After years in the making, the highly anticipated and long-awaited Virgin Hotel in the Loop officially opens its doors to the public today. Located at 203 North Wabash, British media, transportation and now hospitality mogul Richard Branson and his team took over the Old Dearborn Bank Building back in 2011 and began converting the historic building into a boutique hotel in the spring of 2013. Throughout the process, the Virgin team has done their very best to keep details of the interior design and layout under tight control, offering little pieces of information on the occasion via their promotional videos and guerilla marketing effort. The hotel contains 250 rooms (or chambers as they call them), two "rock star" suites, an underground spa, a rooftop bar and lounge. The hotel also houses a new restaurant headed up by chef Rick Gresh dubbed The Commons Club. Room availability and rates can be found on the Virgin Hotels website.
·Previous Virgin Hotel coverage [Curbed Chicago]
·The Country's First Virgin Hotel, and its First Restaurant, Opens Today in Loop [Eater Chicago]