Soho House Chicago

A fixture in both central London and downtown Manhattan, the Soho House members’ clubs have been expanding, both to far-flung global locations and to major cities in the United States. And it’s in a picturesque 1908 industrial building in the neighborhood of Fulton Market that you’ll find Soho House Chicago, an establishment that is, if you’ll forgive what sounds like overstatement, much more than simply a hotel.

What is it, then? Well, it’s an extremely stylish co-working space, as well as a very fine set of restaurants and bars, plus a handful of events spaces that include a plush 30-seat screening room, an 80-foot rooftop pool, and a spa and fitness center that rivals some standalone athletic clubs. All of this is ordinarily available only to members, a clientele drawn largely from Chicago’s creative industries. But it’s also a luxury boutique hotel, of a sort, and as an overnight guest you’ll be entitled to all the benefits of membership for the duration of your stay.

Not that the rooms aren’t impressive on their own; they’re quietly luxurious, and as richly textured and eclectic as any Soho House rooms, and studiously avoid anything obviously post-industrial, much less minimalist. Add access to spaces like the pleasantly divey Fox Bar and the classic Northern Italian Cecconi’s Taverna, on the rooftop, and the case for membership begins to become clear.