Design : Soho houSe ChiCago
Amenities in the 15,000-square-foot
( 1,394-square-meter ) gym include a professional boxing ring .
soho house
ChiCago
openinG dAte :
August 11 , 2014
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AccommodAtions :
40 guestrooms ranging from 250 square
feet ( 23 square meters ) to 600 square
feet ( 56 square meters ) in size
LocAtion :
A former industrial warehouse dating
back to 1907 in Chicago ’ s West Loop
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owner :
AJ Capital Partners , Chicago
LeAd interior desiGner :
Soho House Group ’ s in-house design
team led by Founder and CEO Nick
Jones and Global Design Director
Vicky Charles
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notAbLe Amenities :
Social gathering hub The Allis featuring
a lounge area and all-day café ;
restaurants including Pizza East
and Chicken Shop ; a gym with a
professional boxing ring ; a cinemastyle screening room for private events ; Cowshed spa featuring five treatment rooms , six mani-pedi chairs and a retail shop
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GenerAL mAnAGer :
Thomas Lennard
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desiGn Aesthetic :
A mix between the roughness of an
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industrial space and the glamour of a |
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luxury hotel and club |
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as possible , including keeping exposed ceilings in the bedrooms and replicating the style of the original windows to convey a warehouse feeling .
Charles describes the property ’ s overall design aesthetic as a “ mix between rough and glamour ,” and that combination is evident in a number of spaces . The Cowshed spa , for example , has a rural , barn-like feel thanks to somewhat rough , exposed wood on the walls and floor . Guestrooms , too , are designed to feel like home , Charles explains , with each design element leading to another — four-poster beds combining with vintage rugs and distinctive lampshade patters .
“ We ’ re not purists in our design ,” Charles says . “ It ’ s a bit more eclectic , like you would find in a home . It ’ s decorated true to the space and in the space rather than through a mood board in New York City .”
Charles adds that it helps to handle the design with an in-house group that can remain engaged in the design well after a property opens . “ I ’ m still talking with the general manager about what works and what doesn ’ t ,” Charles notes , citing an example that more shaded areas might be incorporated into the rooftop pool area next summer .
Although declining to provide specific numbers regarding rate and occupancy , management says the performance of Soho House Chicago is strong thus far . But when it comes to the lasting impression Charles hopes to leave on the property ’ s guests , the goal is hardly perfection .
“ We want people to feel comfortable — like they ’ re home ,” Charles says . “ That means it ’ s not completely perfect . It shouldn ’ t be photo-shoot-ready all the time .”
www . hotelsmag . com December 2014 HOTELS 29