Lobby – Building The Godfrey

Marble, Marble, Marble

As a boutique hotel, there are many characteristics and features that are unique to just our property in Boston. Our high standards and excellent guest service will be consistent with our Chicago flagship hotel. And, another consistency will be the beautiful use of marble in our lobby. Both properties have marble yet they won’t be exactly the same.

When guests enter our lobby in Boston’s Downtown Crossing, they will notice a luxurious, welcoming lobby with our team ready to greet them. We also are restoring some of the original character and charm of our building, including the original marble. During our site visit, we took photos of the original marble below. By opening, we will change the overall color but keep the beautiful look of the marble through restoration and preservation.

Original marble in our building, which will be restored during the building process.

And this is the “before!” We are excited to show you the “after.”

Just to jog your memory, Chicago’s lobby has gorgeous marble as well, which you can see in the photo below:

The Godfrey Hotel Chicago. Photo by Papadakis Photography.

Stay tuned for continued updates on our Boston property and let us know if you have questions.

Q&A with UrbanBuddy’s Paul Brogna

You’re standing in The Godfrey Hotel Chicago’s lobby with your friends, and you’re trying to decide where to eat dinner. Not one of you is from Chicago, so who do you ask for help? We have our in-person hotel concierge and our on-site touch screens to help you with these questions, but thanks to UrbanBuddy, you can now also download a unique, mobile concierge app directly to your phone.

The Godfrey Hotel Chicago's touch-screen concierge by UrbanBuddy creates a one-of-a-kind travel experience. — Get more information about UrbanBuddy on The Godfrey Hotel Chicago touch screens. You can scan the QRC code to download the app.

We talked to UrbanBuddy’s Paul Brogna about the vision behind their company, and how it helps travelers get the most out of visits to new cities:

Q: How did UrbanBuddy come about? What was the inspiration?

A: Our story began in Barcelona, Spain, where Pete and I spent a semester abroad in 2007 studying architecture. Barcelona is where we learned how valuable knowing a local really is, which became the catalyst to create UrbanBuddy. The inspiration came from one local named Keyan Pak, who was our go-to source for local information and really showed us the local way throughout our entire abroad experience.

Q: What are some of the best tips you would provide guests looking for something to do in Chicago? And in River North? We’ve noticed UrbanBuddy is great with hyper-local questions.

A: UrbanBuddy is a resource for hyper-local and on-demand information. For guests looking for something to do in Chicago, I would recommend downloading the app and ask our expert locals! After all, the service is about real-time information and not based on reviews or static content. For the best tips on what to do in Chicago, ask your UrbanBuddy and chat in real-time.

Q: Why should guests try using UrbanBuddy?

A: I think The New York Times put it best: “[UrbanBuddy is] like an in-the-know friend whispering in your smartphone.” Every traveler has questions, needs and a desire to be wowed and to seek out a local’s perspective. UrbanBuddy provides travelers with the platform and community they need to find the best answers.

UrbanBuddy Co-Founders Paul Brogna (left) and Pete Stam (right). — UrbanBuddy co-Founders Paul Brogna (left) and Pete Stam (right).

#TBT – The Godfrey Hotel Lobby

Our #ThrowbackThursday post this week zeros in on the beautiful lobby at The Godfrey Hotel Chicago! Take a look at where we were on Aug. 9, 2013, and how far we’ve come. Cozy up on our comfy seating by the window and watch passersby, or admire our artistic and modern statement chandelier in the lobby. #TBT

The construction of the lobby on Aug. 9, 2013.

Window seating to your right when you walk into the hotel.

Rest in Comfort and Style

Headboards are here! We take a good night’s sleep very seriously here at The Godfrey Hotel, so we’re currently putting together dream-like guest rooms complete with stylish details to make your stay with us that much more comfortable. Stay tuned to see what they look like in the rooms!

Boxes holding mirrored wardrobes and queen-sized headboards were delivered to the lobby this week.

We can’t wait to see what these headboards look like out of the boxes and in the guest rooms!

A Warm Welcome with a Shining Chandelier

As guests enter our hotel, we hope they will feel warm and welcome. So much so, the very word “Godfrey” means peace and welcome. We previously blogged about the importance of the lobby and making a great first impression (cliche and all!). We want our guests to experience a chic and sophisticated lobby and a key feature of that is the chandelier we just installed.

We caught up with Chris McDonough, design director at GETTYS – the firm responsible for our sophisticated and contemporary interior design. Chris said the marble-clad oval shaped lobby provides a welcoming experience for the guest with the large concentric ring pendant serving as a focal point. While visible from the street as well, this fixture reflects the strong geometry of the building and establishes the upscale feel for the property upon arrival.

Below is a first look at our chandelier, along with a flashback to the space pre-installation.

Location for the Godfrey's chandelier — Location for the Godfrey’s chandelier (Aug. 2013)

Guests may feel stressed from the hustle and bustle of travel and upon entering our hotel, we hope they feel the surprise and delight of our beautiful space. After all, we are designing with the guests’ experience in mind.