Marriott Marquis Chicago Makes Its Grand Debut

Marriott Marquis Chicago (2121 S. Prairie) is thrilled to announce that it is officially open to the public. The largest hotel to open this year in Chicago, and the largest Marriott to open in North America in 2017, the property brings 1,205 guest rooms, including 44 suites, to the burgeoning entertainment and convention district of McCormick Square. Marriott Marquis Chicago is directly connected to the country's largest convention center, McCormick Place, and is adjacent to the new 10,000-seat Wintrust Arena. Beyond its immense 40-story presence, the arrival of the hotel revolutionizes meeting and business accommodation standards in Chicago.

Hotel Design

Designed by Chicago-based Anderson/Miller Ltd., in collaboration with design architect Gensler, the interior of the property embodies the philosophy that everything matters. The hotel is rooted in the ethos of Chicago, with a strong, unpretentious and clean contemporary design. The new modern glass hotel connects to the historic American Book Company building, originally built in 1912, creating a unique architectural juxtaposition of old meets new. Beautiful and practical overall, the property is ideal for the sophisticated business traveler. Upon entering the lobby, guests are welcomed into a natural and calming environment, with rich white oak millwork, supple leathers, and modern seating keeping the space elevated yet inviting. Angular motifs carry throughout the tower, taking cues from Chicago's many bridges, as well as the building's exterior structure itself. Furnishings are fresh and contemporary throughout. The guest rooms embody a high level of comfort with minimal and thoughtful design touches in cool shades of grey and white to complement the incredible exterior view of the city. To further invite the city in, each room features unique lightbox artwork – the first of its kind within a hotel room – depicting various Chicago bridges and locations. Of the 1,161 regular guest rooms, there are 26 club kings, 461 kings, and 674 doubles.

Meeting Spaces

The property boasts 93,000-square-feet of high-tech meeting and event space, including two 25,000-square-foot ballrooms and 43,000-square-feet of breakout meeting rooms. The Junior and Grand ballrooms, meant for corporate and social functions, are amongst the largest in the city and the only ones to feature dramatic views of the city skyline. Each ballroom has a floating ceiling plane comprised of repetitive angles that add creative depth and dimension to the 30-foot ceilings. The American Book Company building boasts 29 meeting rooms varying in size, along with centralized lounges with soft seating and charging areas on each floor. Custom carpet designs are prominent throughout the space to pay homage to the neighborhood, including a V-shaped design meant to evoke tread marks as a subtle nod to nearby Motor Row. A 4,000-square-foot event space on the 33rd floor will open later this year and ensure a stunning atmosphere, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering unobstructed 180-degree views of Chicago and Lake Michigan.

Marriott Marquis Chicago Art Program

Elevating the lobby, hallways, and various corridors of the hotel are commissioned art pieces from more than 30 Chicago-based artists, defying the common assumption that hotel art is merely a decoration. The collection, which was fully curated by Anderson/Miller Ltd., features the work of notable and influential Chicago artists across various mediums, including Matthew Hoffman, Wesley Kimler, Amanda Williams and more. Each was asked to create a piece inspired by the hotel, its location and the surrounding city environment. The works displayed in the public areas of the hotel also include a video-enabled QR code, so guests can conduct their own tour of the pieces using their smartphones. To celebrate these artists, the design team collaborated with Chicago-based AudioTree to produce a special video available in guest rooms, featuring exclusive details about the inspiration of each piece through interviews. Guests are invited to access this content through a dedicated television channel.

