Amalfi Hotel Chicago
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The Amalfi Hotel Chicago is a 215-room boutique-style hotel, located near the corner of State Street and Kinzie Street, in the River North District, in downtown Chicago, Illinois, within walking distance of the Chicago Loop.[1]
The Amalfi, named “Best New Hotel in Chicago” in July 2005 by Travel + Leisure magazine, was named for the Amalfi Coast in southern Italy.[2] The name of the hotel is derived from that of the beautiful nymph in Greek mythology, Amalfi, who was loved by Hercules.[3]
The Italian-made decor of the hotel is contemporary, warm and reminiscent of the Amalfi township in Italy. The hotel infuses colors of orange, earth tones, blue and green hues with wave-motif wall treatments, carpeting and vintage-style photographs of the Amalfi Coast in each room.
In addition, to the Italian décor, the hotel is well-known for its unique check-in experience[clarification needed], pet-friendliness,[4] and staff whose titles are supposedly named for their roles. The general manager of the hotel has assigned staff roles, instead of job titles. He believes it will give them purpose and meaning beyond the ordinary. Doormen are Impressionists, and our guests check in with one of the Experience Designers, Housekeepers become Comfort Stylists and even the General Manager is the Maestro.[5]
[edit] History
The Amalfi Hotel Chicago, which occupies the first six floors of the 17-story Dearborn Plaza, 20 W. Kinzie St., opened to the public on February 3, 2004. Kinzie Street Hotel Investors LLC, a group that included representatives of the Cataldo family, Jupiter Realty Corp. and the Joel Stone Family of Stone-Levy LLC, invested $6 million to remake the property, which had previously been the 10 West Hotel in Chicago. Hostmark Hospitality was selected as the management company for the hotel.[6]
The Amalfi was the vision of Robert J. Cataldo, Hostmark Hospitality Group President and Chief Operating Officer,[7] with the concept that a hotel should be built around the guest experience. This involved a tailored approach to market research and a concentrated effort to design every aspect of the property with a specific client audience in mind.[7] This ideal has governed the physical design, services, and standards with which the hotel was created and currently operates.
In June 2007, Kinzie Street Hotel Investor group sold the property to Cornerstone Real Estate Advisors LLC, the current owner of the hotel. Cornerstone was retained by Hostmark Hospitality Group as the management company for the Amalfi.
Hostmark Hospitality is an independent hotel management firm based in Schaumburg, Illinois.[8]
[edit] References
- ^ Novogrod, Nancy and Finamore, Roy. “The Best of 2006: The World’s Greatest Hotels, Resorts, and Spas". New York: American Express Publishing Corporation, 2006. 43
- ^ Wisecarber, Kelly. “Chicago’s Amalfi Hotel Gift Wraps Guests This Holiday Season.” Sage Marketing & Public Relations
- ^ "Amalfi Coast Weddings". http://www.amalficoastweddings.com.
- ^ Wisecarber, Kelly. “Amalfi Hotel Chicago Gets Dog Gone Deluxe.” Sage Marketing & Public Relations
- ^ Mueller Schulte, Megg. “We stay, we stray…hotel staff is the key”, USATODAY.com, February 5, 2004
- ^ Bergen, Kathy. “Hotels: Property Was Housing for Airline Crews.” Chicago Tribune 2 Feb. 204: No. 31. Section 4
- ^ "hostmark.com". http://www.hostmark.com.
- ^ "Bergen, Kathy. “Hostmark Hospitality Group Rooms Out the Amalfi; A 215-room Retrofitted Boutique Hotel in Chicago” Chicago Tribune/Tribune Business News. 3 Feb. 2004". http://hotel-online.com/News/PR2004_1st/Feb04_Amalfihtml.
