CHICAGO — Hotel Essex, a luxury hotel located on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue adjacent to Grant Park, has been rebranded as Le Méridien Essex Chicago. Oxford Hotels & Resorts LLC owns the asset in joint venture with Quadrum Global. The property will continue to operate as an independent hotel until it officially joins the Marriott Bonvoy family this summer.
The property reopened in 2019 after undergoing a multimillion-dollar transformation from Essex Inn into Hotel Essex. Each of the 274 guestrooms include a workstation, 55-inch smart TV, refrigerator and luxury linens. The onsite fitness center features workout equipment by Peloton, Star Trac, Life Fitness and Powermill. Guests can dine at Grant Park Bistro, a modern French grill, or SX Sky bar, a lounge with space for meetings and events. A Marriott brand, Le Méridien features a European flair and mid-century modern design aesthetic.
“We’re always looking for ways to optimize the performance and value of our hotels and as leisure and business travel regains momentum this year, and in the years ahead, we felt combining forces with Le Méridien was a prudent, strategic move,” says John Rutledge, founder, president and CEO of Oxford.