Travel: Soho House Chicago

There is a certain grandiose nature in Chicago. Everything from the architecture, to the food, and even people’s dispositions, and the new Soho House Chicago is no exception. The mega, city block sized house is six bullring stories, plopped down in the middle of the quickly emerging foodie heaven and cool guy central on Randolph Street in the West Loop district.

Playing on the theme of the grand and expansively elegant, the Chicago house mixes modern with old world in a perfect storm of meticulous attention to detail both inside and out the converted warehouse which was once a Belting Factory dating back to 1907. Upon walking into the building you are immediately greeted by both the friendly staff, welcoming smells of deliciousness from their two public facing restaurants, club floor, and rooftop, accompanied by carefully selected music which walks the fine line of elegant time travel with hits by Hall and Oats mixed in with SBTRKT, HAIM, and even a touch of DRAKE.

Unlike any other Soho House in North America, Chicago’s house has two super delicious restaurants, Chicken Shop and Pizza East, as well as a ground floor bar called the Allis, all open to the public, while the club floors are just one grand elevator ride away. The Cowshed Spa facilities are also open to the public, and non-member guests at the hotel are granted temporary access cards to the club floors, including the vast rooftop bar and restaurant (complete with a glorious pool and amazing city-view). Guests also have access to the club featuring a cozy lounge vibe, a private screening room fit for 40 people, and finally a 12,000 square foot fitness centre modelled after a vintage boxing gym featuring three workout studios, changing rooms, and a gorgeous leather boxing ring created by Chicago’s own Horween Leather Company.

The hotel portion of the house is located on the third and fourth floors and feature 40 rooms that are at once cozy, well laid out, as they are intuitively equip with just about every amenity you could hope for at a home away from home. A fluffy grand bed, lounge space with a curated selection of magazines, a Marshall speaker system and grand chest on one end of the room features all you could want to eat and drink, including complimentary espresso (with an adorable ceramic bottle of milk), a full tea service, a basic bar kit including jiggers, shakers, and lemons and limes, as well as candies, snacks, and even a jar of freshly baked cookies, along with menus for each of the restaurants within the space.

The spacious bathroom immediately exudes comfort with a tufted ottoman, a deep soaking tub imported from England, a beautiful tiled rain forest shower stall with double nozzle outfitted with Cowshed’s dreamy bath product range, and a set of double sink bacons stocked with tiny bath products and amenities slipped inside linen bags. Inside the bags there were tooth brushes and dental floss, condoms, nail and sewing kits, and a comb, while they also provided deodorant and a Cowshed face products, as well as a hair dryer and flat iron (a rarity in hotels).

There is a quiet whispering elegant level of service that permeates throughout the entire house that makes you feel at completely at home. From the the staff that greets you at the door remembering your name, the bell boy who explains the room features in great detail upon arrival, to the therapists in the spa, to the servers and even the guests. If you haven’t had the pleasure of visiting Soho House Chicago yet, we highly recommend it weather you’re looking to relax and unwind or pop in on business, the house has everything you’ll need under one roof.

Flip through some photos of the expansive house below.

Ground Floor Patio & Allis Bar