Latest news with #RobertHabeeb
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hyatt Centric property in Chicago reopens after revitalisation
The Hyatt Centric Chicago O'Hare in the US has reopened after undergoing a revitalisation project with a modern aesthetic. Managed by Maverick Hotels & Restaurants, the hotel is situated less than two miles from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. It offers 206 guest rooms, recreational facilities, and complimentary 24-hour airport shuttle services. Maverick Hotels & Restaurants founder and CEO Robert Habeeb said: 'More than just a place to stay, this hotel offers travellers a fresh and dynamic space where leisure and adventure collide under one roof. 'With modern design, elevated amenities, and unmatched proximity to the airport, we're proud to showcase what it means to stay in the centre of the action." The Hyatt Centric property now features reimagined guestrooms adorned with murals and a transformed lobby showcasing an art installation. Amenities at the property also include flexible meeting and event spaces, suitable for a variety of functions such as conferences and weddings. The hotel provides more than 7,600ft² of adaptable function and pre-function areas, complete with audiovisual capabilities. Hyatt Centric Chicago O'Hare general manager John Gill said: 'We're excited to welcome guests into this thoughtfully designed space, located a short distance from a variety of entertainment venues and the Donald E Stephens Convention Center. 'The hotel's lobby, guest rooms, meeting rooms, and restaurant will inspire guests to explore the city and put them at ease when they return to experience a stay worth sharing.' The hotel's signature Cima Restaurant offers both indoor dining and an al fresco experience on its 50-seat patio, which can be enclosed during warmer months. Cima has partnered with local suppliers such as Nichols Farm & Orchard, Ellis Family Farms, River Valley Ranch, and Slagel Farms to source ingredients. The hotel is in proximity to Rivers Casino, Rosemont Theatre, the Donald E Stevens Convention Center, and the Fashion Outlets of Chicago KOO Architecture and The Gettys Group are the design partners for the project. The reopening of Hyatt Centric Chicago O'Hare follows the earlier announcement this year by Hyatt Hotels and Birkla Investment Group regarding the planned opening of a 170-room Hyatt Centric-branded hotel in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, US. "Hyatt Centric property in Chicago reopens after revitalisation" was originally created and published by Hotel Management Network, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Chicago seeing fewer international travelers, but local hotels still expect ‘solid' summer
The number of international guests staying at Chicago hotels is down amid tensions between the Trump administration and other nations, and economic uncertainty is discouraging business travel. But local hoteliers say they still expect a busy summer, thanks in part to a tourism calendar that relies heavily on domestic leisure travelers coming in for events like Lollapalooza and July's two-day NASCAR Chicago Street Race. 'It's true we're seeing a drop in foreign inbound travelers, but the drop is not significant,' said Maverick Hotels and Restaurants CEO Robert Habeeb, the proprietor of the 223-room Sable at Navy Pier. Government-related travel is also down after months of spending cuts by the administration of President Donald Trump, Habeeb said. 'But in the summer, it's leisure, leisure, leisure and most of these folks will show up. It's going to be a solid summer,' he said. The decline in international travelers to Chicago is difficult to measure, as hotels generally don't report statistics on guests' country of origin, said Brian Arevalo, managing director with HVS, a consultant for the hospitality industry. 'But it has been noticed and it's something we're hearing a lot about from hotel operators,' he said. Andrew Eck, general manager of L7 Chicago By LOTTE, a 191-room hotel at 225 N. Wabash Ave., said summer bookings from Canadians were off by about 25% compared with 2024. The number of Asian guests at the hotel, which carries a Seoul-based brand, seems steady, he said. Overall, the summer is shaping up to be a busy one, Eck said. 