Two relatively new hotel properties in Chicago offer guests quite different experiences and environments.

In 2022, Emily Hotel Chicago opened within Fulton Market, the city’s former 19^th-century meatpacking district now a gentrified, trendy destination within the city’s West Loop neighborhood. After The Emily’s corporate owners purchased the former ACE Hotel for $63 million, the owners rebranded its name, remodeled much of the property, added two excellent dining venues, and created a snazzy and eclectic new hotel on the site. Located directly across the street from Google’s Chicago office building, the hotel’s occupancy rate has never slacked off, even during the transition from ACE to The Emily.

Selva © The Emily Hotel

The first new restaurant to open at the 159-room Emily was the Mexican restaurant Selva, a seventh-floor rooftop bar/restaurant with plenty of plants; a Latin American atmosphere; and a bird’s-eye view of The Cinema Club, an outdoor movie venue with comfortable deck chairs, located on a large terrace above the hotel’s fifth floor, weather permitting.

Following the Selva opening, a ground-floor dining venue called Fora was next, a beautifully designed space with both indoor and outdoor dining. Fora is open all day, from early breakfasts to lunches and late-night dinners. While the rooftop Selva features craft mezcal cocktails and live music at night, Fora offers a Tulum vibe with super-fresh ceviches and other Mexican foods. Popular cocktails include the Fora Margarita; house daiquiri; and the Maestro, with Emily Hotel’s single-barrel Dobel tequila, Campari, Luxardo liqueur, Amaro Montenegro and Peychaud’s bitters.

© The Emily Hotel

The hotel’s name is a nod to renowned 19^th-century Canadian painter Emily Carr, who believed art can really change how we look at the world. The hotel honors her memory by offering an in-house artists-in-residence program where room furnishings, wall murals and even new room-key designs are created. The Emily has truly become a community social hub, with guests, local artists and musicians, and Google workers somehow finding things in common to celebrate.

The Emily is upscale, but approachable; carefully curated but laid-back; urban, but rooted in nature. Sustainability is a priority, and its vision is to deliver a fresh experience daily, in well-designed lifestyle spaces (check-out the first-floor speakeasy called Sushi by Bou).

© Level Hotels & Furnished Suites

The second hotel in Chicago is Level River North Hotel & Furnished Suites. This property offers 99 units in varying sizes, as well as one penthouse property. Opened in mid-2021, the 31-story glass tower is located in the city’s River North neighborhood, a five-minute drive from The Emily. The area is known for its art and design galleries, music clubs and restaurants, with Level River North offering upscale, apartment-style accommodations and amazing amenities for both long-term residents and overnight guests.

The amenities include a state-of-the-art fitness center, modern co-work spaces, a glamorous 31^st– floor Cloud Lounge and a large outdoor pool, all within walking distance of Chicago’s most popular food and beverage destinations.

© Level Hotels & Furnished Suites

Level River North appeals to multi-night guests looking to stay a few nights in a comfortable apartment within a modern city tower, complete with all the amenities mentioned above and more, including an outdoor area for BBQ grilling, numerous indoor and outdoor spaces for private meetings or family get-togethers, and 24/7 security.

For monthly guests on work assignments or yearly guests looking for a long-term residency in Chicago, there are numerous studios and one-, two- or three-bedroom apartments (furnished or unfurnished) available, including all the lifestyle-inspired amenities above for no extra cost. Chicago’s Level River North property is near The Merchandise Mart, House of Blues, Kohler Signature Store and Chicago River Walk.