SwissÒtel Chicago completes $10 million renovation

The Four Diamond SwissÒtel Chicago has completed a $10 million renovation of its lobby and meeting space. The lobby now features a modern design with natural elements and an earth tone palette that reflect the hotel’s Swiss heritage. This natural feel is set off by attention grabbing splashes of colour, dramatic art, and lighting elements like the artistic rainstorm created by thousands of dangling glass bubble fixtures, and backlit glass panels, etched with Chicago’s skyline, sit just behind the innovative check-in area. Located in the lobby, Amuse is the hotel’s latest food and beverage concept offering seasonal small and shareable plate options with signature cocktails and wine pairings for each. Check-in pods have replaced the traditional bulky hotel front desk, affording a more welcoming experience for the guest upon arrival. Front desk agents will now work from laptop computers, giving them the flexibility to interact with guests even when they are away from their pod. The concierge will be armed with tablets for quick access to all necessary information a guest may need to know, and a Nervana Ghost Wall will act as a digital concierge for guests to check weather, map local routes, research area attractions and get a 360-degree view of hotel’s event spaces and room layouts. SwissÒtel Chicago will be the first property to provide meeting planners and attendees with Nervana’s Bonfire Events Management app. This application tracks schedules, flights, and presentations, connects guests via a social site and sends alerts for any changes in scheduling. Meeting planners can use this technology in the newly renovated classic meeting space that’s been transformed to mimic the modern, monochromatic feel of the hotel’s 3,420 square metre Event Centre that opened in 2009. (http://www.SwissotelChicago.com)