Lotte Hotels & Resorts opens L7 Hotel in Chicago

Chicago-based McHugh Construction has completed the multimillion-dollar renovation of a 191-room, 14-story hotel at the corner of N. Wabash Ave and E. Wacker Pl in Chicago, which opened in June as L7 Chicago, South Korea-based Lotte Hotels & Resorts’ first L7-branded property in North America. McHugh also built out Perilla Korean American Steakhouse, the hotel’s anchor restaurant on the ground floor, as well as a new lobby.

McHugh collaborated with interior designer New York-based AvroKO and project architect Chicago-based G|R|E|C Architects to create L7’s tranquil, calm atmosphere that is supported through a sage green and crème color palette. With an eye toward attracting millennials, the hotel’s lobby was designed with a relaxing living room vibe. Warm wood trim and acoustic tile were added to the walls of the lobby’s seating area, and forest green floor tiles cut in a radius design accent a seating area in the middle of the lobby. A reception desk made of carved wood complements the space.

Opposite the lobby, the Perilla Korean American Steakhouse is filled with custom grill tables surrounded by banquette seating, a bar and a chef’s counter that offers a tasting menu. The steakhouse’s décor features a color scheme of plum, green and cream with acoustical panels to soften conversational noise levels.

Located steps from the Chicago Riverwalk and the Magnificent Mile, the 14-story building constructed in 1912 is one of 50 landmarks featured in Living Landmarks of Chicago and served as a hat factory and headquarters of D.B. Fisk Co., the largest wholesale millinery in the country until 1932.