The Kimpton Gray Hotel

. If you’re considering this venue—book it. You will not regret it. We toured several venues across Chicago, but none compared to the unique blend of elegance, hospitality, and modern luxury we found at the Gray. From day one, we were treated like VIPs—not just by our amazing event coordinator, Mariah Rudd, but by the entire Kimpton staff. Every interaction was personal, professional, and warm. You can truly feel that this team takes pride in making every couple feel celebrated. Our ceremony and dinner were held in the Adler Ballroom, which gave off that timeless classic Chicago ballroom feel—refined, grand, and perfect for the formal parts of our evening. Afterward, we moved up to Boleo, the hotel’s gorgeous rooftop space, for cocktail hour and the reception. Boleo gave us an incredible Chicago rooftop party vibe, with stylish décor, amazing city views, and just the right atmosphere for dancing and celebration. One of the standout perks of choosing the Kimpton Gray was having full access to take wedding portraits throughout the hotel, which is packed with stunning backdrops. We took some of our favorite shots on the marble staircase, inside the richly styled Vol. 39 cocktail bar (which feels like an elegant library), and of course, just outside on LaSalle Street in front of the iconic Board of Trade building—one of the most classic wedding photo locations in the city. Even the wedding tasting was above and beyond. We had a personal session with the head chef, and the attention and care we received made it feel like we were dining at a private restaurant. Every dish was incredible, and the tasting itself felt like a celebration. Most importantly, we have to highlight Mariah Rudd, our phenomenal hotel event coordinator. Mariah was in constant communication with us and our vendors, from planning stages through the wedding weekend. She graciously handled every request—from us and our families—with professionalism and warmth. She was physically present at our rehearsal and on-site for hours on the wedding day, ensuring everything was perfect behind the scenes. Every detail was ready ahead of time and exceeded our expectations—we didn’t have to worry about a thing. Thanks to Mariah, we got to truly relax and soak in the best day of our lives. If we could do it all over again, we’d choose the Kimpton Gray in a heartbeat. It was the perfect setting, with a world-class team, and we’ll be forever grateful for the memories created there.

are extremely grateful for her presence. She displayed professionalism and flexibility for us both during and after hours to answer all of our questions as well as offer further commentary to assist in executing our vision. Our ceremony and reception were flawless and the Kimpton staff lead by both Mariah and Alyssa worked tirelessly to not only met our expectations, but they exceeded them in high order. The food and beverages were phenomenal and our guest left the wedding impressed with so much joy that my wife and I have, and much of that is attributed to the Kimpton Gray. I plan on returning to have future events and will continue to recommend this venue to everyone. If you are in the market looking for a venue and staff of amazing people that will be equally invested in making your vision and reality, you would be doing yourself justice in making this place your starting point. Thank you again to Mariah, Alyssa and the Kimpton staff for everything.

icious, and the execution flawless. Our guest knew when they walked into the hotel that they were someplace special and that feeling stayed with them from beginning to end.

he best experience. My guests loved the hotel and Boleo. Highly recommend!

it's great for a winter wedding or (like us) an early spring wedding where you have no clue what the weather will be. If the weather is decent you can get great photos in the city without having to walk too far. I love that I was able to get so much from this venue - meaning a hotel room to sleep in, guest room block, ceremony site, reception venue, meeting room for bride and bridesmaids to get ready in, catering, drinks, and cake. I could have done a rehearsal dinner here too but chose not to. The food was awesome! We had expected 1 bartender since our wedding was only 48 guests but were surprised and pleased to have like 3 people behind the bar. On the actual wedding day the staff made us feel quite special. They automatically refilled our cocktails at the sweetheart table which is something we would never have imagined but appreciated. For me, the main draw to having a wedding here is maximizing time in Boleo. Due to our small wedding size we were able to do cocktail hour, dinner, and dancing all in Boleo which was awesome. The space is so pretty that you don't have to worry about decorating it, just adding flowers to the tables. When it's warmer they are able to open the roof as well which could be great for a summer wedding. One thing that did surprise me as we got closer to the date (though it was in the contract) is that you're not supposed to have outside food/drink in the bride and groom getting ready rooms. So just keep that in mind for planning.

