The Westin Michigan Avenue Chicago

The Westin Michigan Avenue Chicago is a full-service hotel located on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. It operates under Westin Hotels & Resorts, a hospitality brand owned by Marriott International, and serves leisure travelers, business guests, groups, and visitors seeking accommodation near Chicago's major retail, cultural, and commercial destinations. Its positioning is that of an upscale or premium urban hotel, combining guest rooms with food-and-beverage services, meeting facilities, and access to the Michigan Avenue corridor. The property originated as the Continental Plaza. It was operated by Western International Hotels and was planned to open on November 22, 1963. The scheduled opening was postponed by one day following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22. Grand-opening festivities planned for November 29 were subsequently cancelled. At its initial scale, the hotel had 15 floors and approximately 400 rooms. A major physical expansion was completed in August 1974, adding a 27-story extension and nearly doubling the property's size. The expansion transformed the hotel into a substantially larger urban lodging complex. Western International Hotels changed its corporate name to Westin Hotels in 1981, and the property was renamed The Westin soon afterward. In the 1990s, the hotel adopted the name The Westin Michigan Avenue, aligning the property more directly with its prominent Chicago location. A renovation was completed in 2008. The hotel has also had a notable labor-relations history. Its workers went on strike in 2018, an event that affected the property's operating context and became part of its recent public history. The ground floor includes approximately 5,860 square feet of retail space. That retail component was purchased by Blatteis & Schnur in March 2023, separating the retail ownership interest from the hotel's operating identity. The property remained associated with the Westin system after Marriott International acquired Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Westin's former parent group, in 2016. The hotel is therefore part of Marriott's global lodging portfolio while retaining Westin branding and the brand's emphasis on wellness-oriented hospitality. Public reference material identifies the hotel as an operating Chicago property, but does not provide a complete set of current room, restaurant, meeting-capacity, ownership, or executive-management details. On December 3, 2025, Pebblebrook Hotel Trust announced that it had completed the sale of the hotel for $72 million to an unidentified investor. The transaction concerns property ownership and does not by itself indicate a change in the Westin brand affiliation.

The property now known as The Westin Michigan Avenue Chicago began as the Continental Plaza, a large urban hotel developed on Chicago's Michigan Avenue. Western International Hotels was responsible for its operation. The hotel was scheduled to open on November 22, 1963, but the planned opening was postponed following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on that date. A separate grand-opening program planned for November 29 was cancelled. When first opened, the hotel consisted of 15 floors and approximately 400 rooms. The property's most important early physical change came in August 1974, when a 27-story extension was completed. The addition nearly doubled the hotel's size and created a much larger lodging operation suited to Chicago's expanding convention, business, and tourism markets. The expansion also reinforced the building's role as a prominent hotel on the Michigan Avenue corridor. Western International Hotels changed its corporate name to Westin Hotels in 1981. The hotel was renamed The Westin soon afterward, bringing the property into closer alignment with the Westin identity. During the 1990s, the name was further adapted to The Westin Michigan Avenue, highlighting the address and distinguishing the property from other Westin hotels. The building received a renovation in 2008. The hotel has operated within several layers of hospitality ownership and brand structure. Westin became part of Starwood Hotels & Resorts before Starwood was acquired by Marriott International in 2016. Following that acquisition, Westin continued as one of Marriott's lodging brands. The property's brand affiliation is therefore separate from the ownership of the physical hotel and its associated real estate. Labor relations became part of the hotel's modern history when its workers went on strike in 2018. The available reference material does not establish the complete duration, settlement terms, or specific contractual issues involved, so those details remain undocumented here. The property also includes approximately 5,860 square feet of ground-floor retail space. Blatteis & Schnur purchased that retail component in March 2023. In a later ownership transaction, Pebblebrook Hotel Trust announced on December 3, 2025, that it had completed the sale of the hotel for $72 million to an unidentified investor. The announcement identifies the transaction value and buyer's undisclosed status but does not provide further information about the investor or any resulting change in hotel operations. The property remains identified with the Westin brand in the available reference material.

• 2025

  Hotel sold by Pebblebrook Hotel Trust

  [1]Westin Michigan Avenue Chicagoen.wikipedia.org

  Pebblebrook announces completion of a $72 million sale to an unidentified investor on December 3, 2025.

• 2023

  Ground-floor retail space sold

  [1]Westin Michigan Avenue Chicagoen.wikipedia.org

  Blatteis & Schnur purchases approximately 5,860 square feet of retail space on the hotel's ground floor.

• 2018

  Workers strike

  [1]Westin Michigan Avenue Chicagoen.wikipedia.org

  Employees at the property go on strike.

• 2008

  Renovation completed

  [1]Westin Michigan Avenue Chicagoen.wikipedia.org

  The hotel undergoes a renovation.

• 1990

  Property adopts the Michigan Avenue name

  [1]Westin Michigan Avenue Chicagoen.wikipedia.org

  The hotel is renamed The Westin Michigan Avenue during the 1990s; the exact year is not specified in the reference material.

• 1981

  Western International Hotels becomes Westin Hotels

  [1]Westin Michigan Avenue Chicagoen.wikipedia.org

  The operating company changes its name, and the property adopts The Westin name soon afterward.

