Independent hotel developer Ian Schrager will officially open his latest property, the Public Chicago, on Oct. 11 in the Windy City.
Located in the heart of the posh Gold Goast neighborhood, Public Chicago was designed to offer luxury, comfort, and personalized service “at an affordable price,” according to the hotel’s website. Rates reportedly will start at $195 a night.
“The whole idea is there has to be value,” Schrager told The New York Times. “No $5 Hershey bars in the minibar and no $20 pots of room service coffee. People won’t accept that anymore.”
A revamp of the former Ambassador East Hotel, which was built in 1926, Public Chicago will have 285 rooms — 30 percent of which are suites — and include such amenities as a 24-hour fitness center, a lobby lounge specially designed for socializing (dubbed “The Living Room”); a 24-hour lobby minibar; a full-service business center; 8,600 square feet of meeting space; and the Pump Room, a restaurant with a local-food bent designed by 2011 James Beard award winner Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
The hotel is also debuting a new concept called Public Express, a 24-hour guest service for in-room dining, forgotten items or other requests that promises “no delivery charge or a typical 30-45 minute wait for room service.”
Public Chicago began previews the week of Sept. 12.