The Coolest Contemporary Hotels in the Midwest

Midwest resident & journalist Leandra Beabout knows the hotel scene in America’s heartland through and through. Below, she shares five of the Midwest’s coolest contemporary stays.

Angad Arts Hotel (St. Louis): Some hotels display art. Others become it. At the Angad Arts Hotel, you’ll choose your room based on the color of your emotion of the day, then be whisked into a world of interactive art installations, music, and whimsical happy hour experiences at the 12th-floor Chameleon Bar. Shinola Hotel (Detroit): Shinola launched as a watch factory in 2011 and has since catapulted to Midwest fame as a luxury brand with a finger on the pulse of cool. With clockwork precision, the 129-room Motor City hotel has been sliced and diced into unique bedroom layouts, 5 gastronomic concept spaces, and cozy nooks punctuated by contemporary art. Bottleworks Hotel (Indianapolis): Located smack-dab in one of Indy’s six cultural districts, Bottleworks Hotel is the new jewel in the city’s crown. The property, clad in terrazzo tile, brass fixtures, and pops of Coca-Cola red, anchors a full-blown district of shops, a movie theater, spa, food hall, and more. It’s the place to see and be seen a few blocks away from the heart of downtown. (📷: Julie Fallon) Virgin Hotels Chicago (Chicago): You’d be right to expect a scintillating space from contemporary rocketman Richard Branson. This sleek property anchored inside a classic Art Deco building delivers. The Virgin Chicago is chockablock with quirky design, from a rooftop bar bejeweled with giant decorative insects to siren red Smeg mini-fridges. The Chambers Hotel
(Minneapolis): An art gallery walks into a boutique hotel. A luxe property anchors itself into the heart of downtown theater nightlife. No matter how you see The Chambers Hotel, it is one creative contemporary hotel and rooftop lounge at the height of its hospitality game.