Grand Opening Celebration for The Blackstone, A Renaissance Hotel

    /24-7PressRelease/ - CHICAGO, IL, May 11, 2008 - A prominent national landmark, Chicago's "Hotel of
Presidents," The Blackstone luxury hotel in Chicago, Illinois, a 332-room luxury Renaissance brand hotel, held its official grand opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony and an invitational gala on Wednesday, April 30. Since its opening on April 16, 1910, The Blackstone has provided regal lodging for many of the 20th century's most famous figures--from a dozen U.S. presidents, including Franklin Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Harry Truman and John Kennedy, to Hollywood stars. Sage Hospitality, the Denver,
Colorado based hospitality company that also manages the property, transformed the
shuttered 23-story, Beaux-Arts landmark into a world-class hotel with a $128
benchmark restoration that seamlessly blends the legacy of the Blackstone's
architectural heritage with state-of-the-art guest amenities.

Applauding the significance of The Blackstone's redevelopment, Chicago Mayor
Richard M. Daley remarked: "The restoration of The Blackstone hotel is a perfect example of how the public and private sectors can work together to complete a project that creates jobs for our residents, adds a great hotel for visitors to our city and brings back to life a landmark building that plays an important part of Chicago's architectural history."

The Blackstone is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. To preserve its
architectural integrity, the famed Chicago hotel on Michigan Avenue was renovated as a "certified historic rehabilitation" in accordance with preservation guidelines established by the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and Illustrated Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings. Whenever possible, the Blackstone's significant historic and architectural elements were preserved, refurbished and sensitively incorporated in the renovation design. Chicago artisans painstakingly devoted some 3000 hours refurbishing the ornate plaster embellishments in the hotel's lavish Crystal Ballroom and lobby alone. The project architect for The Blackstone was Chicago-based Lucien LaGrange Architects. Gettys of Chicago and Hong Kong was the interior designer. Joel Straus Consulting served as the Blackstone's art consultant and curator. James McHugh
Construction Company was the general contractor for the renovation.

For more information and reservations, please call The Blackstone at 312/447-0955 or visit www.marriott.com/chirh, or www.howchicago.blogspot.com for insider views and inner workings of the famous hotel.

About The Blackstone, A Renaissance Hotel
Located in the heart of the city's arts and theater district and adjacent to the world
class Millennium Park, The Blackstone, A Renaissance Hotel, features 332 stylish downtown Chicago hotel rooms and suites, including the fabled Presidential Suite and the Smoke-filled Room, 19,670 square feet of meeting space, including the lavishly restored Crystal Ballroom, a health club and a business center. The Blackstone also offers a "hotel within a hotel" concept, Hubbard Place, on the upper three floors is designed to pamper guests with exclusive benefits. An innovative collection of over 1600 original artworks, primarily by Chicago artists, is on permanent display throughout the guest-rooms and public spaces of The Blackstone, lending a decidedly contemporary twist to the ambiance of the hotel. A street -level Starbucks Caf with outdoor seating serves hotel guests, the local business community and neighborhood residents. The Sage Restaurant Group operates an already popular independent Chicago tapas restaurant at the Michigan Avenue location, Mercat a la Planxa, offering modern Catalan cuisine. For more information or to make a reservation, call 312-447-0955 or visit http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/chirh-the-blackstone-a-renaissance-hotel/.

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