West Loop's most original address. Local art, vinyl turntables in select rooms, and a rooftop bar with views that make the neighbourhood feel discovered rather than conquered.
The hotel at 311 North Morgan Street in the West Loop occupies a concrete and glass building that retains the industrial character of a neighbourhood that has transformed dramatically over the past decade — from former meatpacking district to the location of Google's Midwest headquarters and Chicago's most celebrated restaurant corridor along Randolph Street. Originally opened as Ace Hotel Chicago, the property now operates as The Emily Hotel, continuing the design boutique tradition of the address with the same West Loop energy that made it significant.
The 159 rooms are organised across seven categories, from compact single configurations to the full Ace Suite. Each room features local art commissioned from Chicago artists — not the anonymous prints of chain hotels, but work with provenance and character. Select rooms include acoustic Martin guitars and vinyl turntables with curated record selections; the hotel's relationship with music and Chicago's creative community is built into the programme rather than applied as marketing. Mini-bars are stocked with locally procured food and drinks, reinforcing a West Loop identity that the surrounding neighbourhood earns every day.
The rooftop bar delivers the skyline view that the West Loop's low-rise architecture earns for the buildings that reach above it — a panorama of the Chicago CBD and the distant lake that reframes the neighbourhood's position relative to the downtown it abuts. Randolph Street's restaurant row begins effectively at the hotel's front door: Galit, Oriole, Lena Brava, and the full range of the street's celebrated kitchens are a short walk. The Fulton Market District's nightlife and the adjacent Greektown's more traditional evening options extend the radius further.
The hotel's creative energy — the local art, the music in the rooms, the rooftop views — makes it a natural solo retreat destination for travellers who want a hotel with a point of view. The West Loop's restaurant density means you can eat exceptionally well every night without repeating yourself, and the neighbourhood's creative-class character provides ambient energy without tourist pressure. The staff are consistently praised for personalised service in a property that never feels impersonal despite its design ambitions. See all solo retreat hotels →
Randolph Street's restaurant and bar concentration, combined with the rooftop bar and the hotel's connection to Chicago's nightlife circuit, makes this a strong group destination for guests who want the West Loop experience rather than the River North tourist infrastructure. A dinner at one of the street's celebrated kitchens followed by the rooftop bar and a progression into the neighbourhood's cocktail bars constitutes a Chicago evening that no other base can easily replicate. See all bachelor/bachelorette hotels →
From $157/night. Check availability.
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