More than $20 million in renovations are planned for the Chicago City Center Hotel, 300 E. Ohio St., which was recently purchased by Oxford Lodging for more than $80 million. "The property will undergo a $20-million-plus renovation addressing every facet of the hotel including the lobby, restaurants, all meeting space, guestrooms, guest bathrooms, corridors, outdoor pool deck and other public areas," says Maki Bara, managing partner and co-founder of Oxford Lodging. The hotel restaurants will also be "revamped," she says. The hotel will remain open during the renovations, which should be complete early next year.

The 25-story Allerton Hotel, 701 N. Michigan Ave., will undergo a renovation estimated at more than $10 million. Oxford Lodging purchased the 443-room Allerton Hotel, which is a Chicago historic landmark, in November 2006. Retail on the first floor of the building was not included in the sale. As part of the renovations, all of the guest rooms will be refurbished with new beds, bedding, furniture, carpets and drapes, Bara says.

The lobby of the Allerton Hotel will be moved to the second floor from its current third floor location and will be renovated into a "lobby lounge" where guests can surf the internet from their laptops, enjoy tea in the afternoon and enjoy a drink in the evening in a "relaxed and hip" atmosphere, Bara says. The third floor will be converted to a ballroom and meeting space.