Additional Accommodations Breeze Into The Windy City
<B>Additional Accommodations Breeze Into The Windy City</B>
By Robert Selwitz
Though Chicago has an abundance of rooms, business travelers trying to find last-minute accommodations often go to great lengths (literally) to find lodging, particularly when conventions have devoured all the room space. Some relief, however, is in sight.
More than 3,000 rooms--in center city as well as at the Chicago O'Hare Airport and the nearby Rosemont area--recently have opened, completed major renovations or are on the way. As well, the construction of a new conference center and improvements to inter- and intra-city travel infrastructure should pave the way for a smoother business experience in the Windy City.
With a total of 105,509 rooms in the downtown and outlying areas--putting Chicago at or above the sums available in both Orlando and Las Vegas--due largely to heavy meeting and convention traffic, "we encounter 'hotel wipeouts' a third of all nights" said Bryan Lewis, who heads PRA Destination Management's Chicago offices. Then, he said, it's not "unusual for those insisting on a roof over their heads to find inns with rooms near, at or over the Illinois/Wisconsin or Illinois/Indiana borders."
Chicago does offer "excellent transportation links, which makes it possible for visitors to book rooms quite far from center city, yet move back and forth quite easily while avoiding heavy road traffic," Lewis added.
When they can book rooms at one of Chicago's established properties, according to BTN's Corporate Travel Index (<I>BTN</I>, Feb. 8), travelers are charged an average of $183 per night--making Chicago the fourth most expensive business destination in the United States. Although new properties will add more rooms--perhaps alleviating some of the supply problems--if Chicago follows other city trends, rates likely will not be affected.
Among the properties under construction or on the proverbial drawing board is a new $75 million, 450-room Omni Rosemont Hotel. Amenities will include high-speed Internet access and more than 25,000 square feet of meeting and function space. Also scheduled to debut in the next two years are properties flying the flags of Embassy Suites, Park Hyatt and Sofitel.
The debut of the $80 million, 415-room Sofitel Chicago Water Tower Hotel is set for July 14, 2001. The centrally located Sofitel will feature 11 meeting rooms offering a combined total of 6,600 square feet, plus an additional 5,700-sq.-ft. grand ballroom.
Scheduled for a late spring debut is a 203-room Park Hyatt Chicago, which will occupy the first 19 floors of a 67-story structure overlooking Michigan Avenue. The balance of the building will feature 117 luxury condominiums and upscale retail outlets. Within the hotel will be more than 78,000 square feet of meeting space.
Beyond the influx of new hotel rooms, there is more construction tidings for business travelers. "For years, visitors have enjoyed the "blue line" subway that quickly connects center city with Rosemont and O'Hare airport for $1.50 per ride," said Lewis. Following that tradition, work now is underway to smooth passage between the heart of the city and McCormick Place, where 2.2 million square feet of exhibit space support its claim of being the nation's largest exposition and trade show facility.
Southeast of center city, getting to and from McCormick often is challenging, particularly when Chicago's rush hour and show or function closing hours occur at the same time. To speed these trips, a two-way dedicated bus lane, running strictly between the facility and major downtown hotels, is being built. It will be parallel to Columbus Street as it runs alongside the Illinois Central Railroad tracks. Since this roadway only will be accessible to special shuttle buses, convention authorities promise conventioneers and delegates will enjoy real time savings when the roadway opens early next year.
The Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau also reported that a 140,000-sq.-ft., two-story conference center is being built on Martin Luther King Drive, across from the McCormick Place South Building and the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place. In addition to 25 new meeting rooms and two event halls, the facility will offer a lecture hall, banquet kitchen and adjacent parking garage accommodating 2,500 cars. The center and parking garage should be ready for business by the fall of 2001.
Also on Chicago's South Side is Midway Airport, the city's second landing option. Business travelers have long appreciated Midway's location--a relatively quick and inexpensive cab ride from McCormick Place, and significantly closer to Chicago's downtown hotels than O'Hare. Now, thanks to an ongoing $761 million terminal development project--scheduled to be finished in 2003--Midway's appeal will be enhanced. Improvements will include a modern terminal, with 11 new gates--twice as large as the present facility; a 3,150-space parking garage within walking distance of the terminal; and improved roadway access.
Ultimately, the airport is being designed to accommodate 17 million people annually, more than 60 percent larger than the present 11 million capacity.