CHICAGO — Want to spend the night at Navy Pier? You'll soon be able to with the addition of a new hotel at the popular spot.
A hotel will be built on Navy Pier, Chicago and the state's most visited tourist destination. The 200-room hotel will be built on the east end of the pier and construction will begin in 2017, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Navy Pier officials announced Sunday.
The project is part of the pier's "re-envisioning" process, which celebrates its 100th birthday this summer. Updates include a massive Ferris wheel, new restaurants, and a new stage for the Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
"As we continue to reimagine the pier for its centennial and beyond, we are thrilled with the prospect of a hotel to further enhance the Navy Pier experience," Marilynn Garder, Navy Pier president and CEO, said in a statement. "The hotel will provide a unique place to stay in Chicago year round — not to mention breathtaking and unparalleled view of the pier, lake and city."
The $90 million, five-story hotel will be built above the Festival Hall terraces on the east end of the pier. A brand for the hotel has not yet been announced.
Private investors will fund the project, according to the mayor's office. Emanuel said the hotel will aid in the city's effort to attract 55 million visitors annually by 2020.
"The hotel will continue transforming [Navy Pier] into a one-of-a-kind destination that will draw even more visitors from across the region and throughout the world," Emanuel said in a statement.
The hotel is not slated to open until the second half of 2018, the city said. But you can ride the pier's new Ferris wheel starting May 27.
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