With a steady stream of pedestrian traffic moving through its first floor on a regular basis and views of the Chicago skyline as a backdrop, the Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel recently underwent a major overhaul designed to better leverage its location and provide guests with a sense of discovery.
Purchased by Carey Watermark Investors (CWI) in 2013, the hotel—which was previously a Stouffer’s Hotel and is located on the corners of Wacker Dr. and State St.—underwent a $22-million lobby and guestroom transformation that was completed in April by Chicago-based design firm The Gettys Group.
According to Chris McDonough, senior design director, Gettys, CWI had worked on the property for a number of years prior to the acquisition, which prompted it to seek out Gettys during its due-diligence period and, ultimately, to spearhead the redo.
“They came to us to help them understand the property and how we can unlock some of the opportunities that we already had seen, but also ones that we discussed with them in terms of their specific goals. It’s a great property, it does very well and it’s on an amazing corner. However, it wasn’t leveraging the public areas nearly as much, nor was it reflecting the evolution of the Renaissance brand itself,” he said.
Michael Medzigian, CEO, CWI, also underscored the inherent advantages of the hotel’s location on the Chicago River at the confluence of the Loop office district, River North entertainment district and the Michigan Ave. retail corridor, while stating the ownership’s objective. “Understanding the potential of the property given its location, views and significant physical plant, we sought to truly transform the property, aligning the vision of the Renaissance brand with the needs of our customers. Together, we created many new discoverable areas and offerings, infusing the vibrant fabric of Chicago along the way. We created a true destination, not just for hotel guests but for the entire community,” he said.
The hotel remained open during the renovation, which included the first-floor lobby and public spaces, as well as the guestrooms and corridors. McDonough emphasized that the company took a Chicago-centric approach to the design. “We definitely took that to heart because that’s something the brand wants as well. Given this site, there are a lot of influences we can draw on. We were really inspired by the river itself; the transportation; the trains; the L. There’s a lot of energy on that corner and in Chicago, in general, and the hotel was not at all reflecting that,” he said.
According to Gettys, a high-low design approach pairs luxurious high-end finishes with raw, gritty, concrete and graffiti-inspired surfaces. Further reinforcing the Chicago-centric approach, some of the design elements of the property include experiential works of art by homegrown artists; CTA bus-inspired windows from the early 1900s; wallpaper and elevator lobby artwork illustrating the Chicago L map; and a multidimensional mural of pencils depicting a city cab. In addition, the lobby pillars each feature a different part of the L, and are designed to blend together to form one single image.
McDonough, who described the overall design theme of the hotel as “urban energy,” highlighted some of the uniqueness of the area and how it helped shape the look. “We used a lot of inspiration from the train and graffiti-type elements that are in the city. When you look around, for better or for worse, there’s graffiti everywhere. It’s even on the newspaper boxes. We wanted to elevate that and make that a bit of an art form, and try to reflect sort of the grittiness and the foundation of lower Wacker Dr. that this building sits on. There’s an interesting feeling and vibe down there that most people don’t experience,” he said.
Opening up the lobby—which serves as something of a thoroughfare with many pedestrians cutting through the building—was a top priority for the design team. McDonough noted, previously, “The space was very closed and the feeling was very tunnel-like.” He noted the firm opened it up by eliminating some walls, soffits, headers and archways. It also moved the front desk back and made it smaller, and pulled the bar out into the lobby. All of these changes were designed to “give each space its proper amount of square footage,” according to McDonough. He added that the club lounge was brought down from the 27th floor, enabling the addition of seven suites to the room count as well, which now includes 520 guestrooms and 40 suites.
Meanwhile, located in the middle of the lobby is the Renaissance Navigator, situated at the communal Navigator Table. The brand has positioned it as a twist on the traditional concierge desk; an interactive place to explore new ideas, and touch and feel new technologies.
The guestrooms underwent more of a soft-goods renovation. While McDonough noted he was trying “connect the guestroom” to some of the energy created on the first floor, he also acknowledged there was a concerted effort to create more of a “calm, serene space.”
The guestroom incorporates another lesser-known element of Chicago. The Y is a hidden symbol that is designed to reflect the fork in the Chicago River, which resembles a Y pattern. The pattern is visible in some of the pillows as well as the carpet, which has a series of interlocking Y’s. McDonough noted the Y pattern is also used on the first floor in various fabrics, as well as on the front desk.
While part of the design approach was tailored around experiences, McDonough noted there was also thought given to leveraging social media opportunities. “There’s a lot of sense of discovery here; that’s a big part of the Renaissance brand. It’s very much around experiencing travel and having people truly discover these moments, and also provide those Instagram moments, those selfie spots in the hotel that we know start getting buzz immediately. We did create a lot of those ‘you turn the corner and there’s a spot to sit or take a photo and there’s artwork above you’ or ‘you turn the corner and there’s a taxi cab wall that’s near the front desk and draws you down the escalator,’” he said.
McDonough acknowledged there were certain challenges that existed, as with any project, including a brand-wide effort from Marriott International to redefine Renaissance, but he emphasized the importance of a good working relationship. “It wasn’t smooth all the time, but I will say that all three parties—design, brand and ownership—were really good about leveraging those into opportunities. Having the brand evolve and really change who they are could have been a challenge, but we really dovetailed well with them in terms of understanding what that should be in terms of this hotel,” he said.
Medzigian also touted the teamwork and interest of all three firms. “The entire process was very collaborative. Roger Hill and Gettys’ senior management were intimately involved with this project. Gettys brought many great ideas to the table, as did Renaissance,” he said.
McDonough added that budgets always present a challenge as well, but he was pleased with how the resources were allocated and the potential impact. “What was great about this project is we spent the right money in the right spots. We were really pretty clever with the big moves, like flooring and wallcoverings where there’s a lot of surface area. We were smart about those choices because we really wanted to spend money on the artwork, lighting, FF&E, and things the guest actually touches and remembers,” he said.
Medzigian offered his perspective on the overall project: “Our goal was to drive preference amongst both our guests and meeting planners and, based on initial results, we believe we achieved that goal. Marriott has been a great partner in this as well, programming several high-profile events and activities to heighten awareness of the property. Together, we created something pretty special—not just within our portfolio, but for the city and the brand. I couldn’t be more pleased.”