#NowOpen – Building The Godfrey

Social Media Honors

We are excited to have successfully opened our second hotel under The Godfrey’s brand and thrilled with the warm reception we’ve received in the Downtown Crossing neighborhood.

Yesterday, we received more exciting news that our hotel is a finalist in the prestigious 8th Annual Shorty Awards, honoring our social media work. Our recognition in the hospitality category of the awards is a great honor and we’re excited to share our entry with you here. We highlighted details about this very blog and the reason we like giving our partners and guests a behind-the-scenes look at our hotel. We also shared our social media efforts we conducted leading up to and during our Boston opening.

As background, the Shorty Awards honor the best social media campaigns across many industries. You can see more about the awards on their website.

Thank you to all who have followed along in our journey from brand creation to opening our doors in both Chicago and Boston. And of course, thank you to the Shorty Awards for recognizing us.

Memorable Design Inspired by Cubism

We were honored to have Damjana Domanovac, Editor in Chief of the Croatian outlet and leading European tourist magazine Putovanja Za Dvoje, stay with us recently. The story, which will appear in Slovenian and German editions this fall, recognizes The Godfrey Hotel Chicago for its unique architectural design and indoor/outdoor events space.

A Google translation from the article says:

The memorable design of The Godfrey Hotel Chicago includes a beautiful facade inspired by Cubism. Every detail at this hotel was developed according to the wishes and expectations of visitors. Located in the city center, the hotel is near a multitude of interesting attractions, such as the Museum of Contemporary Art, Museum of Science and Industry, Millennium Park, Theater District, Willis Tower, John Hancock Observatory, Lincoln Park Zoo and many others. The hotel looks very nice and modern, and has 221 comfortable and spacious room. The fourth floor extends to almost 1400 m2 of indoor and outdoor space, and even 900 m2 of waste the space for organizing various events and business meetings. The Godfrey Chicago is a part of the brand The Godfrey Hotel, which boasts impressive architecture and interior design.

We pride ourselves on being a symbol of the Chicago skyline, and for hosting a wide variety of events on the Chicago social scene. To learn more about our hotel, and to make reservations for your next stay or event, visit our website at godfreyhotelchicago.com.

Q&A with Gettys Design Director Chris McDonough

Chris McDonough is Design Director at The Gettys Group, leading interior design for the guest rooms at The Godfrey Hotel Chicago. We spoke to him about where he started with the project, and about how he wanted guests to feel when they arrived at the hotel.

The Gettys Group Design Director Chris McDonough created an urban sanctuary when designing guest rooms at The Godfrey Hotel Chicago.

Q: What are some of your favorite features in the guest rooms?

A: From a guest experience and emotional response, my favorite aspect of the guest room is the overall feeling of sophisticated calm that the space provides. The subtle variance in the shower tile finish is a hidden design element that the guest can discover.

Q: Where did you start when designing the rooms? Or, what was the inspiration?

A: The boldness and the strength of the exterior architecture was obviously a design parameter that we had to consider. When considering the guest room design, our goal was to compliment the unique exterior but also provide an urban sanctuary for the guest from the energy of River North.

Q: What do you want guests to feel when they stay at The Godfrey Hotel Chicago?

A: We would like the guest to feel stylish and sophisticated, and that they have found a hidden, unique gem within the crowded Chicago hotel market.

To see more of our guest room photos, take a look at this blog post featuring the newly designed spaces. You can also learn more about guest room features at The Godfrey Hotel Chicago by clicking here.

Thank you Chris for conducting the Q&A.

Spring Improvements at IO Urban Roofscape

Chicago’s winter was a rough one – we heard new phrases on how to describe the deep freeze we withstood, including Chiberia, Polar Vortex (or really, Polar Vortices), among others. It felt like the worst winter ever but on the record books, it was only the third snowiest winter in Chicago’s history.

Now that spring is finally here, we’re rejoicing and beautifying our indoor-outdoor rooftop, I|O Urban Roofscape. Yesterday, we added more lounge seating, additional water elements and more flowers. You can see a photo below of the installation in progress.

Beautification at IO Urban Roofscape - Chicago's largest indoor-outdoor lounge. — Beautification at IO Urban Roofscape – Chicago’s largest indoor-outdoor lounge.

George Jordan, Area General Manger and SVP of Oxford Hotels & Resorts, relaxing for a minute at IO Urban Roofscape.

We love the new additions that add to the welcoming, lounge-feel to IO Urban Roofscape. Our Area General Manager and SVP of Oxford Hotels & Resorts, George Jordan (above), was spotted chilling out on our new lounges.

Be sure to stop by IO Urban Roofscape this spring. The restaurant just started serving full brunch on weekends, along with breakfast, lunch and dinner. To see the menu and details, visit http://www.iogodfrey.com. See you there.

Retractable Roof Education by Libart

Installing a retractable roof system like the one at IO Urban Roofscape takes much planning and preparation. Libart North America’s recent blog post explains how architects took a special retractable roof course with Libart Project Manager Jeff Manger prior to construction of The Godfrey Hotel Chicago.

Libart Project Manager Jeff Manger taught architects about retractable roof systems. (libartusa.com)

IO Urban Roofscape encompasses approximately 15,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space, with 10,000 square feet of lounge and event space – named for its captivating Indoor/Outdoor ambiance. Get started at the indoor bar with plush banquettes and a VIP area. Breeze through the sliding glass wall and you’ll find yourself sipping drinks at the outdoor bar during the day, after work, at night or on weekends in front of the commanding views of Chicago.

Indoor/outdoor paradise with our retractable roof system.

Experience IO Urban Roofscape, where you can enjoy the day and dress the night. Follow on Twitter and Instagram at @iogodfrey, or plan your next event. You can even see some of the various daytime or evening events we have hosted in the past by clicking here.