so much experience that she will happily provide recommendations and take care of little things so you don't have to worry. We later found out that the week leading up to our wedding, she was out sick, but we didn't even know because she always responded promptly to emails and questions. We cannot tell people enough how amazing Alyssa is! Also, The Gray has so many beautiful places to take pictures, we didn't even need to go outside. But if you do go outside, the Chicago Board of trade is ~2 blocks down. The Adler ballroom was perfect for our ceremony and the Boleo was SO MUCH FUN. Glass ceiling, full restaurant bar, and side spaces for others to hang out. Not to mention, the hotel upgraded us to the presidential suite for free. We are sooo sooo happy we had our wedding at The Gray.

short of amazing as she truly felt personally invested in our wedding and was patient with my endless questions/emails. She and the rest of the KG staff went above and beyond making ourselves, our families and all of our guests feel special. Not only is the venue itself STUNNING (people could not stop complimenting it), their staff is so hard working. My dad happens to be very meticulous and was amazed that they managed to serve a room full of 200 people their entrees in less than 9 minutes, no one was ever waiting on their food (thanks Ado, you are the best!). Everything between the passed appetizers, the main course and our late night snack felt personally made as nothing tasted mass produced, they were all amazing! Despite our large wedding size, the bar was never bottle-necked as the staff was able to make custom drinks (espresso martinis, shots, etc.) without any hold up. All of our vendors who worked with the Kimpton Gray or found out that they were our venue were so impressed and excited to be able to work with them as their reputation proceeds them. I would endure the stress of wedding planning all over again just to relive our amazing day at the Kimpton Gray, I cannot thank them all enough for how perfect everything turned out!!!

experience went flawlessly and I know it was because of nice the staff treated us and our guests.

arting with the beautiful, marbled staircase as you enter the hotel, the ceremony/reception in the Adler Ballroom, and finally dancing the night away in Boleo with a retractable roof that has an awesome view of the city… so pretty and had so many compliments from our friends and family. I have to give a very special shout out to Abbe, we worked with her throughout and she was so flexible and accommodating during the planning process. The flow of our wedding day went very smoothly, we appreciated it so much. We still visit Boleo on special occasions for dinner, Chef Brian and Abbe always make us feel so welcomed. We love you!

o find a new place to host our wedding ceremony and reception and The Kimpton Gray immediately came to mind (we had a initial site visit there about a year earlier). Abbe immediately swooped in and was such a calming voice despite our anxiousness to switch things so last minute. She and her team went above and beyond to work with us to make sure our wedding day was perfect - despite the many COVID challenges that tried to stop us! She was so accommodating and patient and was truly a dream to work with. Not to mention the hotel is beyond gorgeous and many of our guests said it was the best wedding they’ve ever been to - the food, the reception in Boleo...all top notch! Thank you Abbe and team!!

ro wedding/reception at Boleo. Abbe is THE BEST! She was incredibly helpful at a time when our stress level could not have been higher. She was so flexible especially since we were essentially creating a whole new reception. Everyone at the Gray is so welcoming and were so pleasant to work with! At times our families were confused on where to go/what to do next and everyone at the front desk was so helpful. It cannot go without saying that the Gray itself is beautiful. From the hotel rooms to the marble staircase to Volume 39 to Boleo. EVERYTHING! Our families are still talking about how wonderful the Gray is and how great the entire staff is! The day turned out perfect and better than we could have ever imagined!! You will not be disappointed in choosing to have your wedding here! Highly recommended!!

tely. Abbe was amazing every step of the way; she answered all of our questions and we were able to plan months worth of work in a few short weeks; we are SO happy we ultimately had to change our venue because everything was AMAZING! The food, drinks, the gorgeous spaces we had access to - it was all better than we could have imagined and came together beautifully thanks to Abbe and the wonderful team at the Kimpton Gray!

from Abbe, Dina and the entire staff at The Gray was unparalleled. Our guests felt like they were taken care of the entire time and could not stop talking about how perfect the entire weekend was. We cannot wait to have our big wedding here next year!

fore going to The Kimpton Gray and as soon as we finished our tour we knew we were done looking and it was the one. From the beginning, Chelsea worked with us to make sure we had all of our questions answered and helped us create the perfect custom package for our big day. She was extremely flexible with the multiple changes that were made in the first few months. Danielle took over the planning process a few months later and she couldn't have done a better job. She was always eager to help us with any questions we had, she came to each meeting with excitement and hospitality. She was so attentive and made us feel like we were the only wedding she was planning all year. You really can't get better service. We had multiple guests stay at the hotel from out of town and we continue to hear how amazing their stay was and how impressed they were by the hotel. We were so happy to hear that our friends and family enjoyed The Kimpton Gray as much as we did. It truly was the perfect setting to get married. We plan to go back to the hotel every year for our anniversary to celebrate!