• 1974

  27-story extension completed

  [1]Westin Michigan Avenue Chicagoen.wikipedia.org

  The August completion of a 27-story addition nearly doubles the property's physical scale.

• 1963

  Planned opening of the Continental Plaza is postponed

  [1]Westin Michigan Avenue Chicagoen.wikipedia.org

  The hotel postpones its scheduled November 22 opening after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. A November 29 grand-opening celebration is later cancelled.

Upscale urban business and leisure hotel emphasizing convenient Michigan Avenue access, full-service accommodation, meetings, dining, and Westin's wellness-oriented hospitality proposition.

• Hotel accommodation · 1963

  Guest rooms and suites

  The property's core offering is full-service lodging in downtown Chicago. Its accommodation business serves business travelers, tourists, groups, and guests visiting the Michigan Avenue retail and cultural district. The available reference material does not specify the current room inventory or room categories.

• Hospitality services

  Dining and beverage services

  The hotel provides on-property food-and-beverage services as part of its full-service operating model. Specific restaurant names, menus, concepts, and current operating arrangements are not identified in the supplied reference material.

• Meetings and events · 1963

  Meeting and event facilities

  Meeting and event facilities support business functions, group travel, and social occasions. The hotel's scale and urban location make this an important component of its business proposition, although current meeting-room counts and capacities are not documented in the available sources.

• Commercial real estate · 1963

  Ground-floor retail space

  Approximately 5,860 square feet of retail space occupies the ground floor. This component was purchased by Blatteis & Schnur in March 2023, making it a separately referenced real-estate asset associated with the hotel property.

• 2025

  Complete the sale of the hotelM&A

  Background

  Pebblebrook Hotel Trust announced a transaction involving the hotel property.

  Action taken

  On December 3, 2025, Pebblebrook announced that it had completed the sale to an unidentified investor.

  Aftermath

  The announced sale transferred the property for $72 million. The available source does not identify the buyer or state whether the hotel's Westin operating arrangement changed.

  Sale price. $72 million (Completed December 3, 2025)

  Source

• 2023

  Sell the ground-floor retail componentM&A

  Background

  The property includes approximately 5,860 square feet of retail space separate from its hotel operations.

  Action taken

  Blatteis & Schnur purchased the ground-floor retail space in March 2023.

  Aftermath

  The retail portion received a separately identified owner while the hotel continued under its established brand identity.

  Source

• 2008

  Renovate the propertyStrategy

  Background

  The established urban hotel required periodic reinvestment to maintain its competitiveness and brand positioning.

  Action taken

  The hotel completed a renovation in 2008.

  Aftermath

  The renovation formed part of the property's continued operation as a Westin hotel.

  Source

• 1981

  Rebrand the operating company and hotelStrategy

  Background

  Western International Hotels changed its corporate identity to Westin Hotels.

  Action taken

  The property was renamed The Westin soon after the corporate name change.

  Aftermath

  The hotel became part of the Westin-branded lodging network and later adopted the more location-specific Michigan Avenue name.

  Source

• 1974

  Expand the hotel with a 27-story additionStrategy

  Background

  The original Continental Plaza had 15 floors and approximately 400 rooms. The operator pursued a major expansion to increase the property's scale.

  Action taken

  A 27-story extension was completed in August 1974, nearly doubling the hotel's size.

  Aftermath

  The expanded property became a substantially larger Chicago hotel and continued operating through later brand and ownership changes.

  Source

• 2025

  Pebblebrook Hotel Trust announces sale of the hotel[1]Westin Michigan Avenue Chicagoen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Pebblebrook Hotel Trust announced on December 3, 2025, that it had completed the sale of the hotel for $72 million to an unidentified investor.

• 2023

  Blatteis & Schnur purchases the hotel's ground-floor retail space[1]Westin Michigan Avenue Chicagoen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Blatteis & Schnur acquired approximately 5,860 square feet of ground-floor retail space associated with the property in March 2023.

• 2018

  Hotel workers go on strike[1]Westin Michigan Avenue Chicagoen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Workers at the hotel went on strike in 2018, making labor relations a significant feature of the property's recent operating history.

• 2008

  The property is renovated[1]Westin Michigan Avenue Chicagoen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The hotel underwent a renovation as part of its ongoing development as a Westin-branded Chicago property.

• 1981

  Western International Hotels adopts the Westin name[1]Westin Michigan Avenue Chicagoen.wikipedia.org

  Leadership change

  The hotel's operator, Western International Hotels, changed its corporate name to Westin Hotels. The property was renamed The Westin soon afterward.

• 1974

  The hotel completes a major 27-story expansion[1]Westin Michigan Avenue Chicagoen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  A 27-story extension completed in August substantially increased the hotel's size, nearly doubling the property from its original 15-floor, approximately 400-room configuration.

• 1963

  The Continental Plaza postpones its scheduled opening after the Kennedy assassination[1]Westin Michigan Avenue Chicagoen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The hotel, then known as the Continental Plaza and operated by Western International Hotels, delayed its planned November 22 opening after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Grand-opening festivities scheduled for November 29 were later cancelled.

1. 1Westin Michigan Avenue Chicagoen.wikipedia.org