Coming to America: Radisson Blu Will Debut in Chicago

This is music to our ears. Radisson Blu-- one of our fave hotel brands in Europe-- will be opening a property in North America. To be located on 18 floors of Chicago's Aqua Tower, the $125 million hotel is slated for fall 2011. With a "distinct, undulating facade," the new building will offer Chicago residents some serious eye candy. (And hotel guests will get awesome city views from their room balconies.) What's to love about the brand? Swank business class rooms, city-center locations, and free Internet, to start. (Just read our review of the Radisson Blu Vieux Port in Marseille.) To quote the AP:

The space was originally reserved to expand the adjacent Fairmont Chicago, but Strategic Hotels and Resorts backed out after the meltdown, writing off a $28 million down payment and some $8 million in development costs... About half the $125 million cost will pay to develop and furnish the guest rooms and common areas. The other $62.5 million secures Radisson's joint ownership of the Aqua tower with Magellan Development, which will handle the 63 other floors containing condos and apartments. That makes the buy one of the year's most expensive, behind only three other single-property deals — the $200 million Tropicana Casino and Resort in Atlantic City, N.J.; the $112 million Hyatt Regency Boston and the $95 million Sofitel Washington, D.C., according to CB Richard Ellis data.

Image Via Daily Tonic

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