Chicago, IllinoisChicago Loop
Chicago Athletic Association
Gilded-Age athletic playground
Chicago Loop Chicago, Illinois
Opened
2015
Price
$$$
Rated for
Design Heritage SocialOutside the door
The house
MarriottGilded-Age athletic playground
Once an exclusive 1890s sporting club, the landmark now operates as a high-spirited gathering space filled with vintage games and crackling fireplaces.
“Walk through that expansive by Roman & Williams–designed room, where light beams in through ornate stained-glass windows, and you enter a warren of table games and darts”
What it’s good at
Remarkable
Pommel-horse benches and tennis-racket black-lacquer armoires evoke vintage athletic club culture.
Remarkable
An 1893 Venetian Gothic landmark with restored bas-relief fireplaces and nineteenth-century stained glass.
Remarkable
Cindy's glass rooftop terrace overlooking Millennium Park and the sprawling Drawing Room lounge.
What they say
One Michelin Key
Michelin
Also in Condé Nast Traveler and AFAR.
It’s not just any old building, but a beautiful old building, and there are clearly plenty of tricks left up Roman and Williams’s collective sleeve.
Right in the middle
Well-located: walkable to some things, a short ride to more.
Set directly on Michigan Avenue in the Loop, the hotel sits right across from Millennium Park and the Art Institute of Chicago.
The rooms
Rooms channel vintage athletic culture with custom leather pommel-horse benches, brass beds, and black-lacquer armoires reminiscent of classic tennis racquets.
The gym
Wooden stall bars, vintage vaulting boxes, and modern cardio equipment fill the 24-hour fitness center beneath an illustrated calisthenics frieze.
Dogs stay too.
At the table
Billiards and shuffleboard tables fill the second-floor Game Room. The bar serves local craft beer and classic cocktails.
Time transporting, in the best possible way. The Venetian Gothic exterior gives way to 19th-century interior of carved stone fireplaces, terrazzo floors, and leaded glass, all freshly restored.
How it began
Architect Henry Ives Cobb completed the Venetian Gothic clubhouse for the 1893 World's Fair, drawing inspiration from Venice's Doge's Palace.
Good to know
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Chicago Athletic Association
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Our shorthand
How we rate hotels.
The medals
Gold
Extremely rare. Sets the global standard.
Silver
Brilliant execution. And we’re picky.
Bronze
They did this well. You’ll notice.
Listed
A defining trait. Makes the hotel what it is.
The eight vibes
Design
Built around a vision. Even the door handles have a designer.
Luxe
Cared for at every turn. The bath is drawn before you ask.
Local
It could only be here. You wake up knowing where you are.
Social
Where the city goes out. The bar is full and the night is young.
Heritage
A building with a story. Once a palace, a monastery, a station.
Wellness
You leave feeling new. Rest, sweat, soak and sleep like a stone.
Classic
The city grew up with it. Same rituals, same regulars, same bar.
Resort
A world of its own. Something to do from breakfast to nightcap.
The scene
Lively
Where things happen: restaurants, shops, people.
Central
Well-located: walkable to some things, a short ride to more.
Quiet
Away from the crowds. Getting around takes intention.
Secluded
A place apart: the property is the destination.