ILLINOIS
Journal Hotels unveiled the Ambassador Chicago hotel.
The property was built in 1926 and the new design
draws inspiration from the city’s Golden Age. The hotel
offers views of Lake Michigan and easy access to Michigan Avenue. The property features 285 guest rooms, a
24-hour fitness center, two restaurants and amenities
curated by Chicago-based artisans and chefs. The reconcepted restaurant is projected to open in late fall. The
hotel has 8,600 square feet of meeting and event space,
including the 17th floor meeting room with a terrace and
views of the city’s skyline. www.ambassadorchicago.com
IOWA
AJ Capital Partners acquired the Sheraton Iowa City,
which will undergo a renovation to convert into a Graduate hotel by summer 2018. The nine-story, 234-room
property is located on Iowa City’s Ped Mall near the
University of Iowa and features an indoor public walkway
connecting the hotel with direct access to the city’s Pedestrian Mall home to many restaurants, bars and retail
shops. The hotel offers over 13,000 square feet of meeting and event space, a fitness center, an indoor pool
and a restaurant. Plans for renovation include all guest
rooms, the restaurant, function spaces and the lobby. In
addition, Graduate Hotels will introduce a locally centric
food and beverage program. www.graduatehotels.com
MISSOURI
The Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel unveiled a
new restaurant and bar concept. Formerly Norah’s
Crafted Food & Spirits, Eero’s specializes contemporary
American cuisine with a Midwestern twist. The venue
is named after Eero Saarinen, the early 20th-century
Finnish-American architect whose work included the
St. Louis’ Gateway Arch. The design of the restaurant
incorporates nods to the city’s traditions, including the
blues, regional breweries and the aerospace industry.
The hotel features 388 guest rooms and more than
37,000 square feet of recently renovated meeting
space. www.marriott.com
The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis debuted its transformed
guest rooms and suites. The hotel’s 299 rooms now
feature muted color palettes, contemporary geometric
shapes, furnishings, new linens in blue and gray with
leather, and chrome accents. The new design extends
to guest room corridors. The second-floor meeting
rooms continue the modern design along with new
ergonomic chairs and updated accents reflecting
the same interiors seen in the hotel’s ballroom wing,
which was renovated last year. Overall, the property
boasts more than 30,000 square feet of meeting
space, including the 12,750-square-foot ballroom and
amphitheater with tiered desktop seating for 140. www.
ritzcarlton.com
Margaritaville Holdings and Driftwood Acquisitions
& Development announced the rebranding of the
Tan-Tar-A Resort in Central Missouri. The resort will
join Margaritaville’s portfolio. The 500-room lakefront
property is on 1, 150 miles of shoreline on Lake of the
Ozarks. Amenities include 27 holes of golf across two
courses, a 103-slip marina, eight food and beverage venues, a spa and salon, a fitness center and
numerous sports facilities, including tennis, basketball and beach volleyball courts. Indoor and outdoor
pools are located throughout the property as well as a
20,000-square-foot indoor waterpark. The resort also
offers more than 91,000 square feet of event space.
www.margaritaville.com
OHIO
The Renaissance Toledo Downtown Hotel opened its
doors in August. The 12-story hotel offers 241 guest
rooms and restaurants Brim House, on the first floor
with classic American cuisine and an open kitchen,
and The Heights, a rooftop bar offering views of the
Maumee River. The property has 18,000 square feet
of meeting space that includes three boardrooms, five
breakout rooms and the divisible 10,800-square-foot
Mosaic Ballroom. www.marriott.com
trending
HITTING IT
OUT OF
THE PARK
Wrigley is now drawing more than just baseball fans to the area. Chicago’s new American Airlines Conference Center is
located in the mixed-use office space at The Park
at Wrigley, adjacent to the ballpark.
The 5,300-square-foot conference center is
managed by Marquee Sports & Entertainment and
can host groups from 12 to 300. Four event spaces, including
the Home Plate
Room with an
outdoor terrace
overlooking The
Park at Wrigley
and views of the
city skyline, as
well as the aptly
named First
Base Room, Second Base Room and Third Base
Room, can be used as individual rooms for smaller
events or in its entirety.
“Whether a group wants to book a meeting
room during a high-energy summer Cubs game
or host a private party and skate on the outdoor
ice skating rink in December, Marquee Sports
& Entertainment is excited to offer a premier
customizable event space year-round,” Andy
Blackburn, co-managing director of Marquee
Sports & Entertainment, said.
Levy Restaurants is the on-site catering provider of the Wrigleyville conference center, and customizable menu options include classic ballpark
fare like a “Make Your Own Chicago Dog” station
and a doughnut sundae station for dessert.
The Park at Wrigley is a happening place both
during baseball season and off-season. On game
days it is a backyard for fans and on non-game
days there are farmers markets, community events,
festivals and concerts. There is also Budweiser
Brickhouse Tavern and Starbucks Reserve Bar.
Marquee Sports & Entertainment also books
other meeting and event spaces in addition to
The Park at Wrigley, including the nearby Hotel
Zachary and Wrigley Rooftops.
www.parkatwrigley.com
UPGRADES +OPENINGS
AMBASSADOR CHICAGO
THE RITZ-CARLTON, ST. LOUIS
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