The Kimpton Hotel Monaco Chicago has completed the renovation of 191 guestrooms and 22 suites. The living room lobby’s enhancement to be completed later this spring. The Gettys Group was involved in the renovation, with the look reportedly inspired by Lake Michigan and the development along the Chicago Riverwalk, visible from the hotel’s window seats.
The “Lake Effect”-themed design reflects the physical attributes and atmospheric effects of Lake Michigan and the Chicago River. Experiential enhancements also allude to the city’s history as a 19th-century shipping hub and to the century-old building’s past as headquarters of the D.B. Fisk & Co. hat company.
The 191 newly renovated guestrooms have high ceilings and large bay windows. Redesigned bathrooms include tiled walk-in showers with marble accents, rain showerheads, detachable hand faucets and lighted mirrors framing a custom vanity. Twenty-two suites have spaces for working and relaxing, with oversized bathrooms and a separate sitting area. All rooms and suites have new 55-inch televisions with interactive streaming and casting capabilities and new Bluetooth-compatible alarm clocks.
The decor mixes luxe materials with distinctive details such as tufted headboards and a hatbox honor bar, a nod to the building’s history as a hat factory. Frette bed linens, Atelier Bloem bath products, bathrobes and yoga mats can be found in the closets.
The living-room lobby is the hub of the Monaco Chicago. It now has varied seating areas, numerous outlets, Wi-Fi and morning coffee and tea service.
A custom-built wine table will be unveiled in late spring with the other lobby enhancements.
Located across the lobby is Fisk & Co., with a seafood-centric menu. It has an outdoor patio in the warmer months. Fisk & Co.’s own private-event spaces can host intimate gatherings of up to 50 guests.
Three meeting rooms offer a combined 4,100 square feet of flexible space. The 2,700-square-foot Paris Room, which accommodates up to 190, has an interior by designer Susan Caruso. The Athens Room can host up to 70, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Chicago River. At 487 square feet, the Tokyo Room is for intimate gatherings of up to 30 people.
The property also has a library cart curated by Chicago’s Newberry Library; vintage-inspired hats (handiwork of millinery 10th Street Hats) for purchase in the lobby and suites; Monaco-inspired tea service by Chicago’s Rare Tea Cellars; and 1920s-era items on loan from Columbia’s Fashion Study Collection.
Adam Gurgiolo is the general manager of the Kimpton Hotel Monaco Chicago.
Photo credit: Kimpton Hotel Monaco Chicago