The Gwen, A Luxury Collection Hotel

What The Gwen, A Luxury Collection Hotel does

The Gwen, A Luxury Collection Hotel is a luxury boutique hotel located in the historic 1928 McGraw-Hill Building (521 North Rush Street) on Chicago's Magnificent Mile, operated by HEI Hotels & Resorts and affiliated with Marriott International's Luxury Collection brand. The property offers approximately 100–150 keys spanning 375 sq ft Superior and Deluxe guest rooms, suites from 475 sq ft up to the signature two-bedroom Gwen Lux Suite (1,200+ sq ft), and a unique Urban Glamping experience on a 16th-floor terrace. On-site amenities include the Upstairs at The Gwen rooftop restaurant and bar, the Private Affairs event space hosting Tipsy Tea experiences, concierge services led by Les Clefs d'Or, the Artist in Residence program, and a Moët & Chandon champagne vending machine.

The hotel generates revenue across multiple streams: room and suite accommodations (transactional nightly pricing), food and beverage (rooftop dining, Tipsy Tea, private events), meetings and events across roughly 8,000 sq ft of venue space (Gallery Ballroom, Grand Salon, Gallery Terrace, smaller meeting rooms), weddings with structured packages requiring minimum $10,000 F&B spend, premium experiential offerings (glamping at $5,000/night, proposal packages at $1,500–$1,900), and ancillary fees including a $25/night destination fee and $84/night valet parking. Go-to-market combines direct digital channels (thegwenchicago.com, email), Marriott's global central reservation system and Bonvoy loyalty integration, third-party OTAs (Expedia, Booking.com), OpenTable for dining, and a dedicated field-sales team managing corporate and wedding RFPs.

Customer segments span luxury leisure travelers, corporate groups, wedding parties, pet-friendly travelers (up to 40 lbs), and extended-stay guests (7+ night discounts). The property has approximately 59 employees and has earned MICHELIN One Key (2024, 2025), Forbes Travel Guide Recommended (2025, 2026), Condé Nast Traveler Top 10 Chicago Hotels (2022, 2024), and MUSE Hotel Awards Platinum status (2023), alongside TripAdvisor Top 3 ranking among Chicago hotels.

Name

The Gwen, A Luxury Collection Hotel

Legal name

The Gwen, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Michigan Avenue Chicago

Website

https://thegwenchicago.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Gwen is a luxury boutique hotel in the historic 1928 McGraw-Hill Building on Chicago's Magnificent Mile, operated by HEI Hotels & Resorts under Marriott International's Luxury Collection brand, serving luxury leisure travelers, corporate groups, and wedding clients through rooms, suites, rooftop dining, event venues, and signature urban glamping experiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Luxury Hospitality Hotels

NAICS

Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (72111)

SIC

Hotels & Motels (7011)

akta.pro primary industry

Urban Luxury Hotels (City Luxury) (THAGACAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Heritage & Palace Luxury Hotels (THAGACAF)

