CHICAGO
DA L L A S
HOUS TON
L A S V EGA S
CHICAGO The luxe Bottega Veneta Lake Suite at the Park Hyatt
Hotel News Downtown
In-room bar cart service at The James Hotel
000 240
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The Public’s Library Bar houses the DJ series.
.com
The city’s top hotels go beyond the bed with their latest range of offerings. Ian Schrager’s swank Public Hotel (publichotels.com) launched a guest DJ series, with recent spins from Paul Oakenfold and actor Troy Garity (Jane Fonda’s son). Get crafty—and a little tipsy—at The James Hotel (jameshotels.com) with the In-Room Cocktail package: A tray arrives for cocktails, stocked with liquors, measured ingredients and glasses printed with DIY recipes for drinks like the Old Havana and the Moscow Mule. Love the Bottega boutique on the ground floor of the Park Hyatt Chicago (parkchicago.hyatt.com)? Check out the Lake Suite, a collaboration between Bottega Veneta and Park Hyatt. Beautifully minimalist and maximally luxurious with expansive lake views, the room is replete with pieces from the fashion house’s furniture collection: benches, headboard and desk, all boasting the brand’s signature woven leather produced in partnership with Poltrona Frau. Lake Suite rates start at $4,500. —Anna Blessing Style maven April Francis
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AprIl Francis Because sHe’s A jACk Of All trAdes WHY:
“I love stuff that isn’t what I’m seeing all the time,” says April Francis. “If someone is doing X, I want to be doing Y.” As founder of styling biz the Haute Closet, creator of Dose Market and freelance consultant to clients like Nike and Park Hyatt International spas, Francis is actually doing X and Y and Z. And it seems to be working. The 29-year-old is known for her selective eye and ability to edit, a skill she is constantly honing whether she’s culling a customer’s closet, curating local
vendors to participate at Dose (a monthly bazaar of local food and fashion at River East Art Center in Streeterville) or researching the culture in Amman, Jordan, to develop a new Hyatt spa concept. Her personal style is as unpredictable as her career path. “I love weird stuff, the weirder the better,” she says. “But I also love functional.” At a recent party, Francis wore a reversible Kenzo dress. “When I told people, they asked me to go switch it. I did, and everyone loved it.” —A.B.
TOP: COURTESY OF THE PARK HYATT, CHICAGO. COURTESY OF THE PUBLIC HOTEL. CENTER: COURTESY OF THE JAMES HOTEL, CHICAGO. FRANCIS: MICHAEL FORTNER.
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