#SiteVisit – Page 5 – 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.

The Great Collaboration

Opening a hotel doesn’t happen overnight, especially when the building requires extensive construction and design to make it happen. Led by Oxford Hotels and Resorts, our hotel has a collaborative effort of skilled and experienced teams to make the opening of the next Godfrey Hotel a success.

The team includes:

Oxford Capital Group and Oxford Hotels and Resorts, LLC as the lead developer and hotel management.
Finegold Alexander Architects – Their firm specializes in restoration of historical buildings, which is perfect for our building to preserve some of its historical character that dates back to the early 1900s.
Tishman Construction Corp of MA – Headquartered in Boston, this team leads our construction of the two buildings becoming one hotel.
GETTYS – They will lead our interior design and design architecture. The global firm is a powerhouse in interior design with a perfect mixture of style, luxury and comfort for our hotel.
McNamara/Salva, Inc – They are our trusted partners in structural engineering.
Howard/Stein-Hudson Associates, Inc. – They are the civil engineers with a specialty in complex projects.

In addition, we are thrilled to collaborate and work with the great city of Boston and the Boston Redevelopment Authority.

A collaborative team to make this project a success.

The Godfrey Hotel Boston – underway. #SiteVisit

We’ll continue to keep you updated on the progress and development of the hotel. More to come in this exciting development of The Godfrey Boston!

Throwback Thursday – A Look Back at the Construction of I|O Urban Roofscape

It’s Throwback Thursday (or #ThrowbackThursday or just #TBT) and we want to take a look back at the construction and progress of I|O Urban Roofscape. From the beginning, the team envisioned what I|O Urban Roofscape is today: a rooftop lounge with uninterrupted views of Chicago’s southern skyline. I|O’s rooftop lounge offers panoramic views, a fire pit, shimmering water elements, a video wall and our famed retractable roof. It boasts approximately 15,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting and event space.

But first, it was simply a blank canvas. Take a look at this #TBT photo below from Feb. 15, 2013 (more than one year ago), which shows I|O Urban Roofscape in the beginning. This was from one of our many #SiteVisits and you can see parts of the impressive skyline view as initial surveying is completed.

Flash forward to Dec. 5, 2013 and you can see our one-of-a-kind retractable roof being installed. A photo is below:

Then, take a look at I|O Urban Roofscape today – an indoor bar with plush banquette seating, a VIP area and more. Guests and Chicagoans can step outside and walk past the sliding glass wall to the outdoor lounge. It makes for the perfect place to sip cocktails at the outdoor bar or enjoy lunch while taking in Chicago’s skyline. No matter the weather, I|O Urban Roofscape offers the perfect escape and is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night bites. To view I|O’s menu, please click here.

Following are photos showing how the breath-taking rooftop lounge has evolved into Chicago’s newest hotspot:

The entry of I|O Urban Roofscape at The Godfrey Hotel Chicago.

The indoor bar at IO Urban Roofscape at The Godfrey Hotel Chicago.

It all comes together when you take a look at the photos from start to finish – and of course, we hope to see you soon at The Godfrey’s I|O Urban Roofscape.

#ThrowbackThursday - A look at how I|O Urban Roofscape evolved from a blank canvas to Chicago's rooftop lounge with a retractable roof, fire pit and shimmering water elements. — #ThrowbackThursday – A look at how I|O Urban Roofscape evolved from a blank canvas to Chicago’s rooftop lounge with a retractable roof, fire pit and shimmering water elements.

#TBT – I|O Urban Roofscape

It’s #ThrowbackThursday and we’re celebrating the beautiful rooftop dining experience at I|O Urban Roofscape! The photo below was taken on June 26, 2013 during construction at The Godfrey Hotel Chicago.

I|O Urban Roofscape during construction on June 26, 2013.

Flash forward to today and we’re now open!

I|O Urban Roofscape with the retractable roof closed - perfect for any-weather parties! — I|O Urban Roofscape with the retractable roof closed – perfect for any-weather parties!

Outdoor event seating at I|O Urban Roofscape.

The retractable roof opens for beautiful weather!

#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