Keywords

• Luxury hotel accommodations
• Urban glamping experience
• Wedding and event venues
• Rooftop dining restaurant
• Concierge hospitality services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Guest Room and Suite Accommodations: The primary revenue stream from room bookings across guest rooms (Superior King, Superior Queen Queen, Deluxe View King, Grand Deluxe Landmark View King/Queen) and suites (Junior King Suite with Terrace, Superior King Suite with Terrace, Gwen Lux Suite). Room rates vary by room type and season. The Gwen Lux Suite requires direct contact or online request for booking. Glamping experience at $5,000/night and Little Lux Campers at $3,500-$5,500/night.
2. Dining - Upstairs at The Gwen: Art Deco-inspired rooftop restaurant and bar serving breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner with skyline views. Revenue from food and beverage sales including cocktail programs, seasonal menus, and special experiences. Hours span from 7am to late night across multiple seating periods.
3. Dining - Private Affairs & Tipsy Tea: The Private Affairs space hosts the Tipsy Tea Party experience — a boozy twist on traditional high tea with rotating tea tower selections, à la carte dining, and tea-infused cocktails. Weekend programming generating food and beverage revenue.
4. Meetings & Events: Corporate events, conferences, seminars, team building, executive retreats, and social gatherings hosted across multiple venues including The Gallery Ballroom (3,388 sq ft), The Grand Salon (3,268 sq ft), Gallery Terrace (1,456 sq ft), and various smaller meeting rooms. Revenue from venue rental, catering, and audiovisual services.
5. Weddings: Wedding hosting including ceremonies, receptions, rehearsal dinners, bridal showers, bachelor/bachelorette parties. The Gwen Affair wedding package (2026) requires minimum $10,000 F&B spend. The Art of Forever package (2027) requires minimum $10,000 F&B spend. Venue options include ballrooms up to 175 guests and 3,000 sq ft terrace.
6. Tipsy Tea Bridal Shower: Special bridal shower package featuring savory snacks and delicate desserts curated by Pastry Chef Karianne, paired with tipsy teapots and bubble bottles. Additional revenue stream tied to wedding group bookings.
7. Proposal Packages: Curated proposal experiences including Intimate Moment ($1,500) with Gallery Terrace privacy, champagne, and décor, and Intimate Dinner ($1,900) with three-course plated dinner, specialty linens, and curated wine service.
8. Glamping & Little Lux Campers: Urban glamping on the 16th-floor terrace of the Gwen Lux Suite starting at $5,000/night (May–September). Family-focused Little Lux Campers experience at $3,500–$5,500/night including welcome gift, board games, s'mores turndown, and Lola + The Boys gift card.
9. Destination Fee & Ancillary Services: $25 daily destination fee including freshly baked cookies, seasonal refreshment, $12.50 F&B credit at Upstairs at The Gwen, complimentary high-speed internet, complimentary bikes, and two tickets to 360 Chicago. Valet parking at $84/day, pet fee of $120 non-refundable plus $25/night, laundry and dry cleaning services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Gwen, A Luxury Collection Hotel is a 16-story Art Deco luxury boutique hotel in Chicago's McGraw-Hill Building offering guest rooms, suites, and urban glamping accommodations, alongside signature rooftop dining at Upstairs at The Gwen, intimate events at Private Affairs, and full-service corporate meeting and wedding hosting. The property operates within Marriott International's Luxury Collection brand and is managed by HEI Hotels & Resorts, generating revenue through nightly room rates, food and beverage service, packaged wedding and event minimum-spend commitments, and ancillary services such as valet parking and a $25 daily destination fee.

Product overview

The Gwen, A Luxury Collection Hotel is a luxury boutique hotel operating as part of Marriott International's Luxury Collection brand. The property offers a unified hospitality experience centered on its historic Art Deco landmark building. The core accommodation portfolio includes Guest Rooms (6 room types from 375 sq ft) and Suites (6 suite types from 475-1,200+ sq ft), complemented by the unique Urban Glamping Experience featuring a Lotus Belle tent on the 16th-floor terrace. Dining operations feature Upstairs at The Gwen (rooftop bar/restaurant with city views), Private Affairs (intimate event space), and the signature Tipsy Tea Party experience. The property's Meetings & Events division provides event spaces including ballrooms, terraces, and meeting rooms with capacity for up to 400 guests. The hotel also offers concierge services, curated experiences, and various stay packages through its Marriott Bonvoy integration. The portfolio is unified by the hotel's 1930s Art Deco heritage inspired by sculptor Gwen Lux, with all offerings reflecting the brand's vintage glamour aesthetic.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Upstairs at The Gwen: Art Deco-inspired rooftop retreat offering skyline vistas, sunrise-to-sundown dining, and masterful mixology.
• Private Affairs

