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The Chicago Athletic Association Livens Up Downtown Chicago

By Ann Binlot Nov 22, 2015 1:29 AM

the chicago athletic association livens up downtown alan shortall 6 — 1. A room at the Chicago Athletic Association
2. The Game Room at the Chicago Athletic Association
3. A room at the Chicago Athletic Association

the chicago athletic association livens up downtown game room 2 credit clayton hauck — 1. A room at the Chicago Athletic Association
2. The Game Room at the Chicago Athletic Association
3. A room at the Chicago Athletic Association

Don’t be fooled by its name. The Chicago Athletic Association may not be a good name for a hotel (I immediately thought I was going to be staying in some sort of YMCA), but it’s actually a luxury boutique hotel that is perfect for Manual readers. The Chicago Athletic Association gets its name from the private athletic club that was started some of the biggest families in the sports industry — Wrigley, Comiskey, and Spalding — that used the building as its home. It reopened this year as a 241-room hotel with 17,000 square feet of event space.

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Each room was meticulously put together by Roman & Williams, the firm behind the Boom Boom Room, the Ace Hotel in New York, and the Facebook cafeteria in Menlo Park. Some rooms have features like boxing bags and pommel horses, keeping in tune with the heritage of the hotel’s home. C.O. Bigelow toiletries come with each room to make sure you’re smelling fresh before a night out. If you’re in the mood for a drink or a meal, the hotel also has several spaces for socializing, like Cindy’s, a rooftop bar that has prime views of the Chicago skyline and Millennium Park, or the Game Room, which has plenty of activities like bocce ball, billiards, shuffleboard and chess to keep you busy for an afternoon or evening.

Stagg Court, the Chicago Athletic Association basketball court has been fully restored and doubles as a place to work out, or an event space. My most favorite feature of the Chicago Athletic Association hotel was the Shake Shack located downstairs. So next time you’re in Chicago, book a room at the Chicago Athletic Association hotel. If you have the same taste as us, you’ll love every minute of it.

For more information, visit chicagoathletichotel.com.

Ann Binlot is a New York-based freelance writer who contributes to publications like The Economist, Wallpaper*, Monocle… Read Full Bio

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