Elevated Food & Beverage Offerings

Marriott Marquis Chicago is excited to announce the opening of its new restaurant concept, Woven & Bound. Situated in the hotel’s expansive, two-story Great Room, Woven & Bound is an American Brasserie inspired by the diverse culture of Chicago. The hotel and restaurant’s culinary vision is helmed by Executive Chef Joshua Murray, who most recently served as executive chef at Phoenix Renaissance Downtown. Throughout his 16-year career, Chef Murray has held positions at multiple private upscale restaurants, like Westfield’s Marriott in Virginia, Harbor Beach Marriott in Ft. Lauderdale, JW Marriott Desert Springs in Palm Desert, and The Lodge at Sonoma Renaissance in California. Accolades and honors accompanied him along the way, including gold, bronze and silver medals in American Culinary Federation competitions, restaurant awards, as well as being featured in numerous signature chef events. Chef Murray’s new concept is a way to pay homage and respect to the city of Chicago, a place that embraced him on this latest venture. The restaurant draws inspiration from the Midwest, Chicago, and the South Loop neighborhood, specifically. A playful nod to the adjacent American Book Company Building, the restaurant is named Woven & Bound because Chef Murray gathered local elements, wove them with his own flavor and bound them together in refreshingly unique dishes, like a book. The breakfast, lunch and dinner menus incorporate big and bold flavors, challenging the palate. The dinner menu will rotate seasonally, with current standout dishes including the House Smoked Pork Belly made with a Koval bourbon date glaze, candied pistachios and pickled watermelon rind, which incorporates Chef Murray’s Virginia roots and love of smoking meats. He also embraces the diverse culture of Chicago with the Wild Mushroom Pierogi. A reference to the previous nickname of the South Loop, the decadent Vice District Burger is made with grass-fed beef, avocado, pork pâté, fried egg, tomato, Wisconsin cheddar and black garlic aioli on brioche. Those looking for a seafood option will enjoy the Grilled Indian Brook Trout, served with a fennel thyme glaze, carrot puree, rainbow chard and baby turnips. The lunch menu features a variety of salads and lighter dishes – perfect for hotel guests, convention visitors or locals looking for new lunchtime dining options – like the Toasted Quinoa Bowl, made with grilled corn, tomatoes, cipollini onions, Fresno chilies, cilantro and black beans, and the Apricot Brie & Noble Star Ranch Bacon Panini. Woven & Bound also serves breakfast, with popular items like Breakfast Risotto with eggs, steel cut oats, caramelized onions, mushrooms, arugula, roasted heirloom tomatoes, and the Stockyard Hash, featuring house-smoked chicken, poached eggs, onions, peppers, corn and a chipotle hollandaise. Woven & Bound boasts an extensive beverage program with an impressive beer list, wines available by glass, bottle and draft, and a carefully curated craft cocktail menu. Featured cocktails include the Dram Shop with Bulleit Rye, Bitterman’s Pimento Dram, Cynar, walnut bitters and a lemon swath; and the First Bloom with Tanqueray, Cocchi Americano Rosa, rose simple, orange blossom water, lemon juice, egg white, and cream. The Great Room not only houses Woven & Bound, but also the 2121 Pantry, which serves quick, fresh bites that can be enjoyed throughout the hotel and offered as room service. A U-shaped bar anchors the large space, and a community kitchen can be seen through glass paneling, serving as a private dining room or intimate chef’s table for special dinners. The vast, bright space features seating ideal for dining, working or meeting, and includes thoughtful details from the tremendous Bauhaus-inspired custom light fixture that connects the space overhead, to table tops created in collaboration with a local Chicago skateboard deck designer.

Hotel Amenities

Additional hotel amenities include fiber optic high-speed internet connectivity, a state-of-the-art fitness facility open 24 hours a day and the M Club Lounge, an elevated space offering Marriott Reward members a variety of luxuries, including a sophisticated workspace and complimentary breakfast, appetizers and cocktails. Access to the M Club Lounge can also be added to any guest's stay for an additional fee. There is also a business center and FedEx office on-property as an added convenience for guests. For more information on the hotel, please visit www.marriottmarquischicago.com. Follow along with Marriott Marquis Chicago on Facebook at @MarquisCHI, and Twitter and Instagram at @Marquis_Chicago.