Lori Rackl

The Sophy Hyde Park, seen here when it opened in late 2018. The South Side hotel is donating its rooms to hospital workers for three weeks.

Chicago hotel donates its rooms to medical workers amid coronavirus pandemic

March 26, 2020 at 10:28 p.m.

The Sophy Hyde Park plans to close to the public Friday and open — free of charge — to University of Chicago Medical Center staff responding to the coronavirus pandemic. The boutique...

Airbnb rallies hosts to provide free housing for coronavirus responders

March 26, 2020 at 10:00 p.m.

The hospitality company Airbnb rolled out a program Thursday to help house those on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic. Airbnb hosts can register to offer their homes for free...

The massive Hilton Chicago, second building from left, is seen June 16, 2015, on South Michigan Avenue in Chicago. The 1,544-room hotel is notifying guests that it will suspend operations as of March 27, 2020.

With occupancy rates below 10%, more Chicago hotels close while others join city program to stem coronavirus spread

March 26, 2020 at 3:43 p.m.

A flight crew and two other people were the only guests spending the night Wednesday at the 1,218-room Sheraton Grand Chicago. The huge hotel on the Chicago River soon won't...

Hotel One Sixty-Six, formerly the Cambria Chicago Magnificent Mile, is shown March 23, 2020. The city of Chicago plans to rent thousands of hotel rooms, including those in Hotel One Sixty-Six, to be used for people diagnosed with the new coronavirus or those who believe they've been exposed, in an effort to stop the spread of the illness and relieve the burden on hospitals.

Chicago plans to rent thousands of hotel rooms for coronavirus isolation in move to preserve space in hospitals

March 23, 2020 at 10:34 p.m.

The city of Chicago plans to rent thousands of hotel rooms to be used for people diagnosed with the new coronavirus or those who believe they've been exposed, in an...

Rydell Fernandez, a page at The Peninsula, stands outside the hotel at 108 E. Superior St. earlier this year, before the coronavirus sent the hotel industry into a tailspin.

‘We haven’t seen anything like this’: Coronavirus makes closures, staff cuts and empty rooms the new reality for Chicago hotels

March 23, 2020 at 1:52 a.m.

Hotel occupancy rates have plummeted. Housekeeping staff, bellhops, valets and other workers are being let go, not knowing when — or if — they'll be back. Some of Chicago's swankiest...

Dawn Rice restocks shelves at Mariano's in Chicago's Bucktown neighborhood on March 19, 2020.

Ordered to stay home to halt COVID-19’s spread, Chicagoans already were preparing to hunker down

March 20, 2020 at 11:49 p.m.

By the time Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced an order requiring Illinois residents to "stay at home" in an attempt to contain the new coronavirus pandemic, shoppers stocking up before...

Designed by Rubush & Hunter, the architectural firm responsible for some of Indianapolis? most prominent structures, the flatiron building now known as the Madam Walker Legacy Center will reopen in June following a two-year, $15 million renovation.

Netflix has a new series on self-made millionaire Madam C.J. Walker, whose memory lives on in Indianapolis

March 20, 2020 at 4:34 p.m.

A century after her death, Madam C.J. Walker is having a moment. Her rags-to-riches story is the subject of a new Netflix miniseries, "Self Made," streaming March 20. Oscar winner...

Camping at Indiana Dunes National Park. National parks — and camping in general — are likely to remain attractive options for travelers gravitating to the great outdoors as a result of the coronavirus.

‘Fall is the new summer’: How coronavirus is changing the way we travel — and when

March 24, 2020 at 7:49 p.m.

After a long Chicago winter, Safia and Izz Matariyeh were looking forward to their Miami getaway next month, followed by a family vacation in June to Cancun. Now that the...

Hotel Essex on South Michigan Avenue is one of the Chicago area properties offering discounted rates to college and university students.

Chicago hotels offering reduced rates to displaced college students

March 14, 2020 at 12:00 a.m.

With the coronavirus causing major disruptions on college campuses, at least three Chicago-area hotels are offering discounted overnight rates to displaced students. Hotel Essex in the South Loop has a...

Susan Kuang of Chicago snagged a deal on a trip to Miami Beach's South Beach after her vacation in Italy was scuttled by the coronavirus. Kuang is planning another trip to Vegas to take advantage of the myriad deals stemming from COVID-19 and its chilling effect on travel.

Coronavirus is hammering the travel industry — and creating ‘insane’ deals on airfare, cruises and more

March 11, 2020 at 11:20 p.m.

When the coronavirus scuttled Susan Kuang's plans for a March trip to Italy, the Lakeview woman started looking for other vacation options. She found plenty — and at bargain-basement prices....

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