A recent survey conducted by Orbitz revealed that 63% of millennial travelers expressed the amenity they’d like to see on the road is more plants in their hotel rooms. Orbitz, in collaboration with the Kimpton Grey Hotel and Garfield Park Conservatory, decided to give the people what they want! After all, Millennials travel the most out of any group and are driving the growth in the travel industry.
I’m no Millennial, but I’m down for this! I was invited to pay a visit to the hotel during the press preview day and let me say; I’d love to see more hotels follow suit! Imagine spending a day sightseeing and coming back to your very own oasis to relax in! That’s what vacation’s about after all! The atmosphere in each of the rooms was an instant mood booster for me.
The Kimpton Gray Hotel recently named one of Chicago’s Best Hotels of 2019 by U.S. News and World Report, created a total of 5-themed rooms for the collaboration, all with a different sound and smell. Each room is modeled after an area at Garfield Park Conservatory, one of the world’s most extensive botanical gardens under glass!
VIP Greenery Experiences
Botanically-inspired relaxation kits welcome each guest upon entry to their room. Although bookings sold out quickly, that doesn’t’ mean you can’t get in on the fun. The hotel will be hosting happy hours Friday through Sunday during the pop-up from 5-6 at an elaborate greenhouse set up in the lobby where guests can snip herbs for their cocktails. The pop-up runs from October 18th through October 20th.
Loving plants is smart! Scientific evidence shows that living with houseplants can do wonders for your health
Jennifer Van Valkenburg, president and CEO of Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance
Here’s a glimpse into the rooms featured during the Plant Hotel Pop-Up.
Palm House
Includes lush palms and plants native to tropical habitats around the world.
Sugar Room
The plant hotel’s Sugar Room was one of my favorites; the smells of fruit bearing plants and trees permeating the air were sensational!!!! The room included Theobroma Cacao, Coffee Arabica, Air Plants, Breadfruit Plant, and Alpinia Zerumbet, all botanicals that you can eat.
Desert Room
Incorporates a wide array of cacti and succulents that have adapted to a desert environment around the world.
Fern Room
Features lush ferns native to the verdant, prehistoric landscape of Chicago.
Aroid Room
Aroids in the wild grow on the floor of the rainforest, which is why these low light plants also make great houseplants .
Guests not fortunate enough to snag one of the pop-up rooms can choose one of the greenhouse plants at check-in for their hotel room.
This pop-up brings so much life into the hotel. It’s a perfect match to Kimpton’s dedication to sustainability and our connections throughout the community
Dina Fenili, director of sales and marketing at The Gray
Foliage donations will be made by the hotel to different organizations around the city upon completion of the pop-up.
So what do you think? Are plant hotels something that you’d like to see more of when traveling? Tell me in the comments.
The Kimpton Gray hotel is located at 122 W. Monroe St., Chicago.