Pendry Chicago

Pendry Chicago, the Montage International lifestyle brand's Midwest debut, occupies the landmark Carbide & Carbon Building on Michigan Avenue — previously Hard Rock Hotel Chicago before Montage took over the lease and reopened it as Pendry in May 2021. The 364-room hotel keeps the Art Deco tower's exterior intact while adding a rooftop bar, Château Carbide, 24 storeys up.

The place

The Loop, on Michigan Avenue between the Chicago River and the Magnificent Mile — a block that puts the hotel within walking distance of the Riverwalk, Millennium Park and the city's main shopping strip.

The concept

Pendry Chicago occupies the Carbide & Carbon Building, an Art Deco tower from the 1920s clad in polished black granite and green-and-gold terracotta, topped with a gilded pinnacle. The property operated for years as Hard Rock Hotel Chicago before Montage International bought the lease in October 2020 and re-launched it under its Pendry brand in May 2021 — a straightforward operator and brand change rather than a ground-up project. Studio Munge handled the redesign of the public spaces, working within the landmark shell rather than altering its exterior.

Dining & wellness

Venteux, a modern French brasserie and café, anchors the ground floor; Bar Pendry and an adjoining Billiard Gallery cover evening drinks, and Château Carbide — a rooftop bar 24 storeys above Michigan Avenue — adds skyline views. The hotel also carries roughly 13,000 sq ft of meeting and event space and a fitness centre.