arlflyer

4% suites? Doesn't sound like diamond upgrades will be very likely...

Or are there other suites that just don't happen to be "expansive"? Strange wording.

hugolover

The "old" Conrad was really very good indeed. I had a Terrace Suite upgrade when I stayed there and overall the Diamond treatment was magnificent.

CMK10

I just had a stay at the "Old" Conrad and I too very much enjoyed it. That said, I think this location may be a little "better" and the building certainly looks quite nice. I look forward to trying it out.

ORDnHKG

Any dates for the current Conrad schedule to close ? Or it will stay open until the new one open ?

khabah

I played around with the current Conrad's reservation system and they show availability for rooms all the way through to next year so there don't seem to be any indicators there. The Starwood press release mentioned that the current hotel will rebrand in "fall 2015" but this article [http://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-N...-in-the-works] says that the conversion will happen in December.

They're still working out details regarding the rebranded Conrad's name and renovation; all that seems certain for now is that it'll fall under the Luxury Collection banner so Conrad will be out of the market for a few months until they wrap construction up at East Erie.

khabah

chitownflyer

I had several great stays at the Conrad Chicago and regret to see it is leaving the Hilton portfolio. I am cautiously optimistic that the new Conrad will be on par with the current Conrad.

Miesque

This is my sentiment as well. This isn't one of the properties that I had thoughts that it should be replaced. I hope the new one has the same service and quality, both hard and soft product as the current Conrad Chicago.

uggboy

Also of note that the existing Conrad was formally a Le Meridien, now it will be back with Starwood as a Luxury Collection property. While the new Conrad Chicago will be located in a former office building and will have interior designs by Pierre-Yves Rochon. ^

alexj7

Likewise, Conrad Chicago was probably my favorite Hilton stay ever within the USA. They treated diamonds well (gave me a very large suite too). Let's hope the new one is just as good.

jerry a. laska

The new Conrad Chicago is now accepting reservations for stays after September 1, 2016. Construction is expected to be completed this summer.

The hotel will have a car service available within a two mile radius of the hotel. Some information about the fitness center is listed on the website and it states that Conrad guests will be "able to reserve services at our sister property, Waldorf Astoria Chicago, including the Health Club, pool and spa."

The food and beverage program will be directed by Latinicity's Richard Sandoval Restaurants and will have a rooftop bar and two restaurants, one on the ground floor and one on the 20th floor. More information here:
http://chicago.eater.com/2016/4/4/11...sandoval-hotel

arlflyer

Cool. On an administrative note, should this be a new thread since it's a new physical property and thus anything in this old thread would be irrelevant?


Hopefully it's more useful than the WA car service. Most time's I've tried to use that, it's either been in use (it's first-come-first-served, which I find a little strange - could the concierge really not take time slots?) or has stopped running for the day - and of course the hours aren't posted anywhere...


Interesting. The notes on the fitness center sound promising. I do like a good rooftop kettlebell workout. I'm assuming the sending of the guests to the WA pool/spa will probably be for a fee, even for elites, and if that's the case it would be too bad that the Conrad doesn't have its own facilities in that regard.


Any mention of an EL anywhere? I haven't seen one in what I've read.

jerry a. laska

I was going to start a new thread like I did for LondonHouse, maybe I'll do that today. I looking forward to both of these new Chicago properties.

I assume the car service will operate in the same manner as the WA. I've been able to use the one at the WA a few times but only at less busy times like early morning (getting dropped off near the Blue Line) and on occasion in the afternoon. Mostly I just walk and I don't have a problem with that.

I also have not seen any mention of an executive lounge but I am hopeful as it is a new build that it will have one.

jerry a. laska

The new Conrad Chicago is now accepting reservations for arrivals September 1, 2016 and beyond.

The hotel is located at 101 E. Erie St. – just west of Michigan Avenue. It is a couple blocks north of the old Conrad. The Ritz Carlton is on the North side of Erie across the street.

The hotel will have a car service available within a two mile radius of the hotel. Some information about the fitness center is listed on the website and it states that Conrad guests will be "able to reserve services at our sister property, Waldorf Astoria Chicago, including the Health Club, pool and spa."

The food and beverage program will be directed by Latinicity's Richard Sandoval Restaurants and will have a rooftop bar and two restaurants, one on the ground floor and one on the 20th floor. More information here:
http://chicago.eater.com/2016/4/4/11...sandoval-hotel

More information here:
http://conradhotels3.hilton.com/en/h...ECI/index.html
Facebook page here:
https://www.facebook.com/ConradChicago
Artists renderings:
http://conradhotels3.hilton.com/en/h...ery/index.html

David Burke's Primehouse, Shake Shack, Lawry's are some of the restaurants within a block or so.

The thread for the Old Conrad Chicago can be found here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...honors-18.html

danger

King suite for USD70 per night, wide open.

http://extremehoteldeals.com/hilton-conrad-chicago/