'Because we were under construction for part of the year in 2024, we are seeing growth that's off the charts. We could sell out every single day this summer.' It's already been a solid year. Healthy attendance at some conventions held at the McCormick Convention Center, along with blockbuster events, including Beyoncé's three-night, sold-out 'Cowboy Carter' extravaganza in May at Soldier Field, kept Chicago hotels ahead of their 2024 pace. About 1.3 million people are expected to attend McCormick Center events in 2025, according to the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, the municipal corporation also known as McPier, which owns McCormick Center. That's still far below pre-pandemic numbers, when the venue typically attracted between 2 million and 2.9 million visitors. But some conventions are close to full recoveries, said McPier CEO Larita Clark. The International Manufacturing Technology Show attracted almost 90,000 visitors last year, compared with the more than 100,000 seen pre-COVID. In March, ProMat 2025, a manufacturing and supply chain convention, brought about 52,000 to McCormick Center. 'That show set a new attendance record,' Clark said. Chicago hotel occupancy hit 65.6% in April, up from 64.6% last April, while the average daily rate for a room increased from $150.96 to $157.89, a 4.6% bump, according to CoStar data. 'We are ahead of where we were last year,' said Kiara Felfle, director of sales at The Robey Chicago, an 89-room boutique hotel in the Wicker Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side. 'Beyoncé's concerts were a record-breaking time for us as far as occupancy goes.' The Robey Chicago, which opened in 2016 in the landmark Northwest Tower, anticipates a stream of customers this summer, many headed to the neighborhood's many street festivals and small music venues. 'Chicago really shines in the summer, so it's a big time for us, and this year will be no different,' she said. Choose Chicago launches new marketing campaign: Never Done. Never Outdone. The Trump administration tightened border controls and began imposing on-again, off-again tariffs on many nations this year, including Canada and China, souring relations and leading some travelers to cancel U.S. trips. 'While other nations are rolling out the welcome mat, the U.S. government is putting up the 'closed' sign,' said World Travel & Tourism Council CEO Julia Simpson in May. The council estimates international visitor spending in the U.S. will decline from $181 billion in 2024 to $169 billion this year, 22% lower than the peak year of 2019. Early summer bookings by Canadians were already down more than 20% year-over-year, with March visits from the United Kingdom falling 15%, and German travelers declining by 28%. Chicago hotels should be able to absorb the hit. The city attracted 55 million total visitors in 2024, according to Choose Chicago, the city's tourist agency. About 2 million were international travelers, so if the city sees fewer people from overseas this year, domestic tourists may fill the gap. 'Based on our monthly projections that are tracking 3-4% higher year-over-year, and with recent record-breaking weekends for hotel occupancy as well as several conferences that are setting records for attendance and room blocks, we are expecting a slight increase in our summer hotel occupancy over 2024,' Choose Chicago CEO Kristen Reynolds said in a statement. Juan Leyva, general manager of the 452-room LondonHouse Chicago at 85 E. Wacker Drive, said the hotel will shift its summer marketing strategy, hopefully making up for any international losses by bringing more guests in from Indianapolis, Detroit and other domestic markets, especially for the Lollapalooza and NASCAR weekends. 'We are on a good pace for Lollapalooza, slightly ahead of last year,' Leyva said. 'Being a drive-in event, it doesn't really depend on international travel.' Chicago's cold and rainy spring led many tourists to book rooms at the last minute and was probably a bigger concern than the decline in international travel, he said. 'We're finally getting summer, but it did take a long time,' he said. 'When all is said and done, we expect to be in line with last year, and maybe a little bit ahead.'
