LondonHouse Offers Luxury At The Start Of Chicago
The hotel offers one of the city’s best rooftop views
(The cupola on the LondonHouse roof)
Location: Chicago, IL
Perfect For: A luxury stay that puts you in the center of Chicago’s Loop and Magnificent Mile.
LondonHouse Chicago has a motto: It starts here. For most hotels, the phrase would simply suggest the beginning of a relaxing escape. But for the luxury property on the edge of Chicago’s downtown Loop district, it means much more.
“We're on the site of Fort Dearborn, which is where essentially Chicago was born,” LondonHouse General Manager Juan Leyva tells A HOTEL PODCAST. “And that's where it started was in Fort Dearborn. If you look outside on the street, there's gold placards on the ground that say…‘Site of Fort Dearborn.’”
The hotel’s history extends beyond just Fort Dearborn. In 1923, architect Alfred S. Alschuler’s London Guarantee and Accident building was completed. The building would go on to become home to The London House jazz and supper club from the ‘50s into the ‘70s, featuring performances from talent like Ramsey Lewis, Herbie Hancock, and other stars of the time.
“I think what you get with us is you get a true Chicago experience. You're getting an iconic view down the Chicago River. You see the Marina Towers. I refer to it as the urban Grand Canyon. You get amazing sunrises and sunsets from both the rooftop and the guest rooms that are facing that way.” - Don Barnett
Nearly a century later, development firm Oxford Capital Group, LLC would buy the building in 2013, transitioning it to a high end hotel. By spring 2016, LondonHouse was open, complete with the addition of a Goettsch Partners-designed glass tower.
(For more about Goettsch Partners, check out the recent Dynasty Podcasts interview with GP Partner Paul De Santis.)
Upon arrival, guests head to the second floor lobby to check in, greeted by floor to ceiling windows looking out at Chicago’s upper Wacker Drive.
“We always feel as a company and personally that front desk check in area, you need to have an adjacent lobby bar. Then that gives the hotel its soul,” Leyva explains. “And it's kind of a vibe when you walk in. When you walk into a hotel and there's no F&B or lobby bar or area for drinks or anything like that, it's kind of just a transaction. But when there's a lobby bar, there's a musician playing, people having tea, or the Christmas tree when we put it up for the holidays, it gives the lobby its soul and its life.”
Upstairs, guests can enjoy a number of distinct amenities and design choices in the hotel’s rooms, including Nespresso machines with China dishes, smart fridges, and non-digital clocks that Leyva calls “old school.’ Guests can also use the Hilton app to access their streaming services like Netflix and Hulu.
(A LondonHouse guest room)
LondonHouse’s biggest draw can be found on its roof, where hotel guests and locals can enjoy one of the city’s best publicly available elevated views, looking out at the Chicago River dividing The Loop and River North.
(The LondonHouse rooftop view)
The rooftop is a hotspot during Chicago’s warmer months. (“Weekends in the summer probably is when my phone is the busiest for people trying to get reservations,” Leyva reveals.) An extensive F&B menu is available onsite.
“Having been built in the 1920s, (architect Alfred S. Alschuler) took a cue from that roaring twenties style. So throughout the hotel, you'll see kind of both a feminine and masculine representation.” - Don Barnett
One floor above the rooftop lounge is the hotel’s iconic and exclusive cupola, which Don Barnett, the hotel’s Director of Sales and Marketing, calls “such a great and iconic space for doing things like proposals or first look photos for weddings. We have a number of photo shoots in the summer and then also just a number of private events throughout the year.”
Hear more from Leyva and Barnett on A HOTEL PODCAST, as the LondonHouse leads share their respective career journeys that brought them to the hotel, speak on the addition of the LondonHouse’s glass tower, delve into the array of F&B options available onsite, and more.
Find more via LondonHouse. And subscribe for more from A Hotel Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.
Video produced by Gaby Dupont.