Starwood Hotels & Resorts has announced the opening of Le Méridien Chicago – Oakbrook Center, a Rockbridge Portfolio property, following a $25 million transformation. Managed by Wischermann Partners Inc., Le Méridien Chicago – Oakbrook Center provides a new lens on Western Chicago’s sophisticated Oak Brook area, home to a multitude of upscale shopping and dining options as well as Fortune 500 business headquarters.
Le Méridien Chicago – Oakbrook Center features 172 guestrooms and suites, including an extraordinary Presidential Suite and six spacious Executive Suites all featuring contemporary and mid-century inspired furnishings. The hotel also boasts 3,500 square feet of expansive event space, two contemporary Spa Suites and a sleek Spanish restaurant, El Tapeo, offering contemporary tapas style dishes and handcrafted cocktails.
Guests will be enthralled by the new modern façade, which opens into the hotel’s signature arrival experience, Le Méridien Hub. Le Méridien arrival consists of four unique elements: large-scale artwork in high impact areas; the sensory experience, illustrated through Le Méridien signature scent, sound and use of light; UNLOCK ART™ programme, featuring artist designed key card collections that offer access to the acclaimed Elmhurst Art Museum; and a 24-hour curated soundtrack by French Bossa Nova band Nouvelle Vague. The Hub also features the signature Master Barista, a recently launched initiative to meet the growing demands of coffee lovers at every Le Méridien hotel worldwide. The Master Baristas lead coffee-related initiatives at each hotel, serve as a coffee cultural ambassador, and maintain knowledge of current coffee trends within the destination.
“Our vision for and strategy around the end user has created a hotel unrivaled in the market,” noted Jim Merkel, Rockbridge President & CEO. “Rockbridge and the team focused on every detail to totally transform the hotel experience at Le Méridien Chicago – Oakbrook Center.”
Le Méridien Chicago – Oakbrook Center brings a new lens on Oak Brook through the work of local Chicago artists and abstract installations representing notable Chicago symbols, such as bicycles and the Ferris wheel, which debuted at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. Upon arrival, guests will experience a large-scale, one-of-a-kind mural depicting the architecture of the city by contemporary artist Justus Roe of the Chicago Artists Coalition. The Hub also features an installation of a deconstructed bicycle, a nod to Oak Brook’s many biking trails, with the bike chain in the shape of Illinois and the headlight representing Chicago. Each floor of the hotel’s elevator lobbies showcases images taken from Chicago’s signature “L” train, including the mileage and direction from the hotel in relation to where each particular shot was taken. The Executive Club Lounge features eight stunning photographs by Chicago native Satoki Nagata portraying Chicagoland locals caught in the rain. Custom graphic patterns throughout the hotel, created by Starwood’s award-winning design team, are abstract designs of local contextual nuances, including original Daniel Burnham city plans for Chicago and maps of the public spaces of the Windy City.
The ninth floor of Le Méridien Chicago – Oakbrook Center boasts a 3,000 square foot Grand Salon Ballroom and Executive Club Lounge as well as the hotel’s new restaurant concept, El Tapeo, featuring floor-to-ceiling windows and breathtaking views of the city. The 58-seat restaurant offers authentic Spanish cuisine, created by culinary artist and Chicago native, Chef Franco Diaz. In the hotel’s 25-seat lounge and 12-seat bar, guests are also served freshly made, handcrafted cocktails and light tapas style appetizers.
“Our associates are very excited and proud to be a part of this opening,” said Paul Wischermann, President and CEO of Wischermann Partners. “We will build memorable experiences and guest loyalty one customer at a time, positioning Le Méridien Chicago – Oakbrook Center for future success and offering Starwood’s most loyal guests another great choice when visiting Chicago’s Oak Brook market.”
Le Méridien Chicago – Oakbrook Center also features two modern Spa Suites, featuring custom stone and marble décor, a stone-tiled rain shower steam room with a 32” heated mosaic tile bed amidst ten body sprayers, a luxurious soaking tub and a large relaxation lounge. The lounge is designed with seamless flexibility to allow guests to revitalize their mind, body, and spirit, as they relax in the plush comfort of an oversized sofa, or engage in an array of curated spa treatment services in partnership with ESPA.
“We are on track to triple our North American portfolio since Starwood first acquired Le Méridien in 2005,” said Brian Povinelli, Global Brand Leader, Le Méridien and Westin. “With shared passions for culture, the arts and cuisine, Chicago has long been on our short list, and the location is a great backdrop for our Le Méridien brand promise to unlock the destination for the curious and creative-minded traveler.”
