Hotel Arista, Naperville's first luxury boutique hotel, had its soft opening in September and is slated for a spring 2009 completion. Chicago architect Dirk Lohan (grandson of Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe) designed the property, decking its interior with wood-slatted walls, travertine floors, and an illuminated onyx check-in desk.
The hotel's 144 guest rooms range in size from 400 square feet to 700 square feet and offer perks such as Wi-Fi access, iPod docking stations, and flat-panel, high-definition TVs.
Chef Jimmy Sneed oversees the hotel's restaurant, SugarToad, a casual fine-dining spot that seats 95 and offers menu selections such as blackened halibut with sweet yellow pepper sauce and Kobe short ribs.
Some 10,000 square feet of meeting and event space includes a divisible ballroom and a pre-function area. An executive boardroom on the 12th floor, positioned next to two corner suites and seven king rooms, caters to the corporate-retreat crowd. Other features of the hotel include the under-construction Club Arista Wellness Center, a 12,000-square-foot spa, salon, and fitness center.
Currently awaiting its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification, the property uses 30 percent less water and 21 percent less energy than similarly sized hotels. All in-house cleaning products are chemical-free, and Arista has committed to recycling 70 percent of construction waste.
