citizenM, a global chain of affordable luxury hotels, has opened its first Chicago property—its fifth opening of 2022. Located on Michigan Avenue near the Chicago Riverwalk, the newly built, 47-story citizenM Chicago Downtown includes a 280-room hotel as well as 289 residential units and 25,000 square feet of retail space.
For the exterior 2,000-square-foot terrace and entrance walls, citizenM commissioned artist Nina Chanel Abney, who created an abstract artwork that pays tribute to the city while addressing race, gender, and politics. Other artworks throughout the hotel’s shared spaces include a neon piece in the bar area entitled Ding Dong Your Opinion Is Wrong by Daniel van Straalen, as well as works by Muntean/Rosenblum, Yngve Holen, and Rainer Fetting.
The hotel rooms and interiors took inspiration from the local community, with a mix of contemporary art, photography, and objects by Chicago artists. The hotel chain curated the in-room art in partnership with ArtLifting, a program for artists that have traditionally been underrepresented in the contemporary art market. ArtLifting enables artists who face a variety of challenges, from disabilities to homelessness, to secure income by selling their original paintings, prints, and products.
Designed by Chicago’s bKL, in collaboration with citizenM’s longstanding architecture partner, Concrete, the building features furnishings by Vitra, citizenM’s furniture partner. The guestrooms offer king-size beds, rain showers, widescreen HD TVs with streaming, and room controls (the blinds, temperature, TV, and lights) via an iPad. citizenM Chicago Downtown also has a 24/7 gym and three meeting rooms.
citizenM, which launched in 2008, now has 10 hotels in the U.S. and 27 worldwide, with plans to have 40 operational properties globally by 2024.
On the Building Team:
Owner and developer: Sterling Bay and citizenM
Design architect: Concrete (citizenM component), bKL (overall 300 N. Michigan Ave. building)
Architect of record: bKL
MEP engineer: Hill Group
Structural engineer: WSP
General contractor/construction manager: Linn-Mathes
Related Stories
Hotel Facilities | May 5, 2021
AC Hotel Fort Lauderdale Sawgrass Mills/Sunrise completes
Stantec designed the project.
Hotel Facilities | Apr 21, 2021
First newly constructed Signia by Hilton Hotel to be built in Atlanta
Signia by Hilton is a new upscale brand from Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc.
AEC Tech | Mar 4, 2021
The Weekly show, March 4, 2021: Bringing AI to the masses, and Central Station Memphis hotel
This week on The Weekly show, BD+C editors speak with AEC industry leaders about the award-winning Central Station Memphis hotel reconstruction project, and how Autodesk aims to bring generative design and AI tools to the AEC masses.
Market Data | Feb 24, 2021
2021 won’t be a growth year for construction spending, says latest JLL forecast
Predicts second-half improvement toward normalization next year.
Hotel Facilities | Feb 16, 2021
Santa Monica Professional Building restored into a modern hotel
Howard Laks Architects designed the project.
Modular Building | Jan 26, 2021
Offsite manufacturing startup iBUILT positions itself to reduce commercial developers’ risks
iBUILT plans to double its production capacity this year, and usher in more technology and automation to the delivery process.
Daylighting | Jan 16, 2021
Daylighting system creates 'an oasis in the city' for renovated hotel in downtown Minneapolis
Solatube daylighting systems were used to bring natural light into the lobby of the Midland Bank building in Minneapolis.
Giants 400 | Dec 16, 2020
Download a PDF of all 2020 Giants 400 Rankings
This 70-page PDF features AEC firm rankings across 51 building sectors, disciplines, and specialty services.
Giants 400 | Dec 3, 2020
2020 Hotel Sector Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. hospitality sector
Gensler, Jacobs, and Suffolk Construction top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest hotel sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2020 Giants 400 Report.
