Chicago’s booming hospitality scene has received a further boost with the launch of Found, a new elevated hostel brand.
Its first outpost is enviably located in the Windy City’s River North, a fashionable neighbourhood full of destination restaurants, cutting-edge art galleries, and one of Chicago’s architectural icons, the Marina Towers.
Inside a cast-iron building from the 1920s, the hotel was designed by Built Inc. to appear comfortably lived-in. The lobby, for instance, is outfitted with a backlit, cedar cubby wall stuffed with random tchotchkes – from colourful globes to animal ceramics and old books – the kind that you might collect over a lifetime of travelling. Next to it, there is a seating area where vintage rugs are topped with sculptural chairs, while downstairs the lounge is stocked with vintage board games. The 60 guestrooms are layered with texture: herringbone floors, walnut custom beds (some are even bunk beds), and bright marble bathrooms – the idea being to efficiently and stylishly piece together just the necessities.
It’s in the restaurant and bar outlets, however, that Found is most aesthetically dynamic. The basement-level Chicago satellite of celebrity-approved Blind Dragon (a cocktail karaoke bar with addresses all over the world) is totally unlike the rest of the property in its visual grandeur. The leopard-print stools, fringed red-lit lamps, and gilded banquettes provide an inspiring backdrop to a night out sipping on Asian-inspired libations or to belting out a rock-and-roll classic. §