Chicago Tribune
12-06-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Chicago seeing fewer international travelers, but local hotels still expect ‘solid' summer
The number of international guests staying at Chicago hotels is down amid tensions between the Trump administration and other nations, and economic uncertainty is discouraging business travel. But local hoteliers say they still expect a busy summer, thanks in part to a tourism calendar that relies heavily on domestic leisure travelers coming in for events like Lollapalooza and July's two-day NASCAR Chicago Street Race. 'It's true we're seeing a drop in foreign inbound travelers, but the drop is not significant,' said Maverick Hotels and Restaurants CEO Robert Habeeb, the proprietor of the 223-room Sable at Navy Pier. Government-related travel is also down after months of spending cuts by the administration of President Donald Trump, Habeeb said. 'But in the summer, it's leisure, leisure, leisure and most of these folks will show up. It's going to be a solid summer,' he said. The decline in international travelers to Chicago is difficult to measure, as hotels generally don't report statistics on guests' country of origin, said Brian Arevalo, managing director with HVS, a consultant for the hospitality industry. 'But it has been noticed and it's something we're hearing a lot about from hotel operators,' he said. Andrew Eck, general manager of L7 Chicago By LOTTE, a 191-room hotel at 225 N. Wabash Ave., said summer bookings from Canadians were off by about 25% compared with 2024. The number of Asian guests at the hotel, which carries a Seoul-based brand, seems steady, he said. Overall, the summer is shaping up to be a busy one, Eck said. 'Because we were under construction for part of the year in 2024, we are seeing growth that's off the charts. We could sell out every single day this summer.' It's already been a solid year. Healthy attendance at some conventions held at the McCormick Convention Center, along with blockbuster events, including Beyoncé's three-night, sold-out 'Cowboy Carter' extravaganza in May at Soldier Field, kept Chicago hotels ahead of their 2024 pace. About 1.3 million people are expected to attend McCormick Center events in 2025, according to the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, the municipal corporation also known as McPier, which owns McCormick Center. That's still far below pre-pandemic numbers, when the venue typically attracted between 2 million and 2.9 million visitors. But some conventions are close to full recoveries, said McPier CEO Larita Clark. The International Manufacturing Technology Show attracted almost 90,000 visitors last year, compared with the more than 100,000 seen pre-COVID. In March, ProMat 2025, a manufacturing and supply chain convention, brought about 52,000 to McCormick Center. 'That show set a new attendance record,' Clark said. Chicago hotel occupancy hit 65.6% in April, up from 64.6% last April, while the average daily rate for a room increased from $150.96 to $157.89, a 4.6% bump, according to CoStar data. 'We are ahead of where we were last year,' said Kiara Felfle, director of sales at The Robey Chicago, an 89-room boutique hotel in the Wicker Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side. 'Beyoncé's concerts were a record-breaking time for us as far as occupancy goes.' The Robey Chicago, which opened in 2016 in the landmark Northwest Tower, anticipates a stream of customers this summer, many headed to the neighborhood's many street festivals and small music venues. 'Chicago really shines in the summer, so it's a big time for us, and this year will be no different,' she said. The Trump administration tightened border controls and began imposing on-again, off-again tariffs on many nations this year, including Canada and China, souring relations and leading some travelers to cancel U.S. trips. 'While other nations are rolling out the welcome mat, the U.S. government is putting up the 'closed' sign,' said World Travel & Tourism Council CEO Julia Simpson in May. The council estimates international visitor spending in the U.S. will decline from $181 billion in 2024 to $169 billion this year, 22% lower than the peak year of 2019. Early summer bookings by Canadians were already down more than 20% year-over-year, with March visits from the United Kingdom falling 15%, and German travelers declining by 28%. Chicago hotels should be able to absorb the hit. The city attracted 55 million total visitors in 2024, according to Choose Chicago, the city's tourist agency. About 2 million were international travelers, so if the city sees fewer people from overseas this year, domestic tourists may fill the gap. 'Based on our monthly projections that are tracking 3-4% higher year-over-year, and with recent record-breaking weekends for hotel occupancy as well as several conferences that are setting records for attendance and room blocks, we are expecting a slight increase in our summer hotel occupancy over 2024,' Choose Chicago CEO Kristen Reynolds said in a statement. Juan Leyva, general manager of the 452-room LondonHouse Chicago at 85 E. Wacker Drive, said the hotel will shift its summer marketing strategy, hopefully making up for any international losses by bringing more guests in from Indianapolis, Detroit and other domestic markets, especially for the Lollapalooza and NASCAR weekends. 'We are on a good pace for Lollapalooza, slightly ahead of last year,' Leyva said. 'Being a drive-in event, it doesn't really depend on international travel.' Chicago's cold and rainy spring led many tourists to book rooms at the last minute and was probably a bigger concern than the decline in international travel, he said. 'We're finally getting summer, but it did take a long time,' he said. 'When all is said and done, we expect to be in line with last year, and maybe a little bit ahead.'
