Chicago, Illinois
Backbeat Hotel
The first hotel planned for Chicago's Northalsted strip, a small LGBTQ+-centered new build named for the city's house-music history.
Announced · Targeted 2028
Backbeat Hotel, a 50-room LGBTQ+-centered boutique hotel, has full city zoning approval to become the first hotel directly on Chicago's Northalsted strip, on the site of the former Yoshi's Café. Demolition is planned for later 2026 ahead of an 18-month build, with the developers targeting a 2028 opening.
The essentials
- Group
- Independent · developer Allan O'Brien (Men's Room), with InFocus Builders
- Opening
- Targeted 2028
- Rooms & suites
- 50 rooms, including 12 suites
- Segment
- Boutique / Lifestyle
- Designer
- Studio Rodrigo Buelvas with Jonathan Splitt Architects (architect of record)
- Entry rate
- NC
The place
3257 N. Halsted Street, on Chicago's Northalsted strip in Lake View, at the site of the former Yoshi's Café.
The concept
Backbeat is a ground-up, six-story, 50-room hotel — the first hotel to open directly on the Northalsted strip, a historic LGBTQ+ district. The city granted full zoning approval in late 2025; demolition of the existing structure is planned for later 2026, followed by an estimated 18-month construction period. The project is LGBTQ+-owned, and its name is a nod to Chicago's role in the birth of house music.
Dining & wellness
Plans call for a ground-floor restaurant with a patio along Halsted, a basement speakeasy lounge, and a year-round rooftop pool with a retractable glass roof; no restaurant operator or chef has been named yet.
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