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Chicago’s First Plant Hotel Pop-Up Opens

Fern hotel room at plant hotel pop-up in Chicago

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. 

Chair and table setting in lobby of hotel
Kimpton Gray Lobby

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.

Greenhouse set up in lobby at Kimpton Gray Hotel in Chicago
Greenhouse

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!

Room of foliage at Plant Hotel Pop-Up at Kimpton Gray Hotel
Aroid Room at Kimpton Gray Hotel

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.

Bed in hotel room with lots of foliage

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.

woman holding bowl of fruit in hotel room
Sugar Room
Bed in hotel room featuring foliage
Sugar Room

Desert Room

Incorporates a wide array of cacti and succulents that have adapted to a desert environment around the world.

cactus' on nightstand in hotel room

Fern Room

Features lush ferns native to the verdant, prehistoric landscape of Chicago.

hotel room decorated with fern foliage
Fern Room

Aroid Room

Aroids in the wild grow on the floor of the rainforest, which is why these low light plants also make great houseplants .

Hotel room with live trees
Aroid Room

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.

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