Illinois
Unveiling its 70,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art casino experience in November 2024, the Wind Creek Chicago Southland Casino & Resort recently unveiled its full resort experience, adding 255 guest rooms, 43 luxury suites and an onsite spa to the property.
The casino itself has over 1,400 slot machines, 56 table games, a poker room and high-limit salons. The resort’s full-service spa offers a range of services, including facials, massages, manicures/pedicures and body wraps. The spa also has eight treatment rooms, a mud room and a thermal suite with a whirlpool tub and sauna.
Wind Creek Chicago Southland Casino & Resort also features a rooftop Italian steakhouse along with over 12,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 9,450-square-foot ballroom and three breakout rooms.
Indiana
Just steps away from the Indiana State Capitol and Monument Circle sits the newly opened InterContinental Indianapolis. Housed in the historic 100-year-old Illinois Building, the property has now transformed into a 170-room luxury hotel, the first one to open in the destination in two decades.
The hotel features two dining concepts, a 24-hour fitness center and over 5,000 square feet of meeting and event space, including a 2,500-square-foot ballroom and an executive boardroom. The property also has a rooftop bar, Astrea, that features indoor and outdoor space and views of the circle below.
Iowa
Kingston Hotel Associates and Kinseth Hospitality Companies broke ground on a new AC by Marriott branded hotel in Cedar Rapids’ Kingston Yard district. The 123-room hotel will be the first new hotel development in downtown Cedar Rapids in 46 years since the DoubleTree by Hilton was constructed in 1979.
The property will include a boutique lobby, bar, breakfast area and library, outdoor firepit, exercise room, patio and 2,300 square feet of meeting and event space.
[Related: The Most Popular Hotels for Meetings and Events in Eastern Iowa]
Nebraska
Drury Hotels has begun construction on a new hotel in downtown Lincoln, Nebraska. The new Drury Plaza Hotel Lincoln Downtown is only steps away from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and located less than 10 minutes from Lincoln Airport.
The 210-room property will provide amenities such as 24-hour business and fitness centers, an indoor pool and spa, late night dining options and over 2,400 square feet of meeting and event space, the largest of which can accommodate up to 288 attendees. The property is set to open in early 2026.
Corporate Wellness Reimagined
theWit is a AAA Four Diamond, multisensory hotel located in the heart of Chicago’s Loop neighborhood that recently launched a new corporate wellness program that allows meeting planners to better integrate wellness into conferences and events.
In partnership with the lifestyle brand High Society, these customized group wellness offerings include yoga and mat pilates sessions; sound healing and guided meditation; group HIIT classes and teambuilding workouts; reiki, massage and acupuncture therapy; and health and mental wellness seminars.
theWit also recently unveiled two newly renovated event venues, the Gateway Room and Phoenix Lounge.
The 2,408-square-foot Gateway Room can accommodate up to 150 attendees and features custom ceiling art, a full attached kitchen, private breakout space and state-of-the-art AV capabilities. The 864-square-foot Phoenix Lounge has been expanded from a guest lounge area into a larger collaborative space that can accommodate groups of up to 50.
Both areas are located next to each other on the property’s second level and can be rented separately or combined. The hotel’s chef, Steve Chiappetti, can also customize menus for any event to accommodate seated meals, receptions, tasting stations, dietary needs and more.
The property also offers amenities such as newly renovated fitness centers, a recently redesigned spa, onsite event production teams and a remodeled rooftop bar.
