Hotel ‘triplex’ opens in River North in time for near-record tourism

(Above left) Rendering of the Aloft Chicago City Center hotel, imagined from Clark Street looking south. (Above right) Photograph of the Aloft. (Click on image to view larger version.)

June 21, 2013 – Just in time for near-record hotel occupancy rates in Chicago, three new hotels opened on Thursday in River North. The 272-room Aloft Chicago City Center, operated by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, 180-room Fairfield Inn & Suites Chicago Downtown/River North, run by Marriott International, and the 212-room Hyatt Place Chicago/River North welcomed their first guests to their triplex on North Clark Street near West Grand Avenue.

The development by River North’s Friedman Properties includes a new restaurant, Beatrix, operated by Chicago-based Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises. Described in a news release as “a neighborhood restaurant and coffee house,” Beatrix will be open from breakfast to late-night dinner.

When the project was announced in August 2009, Friedman had hoped the hotels would open in 2012. That may have been slowed when two months later, the designs were modified based on feedback from River North residents. A community meeting on July 28, 2009, organized by 42nd Ward alderman Brendan Reilly, attracted residents, neighborhood associations, architects, and city officials.

43 hotel rooms were added to the original design by the Chicago architectural firm HOK.

Also on Thursday, the mayor’s office announced that even with new hotel rooms added to keep up with growing demand, hotel occupancy rates in Chicago in May were almost a new record for the month. 81.2 percent of hotel rooms were occupied. Average daily rates were up 5.4 percent from May 2012. Revenue per available room increased 9.6 percent.

“It’s going to be a wonderful summer,” promised Rahm Emanuel.

According to Don Welsh, president and CEO of Choose Chicago, the city’s official destination marketing organization, there are now 4,500 more hotel rooms than there were in 2006 and average daily rates have gone up more than $20.

“We have seen rapid growth in our tourism industry lately,” said Welsh, “and we expect that success to continue moving forward.”

The city needs just 3.8 million more visitors per year to reach Emanuel’s goal of 50 million visitors per year by 2020.