Mortenson recently completed the newly opened 17-story, 206-room Home2 Suites by Hilton Chicago River North. Mortenson teamed up with lead developer and owner Akara Partners on the $67 million extended stay hotel, one of the few Home2 Suites by Hilton’s urban high-rise hotels, while also serving as the design-builder with Norr Architects.
“From the beginning Mortenson has been an excellent partner with Akara Partners,” said Rajen Shastri, the founder/CEO of Akara Partners. “Paired with our construction management and development arm, their development and construction team’s knowledge, skills and ingenuity have been integral in delivering a first-class hotel that makes a strong addition to the River North neighborhood and one we are proud to own.”
Construction of the flagship hotel—located at 110 West Huron Street, on the site of a former parking lot—completed in just 14 months. Unlike the smaller, three-story Homes2 Suites by Hilton suburban locations, the 120,000 square-foot River North building features a modern glass enclosure system and a jump lobby configuration to maximize space for 5,000 square feet of ground floor retail.
To meet the challenges of constructing the custom-built hotel while ensuring quality and safety on a site with zero lot lines in a busy city neighborhood, Mortenson relied on virtual reality technology, coupled with a full-scale physical room model, to streamline final room layouts and décor decisions. Lean construction techniques led to an efficient, safe and clean work site, while green building practices were put in place such as sorting, recycling and tracking nearly 90 percent of construction waste. A green roof and the use of environmentally sustainable materials and finishes should net the hotel a two-Globe Green Globe certification.
