CHICAGO—Ryan McKenzie has been appointed General Manager at Chicago’s newest downtown hotel, the LEED Certified Hampton Inn Chicago Michigan Avenue, opening June 2015. The hotel’s owner, Integrated Motor Club LLC, an affiliate of Murphy Asset Management (MAM), has invested substantially into the transformation of one of Chicago’s finest Art Deco buildings, the historic 1928 Chicago Motor Club Building. Opening in the heart of Downtown Chicago at 68 E. Wacker Place, just steps from the Magnificent Mile, Millennium Park and the Theater District, Hampton Inn Chicago Michigan Avenue will feature a grand, three-story Art Deco lobby, a 67-seat 1920s-style cocktail bar, and intricate architectural details throughout the property.
McKenzie was most recently General Manager of Hampton Inn & Suites Mt. Prospect. Beginning his career as a bellman in Tucson, Arizona, McKenzie has built a career out of working for private boutique resorts and hotels for nearly 20 years. Having worked at properties throughout the Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest, McKenzie got a taste of the Midwest in 2013 when he joined the Hilton Family in the northwest suburbs of Chicago.
Paying homage to the building’s contribution to the United States’ car culture, a significant amount of the renovation budget has been dedicated to preserving the 33-foot high lobby featuring a 29-foot mural of popular road destinations, designed by John Warner Norton. As one of the few remaining Art Deco lobbies in Chicago, the space will include two balconies on the mezzanine level overlooking the lobby as well as Jack’s Place, a 67-seat cocktail bar located on the first floor.
Standing 17 stories high, Hampton Inn Chicago Michigan Avenue will include 143 guestrooms, each featuring complimentary WiFi, a 42-inch flat-screen HDTV, an ergonomic desk and a coffeemaker. The hotel will offer guests state-of-the-art cardio equipment in the 24-hour fitness center, a 24-hour business center, and two versatile meeting rooms with the latest A/V technology.
Known as one of Chicago’s finest Art Deco-style skyscrapers, the former Chicago Motor Club Building was completed within 265 days in 1928. More than just a social and sporting group, the Chicago Motor Club wielded power in advocating for city improvements, including the widening of North Michigan, the installation of a public parking garage in Grant Park, and the transformation of Wacker Drive into a double-decker motorway.
Go to the Hampton Inn Chicago Michigan Avenue.
