IHG Hotels and Resorts has announced plans to reposition an existing hotel in downtown Chicago as a dual-branded Holiday Inn and Voco property.
The Holiday Inn Wolf Point is located in the River North district of the city, and is attached to the four million square foot Merchandise Mart, which was the world’s largest building when it opened in 1930.
The hotel – which enjoys views of the three branches of the Chicago River – is currently undergoing “a complete renovation”, which will involve a portion of the building being converted into a Voco hotel
The rebranded property will offer a total of 521 rooms, with shared public spaces including the lobby, restaurants and 22,500 square feet of meeting space, and design led “by the Voco Hotels brand aesthetic throughout the common areas”.
The new dual-branded property is scheduled to open in 2022, and will also feature a fitness centre and indoor pool.
The Voco brand launched in 2018, and has around 20 properties open worldwide so far, with seven of these in the UK in locations including Oxford, Reading, Cardiff, Solihull, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Last year IHG announced plans to roll out the brand in the US, with The Franklin New York becoming the first property to join the collection in late 2020, and forthcoming hotels in New York City, St Augustine (Florida) and Columbia (Missouri).
Commenting on the news Julienne Smith, IHG’s senior vice president of development, said:
“Chicago is one of the most dynamic cities in the world and most popular travel destinations in the US. We believe the millions of travellers who visit this exciting part of the city each year will welcome the choice between Holiday Inn, the most trusted hotel brand in the US, and the upscale refinement of Voco. We congratulate Murphy Development Group on their vision for this project and look forward to working with them to bring this unique hotel to life.”
