DESIGN : LE MÉRIDIEN CHICAGO
The lobby Hub includes a café and coffee bar featuring a Master Barista program .
The first key decision by the owner , manager and brand leads to the important narrative and repositioning of a suburban business hotel .
by JEFF WEINSTEIN , EDITOR IN CHIEF
MULTIMEDIA
EXCLUSIVE :
RETHINK , RENEW , REPOSITION
When Rockbridge acquired a closed property in suburban Chicago in 2013 , it chose Starwood ’ s Le Méridien brand to reposition the asset and Wischermann Partners to manage the renewed hotel . In a series of multimedia stories chronicling the thinking behind the processes , HOTELS presents the three constituents strategies , as well as their trials and tribulations while developing the newly opened Le Méridien Chicago – Oakbrook Center . Go to http :// hotelsm . ag / lemeridien1 to access the web-based series .
When hotel owner Rockbridge , brand manager Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts and third-party manager Wischermann Partners stood in what was a dark , drivethrough hotel entrance in Oak Brook , Illinois , and concluded the best course of action to reposition the closed property was to enclose the ground-level space to create a much more grand and brighter entry and lobby experience , a collaboration was born . Twelve months and US $ 25 million later , Le Méridien Chicago – Oakbrook Center was born .
The bigger , newly enclosed entry created a much bigger lobby area , which was transformed into Le Méridien ’ s trademark lobby Hub with Chicago-inspired artwork and abstract installations representing notable Chicago symbols , as well as a homey café . Not only did the lobby act as an inviting space for locals and shoppers at the adjacent upscale mall , it served as the calling card for the property , according to Julie Frank , global director of design for Starwood ’ s Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts brand .
“ Closing the drive-through arrival area and creating the Hub totally transformed the hotel ,” Frank says as she reflects on what has made this property truly work . “ The arrival artwork and the emphasis on mid-century modern design resonates throughout the space , and with guests .”
For property manager Wischermann Partners , the proof since the summer 2014 opening is in the ramp-up results . “ As anticipated , we are experiencing very high level usage by SPG members ( Starwood ’ s loyalty program ), but also the weekend leisure guest acceptance is very high , leading to a number of weekend sellouts already ,” says Paul Wischermann , president and CEO of Wischermann Partners , Minnetonka , Minnesota .
The repositioning of this property by Rockbridge to Starwood Hotels & Resort ’ s Le Méridien brand was not a hard decision as the same three constituents had just gone through a similar process in Atlanta , Georgia , and were comfortable working together again , and it only served to make the process in Oak Brook that much easier . “ There was a level of trust and understanding ,” Frank says . “ Everyone understood how art is so important to the Le Méridien story and everyone weighed in on the art so strongly rooted in the design of the hotel . It was very collaborative when it came to portion , scale and color .”
What the collaboration generated was a unique , well-branded product for a competitive , business-heavy market . The Hub serves to draw in guests and is juxtaposed by a rooftop Spanish restaurant with far away views of Chicago ’ s skyline . “ Unlocking the destination is the brand promise and identifying that was the focus of the narrative ,” Frank says . “ Le Méridien emphasizes mid-century modern design and Chicago is the home for this in the U . S ., and you see it upon arrival , and through the complete art and graphics package that connects the property to the city .”
www . hotelsmag . com January / February 2015 HOTELS 33