the year. Let me be brief but specific: We were promised food of restaurant quality. • The salad at our tasting was delicious and comprised of arugula, goat cheese, strawberries and pistachios. By their own admission, they "forgot " the strawberries and pistachios, there was a dot of goat cheese and the arugula was barely moistened • The agreement was to serve the Grilled Marinated NY Strip Steak medium rare. The steak was served well done, dry and flavorless. (The ceremony and dinner started on time so their excuse that it sat in the warmer too long was unacceptable) • The Soy Glazed Atlantic Salmon was delicious at the tasting, but they neglected to put more than a dot of glaze on each piece of fish. (At the tasting the fish was coated with the glaze) Our guests had flavorless fish. • We opted for a cheese wheel cake rather than a traditional cake. We were told we could not bring it from the outside , but not to worry, they would make a beautiful one. We supplied many photos from pinterest . Their final version was comprised of 3 small wheels of cheese precariously balanced and with no decoration to speak of. For this embarrassment that they charged us $600. (They did remove the charge when we complained but it doesn't change the experience. • The desserts (supplied by West Town Bakery) were I assume delicious, but they were cleared away so quickly that most guests (who were dancing) did not get any. • The "Boozy Milk Shakes" that were to be passed on the dance floor were placed on a table where they melted. No one saw them or had them. • We ordered 7 varieties of late night bites that were to be passed all around the venue. They were only passed in one small area, most guests never saw them, and they went back to the kitchen uneaten. I could go on- but you get the idea. Equally egregious to the problems was their response. While they admitted to some of the problems, Susan White, the director of catering made excuse after excuse to justify . On the happy side- the room looked amazing! (Thank you Revel!)

ruly outstanding. My husband and I got married here a couple weeks ago, and the Kimpton Gray made our dreams come true! We worked with Chelsea from our very first tour, and she is now my best friend. She is SO easy to work with, extremely attentive and responsive, and she genuinely wants to make your special day (weekend really!) so prefect and special. I cannot say enough amazing things about Chelsea Vaughn. The Gray is lucky to have her, and if you have the opportunity to work with her you are BLESSED! We love you Chelsea!!! The hotel itself is stunning, the marble staircase, the specific beautiful scent of the hallways, the gorgeous lobby, Volume39 bar, and of course the ballroom and rooftop lounge Boleo are stunning. I am not someone who loves a ballroom, but the Gray did it right. The chandeliers are modern and beautiful, the color palate perfect, and the carpet is not overwhelming. The guest rooms are perfectly done with beautiful lighting, nice finishes, and lovely bathrooms. If you're considering the Gray for a weekend stay, a cocktail, OR for your wedding - DO IT. It would be a mistake not to!! Say hello to Mike upon your entrance, where he always says “welcome back” making you feel like family! If you’re lucky Sam or Paul will be there to help you bring your luggage up! They are the best! The second part of my review is specific to our wedding experience. Holy cow. This was an enchanting and truly unforgettable event, the very best day of our lives. We were married at the Gray on a Saturday evening, so we stayed the whole weekend at the hotel. We were treated like a king and queen, the staff so friendly, accommodating, and surprising us with small treats at every turn! Chelsea was with us every step of the way. She met with us multiple times leading up to the wedding day, was incredibly helpful during our final walk through, and helped make the day go perfectly. Clint also deserves a shoutout, he delivered an incredible experience (during the tasting AND the wedding!) and reminded me to eat my dinner which was a MUST. The FOOD wow wow wow Chef Brian is SO talented. I have been to many weddings where the food was medium. Here the food is 10 stars, it’s extremely delicious and the plates are just beautiful. Thank you Hugo for making dinner so fun with your fabulous smile and loving demeanor! The dinner staff was top notch, my guests commented to me on how amazing every member of the Gray’s team was. After dinner we had dancing with our band in Boleo. The cocktails were always flowing which was important to my husband, nobody was waiting long for a drink and the cocktails were done perfectly. They know what they’re doing here, especially if server Jesse is there giving your guests a welcoming smile! Boleo itself is a stunning room, and what’s amazing about the Gray in general, but especially in Boleo, is you do not need to spend money on décor, because the room already has everything needed to have your guests feel transported somewhere exotic and amazing! Everything about the hotel, the wedding experience from planning to execution, and the family/staff is utter perfection. I am so sad its over because I miss my Kimpton family, but we will be back for sure, on the regular for drinks at Boleo and Volume! THANK YOU GRAY from the bottom of our hearts!

