WICKER PARK — The Hollander — a shared-room hostel next to the Robey boutique hotel in Wicker Park — has been renamed "the Robey Hall," and it's in the midst of phasing out its shared rooms for private ones, it was announced on Tuesday.
Located at 2022 W. North Ave., the Robey Hall is neihbors with the Robey at 2018 W. North Ave.
The Robey and the Hollander were developed by Chicago-based Convexity Properties, which owns the vintage buildings. The hotels, operated by Mexico-based Grupo Habita, opened in December.
Jared Johnson, director of sales and marketing for the Robey and the Robey Hall, said on Monday that the decision to retire the Hollander name was related to branding. The Hollander drew its name from the historic Hollander fireproof warehouse, a 27,000-square-foot, five-story industrial building dating to the early 1900s.
"It relates to positioning it more as a sister hotel to the Robey. They are very different hotels. It's not an extension of the Robey. They are still separate entities," Johnson said.
Johnson said the new name went into effect on Monday, and the 20 shared rooms in the Hollander will become private rooms by October. The Robey offers 69 rooms.
A formal statement from the hotel operators about the transition was released on Tuesday.
Robey was the name for Damen Avenue during the 1890s, but it was changed to Damen in 1927. The art deco, 12-story Northwest Tower, the first skyscraper outside of the Loop, was built two years later. The triangular structure hugs Milwaukee and North avenues and towers over Damen. Naming the hotel in the Northwest tower the Robey pays homage to the area's past.
The name change could be seen on a sandwich board sign on North Avenue Sunday night. Visitors to the Hollander's website are now redirected to a new site, therobeyhall.com.
H!Bar, which opened in June in the lobby of the hostel, will not be affected by the name change, Johnson said.
Open to the community, the dog-friendly H!Bar offers live acoustic music on most Thursday and Friday nights and was just revamped with new furniture, including more chairs and a vintage sofa.
In the morning, local residents and guests of the hotel can enjoy Metric coffee, Rare Tea Cellars tea and free Wi-Fi in the 40-seat hangout. Cocktails also are served later in the day and night.