Construction has begun on America’s premier upper-upscale Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel in the internationally-acclaimed Aqua tower in Chicago’s evolving Lakeshore East community.
A joint venture of developer Magellan Development Group and Carlson, a global hospitality and travel company, the Radisson Blu Aqua will occupy the first 18 floors of the mixed-use tower that was recently proclaimed “Skyscraper of the Year” by Emporis, the international building database.
This landmark building in Chicago is the perfect fit for the introduction of our first upper-upscale Radisson Blu property in the U.S.” says Thorsten Kirschke, president, Carlson Hotels, Americas. “Our Radisson Blu Hotels are well established in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and we are looking forward to offering the Radisson Blu experience to travelers in the U.S.”
Magellan President David Carlins says the hotel should be up and running in the fall of 2011. He expressed pleasure over the wordplay between a building named Aqua and a hotel concept named Blu. “Aqua Blu — it’s destiny” suggests Carlins.
CBRE Hotels acted as advisor to Magellan on this assignment to identify an upscale hotel operating partner for the dedicated hotel space in the Aqua mixed-use building. John Karver of CBRE Hotels notes, “The location coupled with the building’s extensive amenities will provide hotel guests with a truly unique experience that will be complemented by the international flair that has been created with Radisson Blu overseas.”
Designed to “create positive energy that resonates across the entire brand,” the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel is projected to cost USD 125 million.
Based in Minnetonka, Minn., Carlson encompasses more than 1,080 hotels in 77 countries, including more than 680 hotels in the Americas. Aqua, which combines residential and commercial space as well as the hotel, is widely recognized for outdoor terraces that differ in size and shape from floor to floor based on such criteria as views, solar shading and dwelling size/type that produce a strong connection to the outdoors and diverse cityscapes.
The hotel that completes the stunning 82-story Aqua tower designed by Studio Gang Architects will be a full service luxury facility with 334 guest rooms and suites on floors 4 through 18, a 12,500-square-foot ballroom with 20-foot-high ceilings overlooking The Park at Lakeshore East, 27,000 square feet of total meeting space and a 150-seat restaurant and bar.
Striking guest room interiors are being created by Swedish hospitality designer Christian Lundwall, who has been designing hotel rooms across Europe, the Middle East and Africa since the mid-1980s.
Carlson officials note that the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel interiors will be extraordinary since the successful launch of Blu hotels to the United States is a key part of the company’s strategic growth plan to align the U.S. brand with our global standards.
Radisson Blu Aqua guests will have access to more diverse amenities than in any major city, indoors and out. A distinctive 80,000-square-foot green roof and amenity deck features luxury gardens, gazebos, swimming pools and cabañas, a hot tub, running/walking trail, fire pit and grills.
Building amenities include extensive fitness facilities, an indoor lap pool, a spa featuring hot tubs, sauna, steam and massage room, a private party suite with catering kitchen, media room, billiards and game area, business center, and skygarden.
Rising in the heart of downtown Chicago, steps from world-class attractions Michigan Avenue and Millennium Park, Lakeshore East spans 28 acres, believed to be the largest parcel of downtown land under development in a major U.S. city. This $4 billion mixed-use development by Magellan Development Group in the rapidly growing New Eastside incorporates all the elements of a traditional city community, a lifestyle center that includes homes, retail, recreational opportunities and amenities such as a lush 6-acre public park and a planned elementary school.
For additional information, visit the web site, www.MagellanDevelopment.com.