Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / United States / Chicago / Kimpton Gray Hotel
Kimpton Gray Hotel
Chicago, Illinois, United States · Kimpton · Core Luxury
Kimpton took over Chicago's 1894 New York Life Insurance Building, designed by William Le Baron Jenney, the engineer credited as the father of the skyscraper, and spent $106 million restoring its Georgia Gray marble and over 500 double-hung windows before opening as a 293-room hotel in 2016. The hotel's name comes from that marble, and the rooftop bar, Boleo, opens a retractable roof over the Loop.
- 293 rooms
- Opened 2016
- Neighborhood: The Loop
- Architect: William Le Baron Jenney
About Kimpton Gray Hotel
- Jenney briefly employed Louis Sullivan, who went on to mentor Frank Lloyd Wright, after the 1885 Home Insurance Building made Jenney's name as father of the American skyscraper.
- Gensler led the two-year restoration, earning nearly $10 million in historic tax credits and pulling the original marble staircase out from under decades of carpet and laminate.
- Vol. 39, the lobby bar, pours wine, champagne, and caviar.
- The 14-story steel-frame building at 122 East Monroe was one of the last surviving Jenney examples still standing when Kimpton acquired it in 2014.
History
Kimpton's The Gray Hotel occupies the New York Life Insurance Building at 122 E. Monroe Street, an 1894 skyscraper by William Le Baron Jenney, the engineer widely credited as the father of the American skyscraper for his 1885 Home Insurance Building. Built in three phases over roughly a decade, the 14-story structure was one of the last surviving examples of Jenney's steel-frame construction still standing when Kimpton acquired it in 2014.
Gensler led a two-year, $106 million restoration, exposing the building's Georgia Gray marble from beneath decades of carpet and laminate, cleaning smoke-stained walls, and reclaiming more than 500 historic double-hung windows, work that earned nearly $10 million in historic tax credits. The Kimpton Gray Hotel opened in August 2016 with 293 rooms, the lobby bar Vol. 39, and the rooftop bar and lounge Boleo.
The setting
On the south side of The Loop at 122 East Monroe. Cloud Gate, Millennium Park, and the Art Institute of Chicago are about a nine-minute walk. The John Hancock Center is about two miles north.
Restaurants and bars
- Boleo — Restaurant
Amenities
- Spa
- Fitness center
- Rooftop bar
- Pet-friendly
Awards
- AAA Four Diamond (2026)
- Conde Nast Traveler: 32 Best Hotels in Chicago (2025)
- Illinois's Leading Business Hotel 2025 (World Travel Awards) (2025)
Open Kimpton Gray Hotel in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.
More Kimpton hotels
- Armory Hotel Bozeman — Bozeman, United States · Core Luxury
- Hotel Van Zandt — Austin, United States · Core Luxury
- Kimpton Hotel Arras — Asheville, United States · Core Luxury
- Kimpton Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh, United States · Core Luxury
- Kimpton Pittman Hotel — Dallas, United States · Core Luxury
- Kimpton Rowan Palm Springs — Palm Springs, United States · Core Luxury
More hotels in Chicago
- Chicago Athletic Association Hotel — Unbound Collection · Core Luxury
- Hotel EMC2, Autograph Collection — Autograph Collection · Core Luxury
- Hotel Zachary, Chicago, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel — Tribute Portfolio · Core Luxury
- InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile — InterContinental · Core Luxury
- JW Marriott Chicago — JW Marriott · Core Luxury
- Loews Chicago Hotel — Loews Hotels · Core Luxury
Kimpton in The Maison: the brand's idea, history and every house on the atlas.