THE HOXTON Hotel CHICAGO
CHICAGO, IL
Each hotel in London-based Ennismore’s stunning portfolio is designed to reflect the uniqueness of its city and neighborhood. Forcade and GREC Architects worked with this global owner and developer of hospitality properties to bring their renowned level of detail and distinctiveness to The Hoxton Chicago.
We designed all of the hospitality signage and wayfinding throughout The Hoxton, spanning 182 guest rooms over seven floors, three restaurant/bar areas, a rooftop pool area, an event/conference space called “The Apartment” and two floors of coworking space.
Located in Chicago’s Fulton Market District, we took our design inspiration for The Hoxton by blending the artistic-obsessed present and industrial past of this dynamic West Loop neighborhood. Our goal was to create a bespoke interior design that made visitors feel a sense of seamless connectiveness between the hotel and the restaurants, galleries, boutiques and forward-thinking businesses just steps outside of it.
To match the neighborhood’s vibe of rawness and constant evolvement, we developed a striking solution. The signage throughout the hotel is a combination of unfinished brass that will age over time, raw blackened steel, custom gold leaf icons and messaging, and wayfinding hand-painted on walls and concrete in the space. We took an extraordinarily custom and detailed approach to hospitality signage and wayfinding that was purposefully designed to look nothing like typical hotel design.
Our meticulous attention to detail for expressing the hotel’s brand and personality began right outside the front entrance, where The Hoxton icon is made from brass and set in the concrete, making it feel like the hotel has always been part of the neighborhood.
Inside, we developed one-of-kind, illuminated guest room fixtures. After many rounds of mock-ups to test materials, scale, engineering and illumination, the final fixtures became a true thing of beauty. Made from custom milled brass pieces that stand off the wall and hold an illuminated dome showcasing the room number, the fixtures serve as a gorgeous gateway as guests go from the neighborhood to their rooms.
The Fulton Market District of Chicago is one of the most dynamic city neighborhoods in the United States, and Forcade helped make The Hoxton Chicago one of the area’s most distinctive destinations. The incredible level of thought and craftsmanship we put into this hospitality design package makes even navigating the space a memorable and remarkable experience in and of itself.
