Chicago’s InterContinental Magnificent Mile Opens Renovated Executive Tower

The hotel’s 14th floor pool and Neptune fountain

The Chicago InterContinental Magnificent Mile unveiled a newly renovated Historic Tower, renaming it the Executive Tower.

The renovation covered the 315 guest rooms and corridors in the tower, and follows a recent renovation of the 477 rooms in the Grand Tower as well as of the hotel’s presidential suite.

Rooms in the Executive Tower were designed by Simeone Deary Design Group, the firm that also managed the earlier renovation. Reflecting its heritage as the Medinah Men’s Athletic Club, opened by the Shriners in 1929, the interior design uses a contemporary interpretation of Moorish Revival architecture, including domes, lancet and ogee arches.

The refurbished rooms were done using a palette of whites and deep grays, with accents of what the hotel calls “jewel-tone colors.” Furnishings include marble-topped nightstands, colorful chairs and throw pillows, as well as shimmering wallpaper and textured headboards.

Located on Michigan Avenue, the hotel first opened in 1944 as the Continental Hotel and Town Club.

Unique architectural elements of the property include its gold dome, intended for use as part of a decorative docking port for dirigibles, and the 14th floor pool where Johnny Weissmuller trained. The pool’s blue Spanish majolica tiles and terra-cotta fountain of Neptune remain to this day.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)