Products and services

• Guest Rooms

Quantifiable outcome

• Top 3 ranked hotel in Chicago on TripAdvisor
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Marriott International — Luxury CollectioncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2016The Gwen operates as a property within Marriott International's Luxury Collection brand. The partnership provides global distribution through Marriott's CRS, Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program integration, global marketing reach, and centralized reservation infrastructure. Marriott owns and operates the property through HEI Hotels & Resorts.
• The Shops at North BridgecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Gwen is directly connected to The Shops at North Bridge, a six-block upscale shopping and dining destination featuring a flagship Nordstrom and over 50 retailers. The enclosed access provides mutual benefit — driving hotel guests to the mall and mall visitors to the hotel. The hotel's facade sculptural panels are located in the mall's historic McGraw-Hill panels section.
• Lola + The BoysminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLola + The Boys, a nonprofit retailer in The Shops at North Bridge specializing in handcrafted pet treats and accessories, provides gift cards for the Little Lux Campers family glamping package. This partnership supports the hotel's pet-friendly positioning and connects guests to local businesses.
• Lou Malnati'sminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLou Malnati's, the renowned Chicago deep-dish pizza chain, supplies deep-dish pizza as part of the Prosecco & Pajamas slumber party package at The Gwen. This local food partnership enhances the guest experience with an authentic Chicago culinary touch.
• Cosmic JaywalkersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCosmic Jaywalkers is the live jazz band performing every Wednesday from 6:00pm to 8:00pm during Wine Wednesdays at Upstairs at The Gwen lounge. The partnership enhances the hotel's dining and entertainment offering with regular live music programming.
• 360 Chicago (John Hancock Observatory)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAs part of The Gwen's $25 daily destination fee, guests receive two complimentary tickets to 360 Chicago at the John Hancock Center. This partnership provides added value to hotel guests and drives visits to the nearby observation attraction.
• Moët & ChandonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMoët & Chandon provides champagne products for the hotel's unique Moët Moment champagne vending machine in the 5th-floor lobby. Gold tokens for the machine are sold at the Front Desk. This partnership enhances the luxury beverage experience for hotel guests.
• Pawfectly Delicious Pet TreatsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerA nonprofit dedicated to empowering young adults with developmental and physical disabilities, providing handcrafted pet treats included in the Moments Worth Wagging pet package. This partnership supports both the pet-friendly guest experience and a social cause.
• HEI Hotels & ResortscoreOthersHEI Hotels & Resorts is the hotel management company operating The Gwen on behalf of Marriott International. HEI provides operational management, staffing, and hospitality expertise across the property.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Langham, Chicago: Riverfront luxury hotel offering comparable guest experience, dining venues, and event facilities. Overlaps with The Gwen in corporate meetings, weddings, and luxury leisure segments in downtown Chicago.
• Conrad Chicago: Magnificent Mile luxury hotel with comparable room product, dining venues, and event spaces. Competes for a similar mix of luxury leisure, corporate, and group bookings in Chicago.
• Park Hyatt Chicago: Magnificent Mile luxury hotel with similar guest profile, dining venues, and event facilities. Competes for corporate meetings, luxury leisure, and wedding business in the same downtown Chicago market.
• The Peninsula Chicago: Direct competitor operating a flagship luxury hotel on Chicago's Magnificent Mile. Comparable urban luxury positioning, similar target customer segments (luxury leisure, corporate, weddings), and overlapping awards profile (MICHELIN, Forbes Five-Star).
• The St. Regis Chicago: Marriott Luxury Collection sister brand competing in Chicago's ultra-luxury tier. Targets the same leisure and corporate guests with comparable butler service, dining, and event offerings.
• The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago: Marriott-affiliated luxury hotel directly competing for the same Bonvoy loyalty members. Comparable positioning in Chicago's luxury tier with strong wedding and corporate event business.
• Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago: Riverfront luxury hotel offering comparable suites, dining, and event venues. Overlaps with The Gwen in serving affluent leisure travelers, corporate groups, and wedding clients in downtown Chicago.
• Four Seasons Hotel Chicago: Iconic luxury hotel on Michigan Avenue competing for the same high-end business and leisure travelers. Comparable scale, dining venues, and event spaces, with a similarly strong awards profile (Forbes Five-Star, AAA Five-Diamond).
• Waldorf Astoria Chicago: Gold Coast-adjacent luxury hotel with comparable suite product, design-forward positioning, and overlapping wedding and corporate event business. Competes for the same luxury traveler demographic as The Gwen.
• The Drake Hotel: Historic Chicago luxury hotel with comparable heritage positioning and lakefront location. Competes for the same luxury leisure travelers and event business with a similarly strong reputation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/thegwenchicago
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-gwen-a-luxury-collection-hotel-chicago

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Gwen, A Luxury Collection Hotel