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The Witty City
Hotel occupancy across America may be down but that’s not stopping high-end hotels from going up in Chicago.
In Obamaland, theWit Hotel (a Doubletree property, pictured) has opened in the Loop on historic State Street, and has, according to Chicago Magazine, single-handedly revived the downtown area. The glass façade covers 27 floors and features a chartreuse lightning bolt plunging down the slender building. According to the hotel, “theWit takes its name seriously; you wake up with a smile.” One way to achieve this: guests can request a wake up call from President Obama, Ann Landers or Al Capone — or, at least, actors impersonating Second City celebrities.
But theWit gets serious when it comes to technology. In addition to a state-of-the-art screening room, the hotel’s 298 sleek guest rooms feature touch-screen access to a variety of services, such as valet notification, restaurant reservations and towel requests from housekeeping. On the 27th floor is 7,000 square feet of party space known as ROOF, all soaring fire pits, live music and telescopes as well as one coveted table on a glass ledge suspended over the Chicago skyline.
Meanwhile, having broke ground in 2004, The Elysian finally weighs in with the aim of setting a new ultra-luxe standard in the city’s Gold Coast. The new condo-hotel property opens this month with 39 rooms and 149 suites, plushly outfitted with fireplaces, terraces and “urban kitchens.” The hotel’s Spa & Health Club will span some 14,000 square feet.
