The hotel business has started to heat up in Chicago over the past few years, with high-profile openings such as the Virgin Hotel, Ace Hotel and LondonHouse bringing a host of new options to the market. The increased competition for tourist dollars apparently hasn't been kind to the Hard Rock Hotel, which will soon be leaving the Carbide and Carbon Building after 13 years in the Michigan Avenue location.
According to Crain's, the owner of the building is ending its partnership with the Hard Rock Hotel brand and will be relaunching the 381-room property as an independent hotel. The report reveals that Chicago-based hotel management firm Aparium Hotel Group has been contracted to run the new hotel after the building undergoes an extensive renovation. A new name for the project is slated to be announced this fall.
We're guessing that whatever takes the place of the Hard Rock Hotel probably won't retain the overly-earnest reverence for classic rock icons (not to mention the guitar-heavy decor). If you really need to get your Hard Rock fix (and one of those once ubiquitous T-shirts), you can always visit the Hard Rock Café—the River North restaurant is unaffected by the closure of the hotel.
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