The CityGate Centre Grand hotel will have 144-rooms, withovernight stays expected to be about $200, Slack says. The hotelwill also have a European-themed restaurant, a lobby lounge, spaand fitness center. The hotel's interiors and exterior is beingdesigned by the architectural firm of Lohan Anderson. The hotel isexpected to open next summer and will be managed by PortfolioHotels and Resorts.

The 12-story hotel will have a 500-person banquet facility,board room and other meeting facilities. Slack said the area ismissing an area where board meetings can be held. In particular,there is not a facility in the area where a person could stay thenight and then attend a corporate event, like a board meeting,without having to leave the building. Currently, a business wouldhave to go to downtown Chicago for corporate events, he says.

The mechanical systems will be energy efficient, locallyproduced materials are being used, they are using elements that arerecycled and they "have a recycling program in place duringconstruction," Slack says. Once the hotel is open, they will have"environmentally friendly housekeeping," he says.