ul with the marble staircase and trendy decor, the staff is BEYOND friendly!! Our event manager, Danielle, was a dream to work with! She is friendly, bubbly, helpful, and just wanted to make sure our wedding day was perfect! I emailed her a lot with random questions and she always answered right away with the perfect answer! It just made the planning process go extremely smoothly! One of our favorite things about the hotel is the Boleo. This is where we danced the night away with our family and friends. We were lucky enough to have the roof open during our first dance. Which was SO COOL! Our guests are still talking about it!! Every experience we had leading up to the wedding was amazing. The tasting was a blast! The chef is amazing and the waiters were beyond helpful and friendly. The entire staff (front desk, bellmen, waiters, bartenders, everyone!) made us feel like celebrities and it was so so fun! We did not want to check out on Sunday and we will definitely be back to celebrate future anniversaries!!

ver the top. We were fortunate to have the presidential suite the night before our wedding, well the “bride” had the presidential suite. Also, it is dog friendly so we could have our ring bearer; Kosmo our 15-year-old poodle stay with us. We were able to use both the Adler ballroom and Boleo on our special day. We had our ceremony and a plated dinner in Adler and had our cocktail hour and reception in Boleo. We couldn’t have had better weather, we got lucky being September was so rainy. The retractable rooftop was open all night and while my husband and I knew Boleo was a hidden gem no doubt several of our guests were pleasantly surprised and in awe of how cool this venue is. The Robbie room on the second floor is also a notable room that we used during the day for the groom and friends to hang and then also for late night. Our planning team including Danielle, Abbe, Chelsea and likely several others on their team that my husband reached out to prewedding…thank you to everyone that contributed and even played a small role in our wedding day and all the planning that lead up to it. Their team answered our every demand. The beverage manager, Clint went above and beyond providing a magnum of Veuve and assured that our drinks were not dry for long. The wait staff was very attentive and completed dinner service smoothly. For dinner we opted for the Halibut and Short rib and we are still getting compliments weeks later. We thought we had made the correct decision with the Short rib being at the tasting the chef communicated something to the effect that he won his wife with the Short rib recipe. Even out of the gate with the appetizers and salad the food was fantastic. Ending the food on a high note we also thought it would be good to get our guests some sustenance late night, so we had burgers and fries around 11 pm. As for desert though I don’t remember tasting as the night was such a blur Kimpton outsources the desert to West town bakery< Thank you Samantha Turner! We opted for a smaller cake (two levels-chocolate with raspberry filling and vanilla with chocolate filling and of course cream cheese frosting) and desert table with several options. Our guests that have a sweet tooth complemented us on the spread not having a bad bite. Also, with out of town guests staying at the hotel the location is ideal for travelers looking to explore the city.

o incredibly responsive and accommodating - she truly made us feel like the day was 100% about us and that the hotel would do everything they could to make it perfect. The venue itself was gorgeous and modern. We didn’t want to get married in a hotel ballroom but quickly changed our minds after visiting The Gray. The marble staircase and beauty of Boleo sold us instantly. We used Boleo for both our cocktail hour and reception and guests were in awe - they had never seen anything like it! We barely even decorated the space since it’s already so beautifully decorated. Our guests are still raving about the beauty of the venue as well as the delicious food that we carefully selected with the Chef and Chelsea’s help. Additionally, we had a fantastic experience with the room block and our own Suite. We had almost 30 rooms booked and our guests loved staying at this beautiful hotel. Lastly, we were fortunate enough to stay in the Presidential Suite and it was incredible. It was plenty big for 10 girls to get ready in on Wedding Day (the boys had an awesome getting ready room with a pool table). Overall, I can’t say enough great things about the Gray and I would get married all over again there if I could!

tely the best weekend of our lives, and we just can’t recommend getting married at the Kimpton Gray enough. We worked with Chelsea, and she was absolutely amazing. She was completely on top of everything, extremely responsive to every question, comment, concern, or request. Our guests stayed at the Kimpton Gray for the weekend, we continue to still hear family and friends rave about the guest rooms, as well as the accommodating staff. My bridesmaids and I got ready in the Presidential Suite, which was overwhelmingly huge, had great natural light, and was very comfortable for us the day of the wedding. We had our cocktail hour in the 15th floor foyer, which was beyond beautiful, had our reception dinner in the Adler ballroom, followed by dancing in Boleo with our live band. Unfortunately, it did rain the evening of our wedding, so we were not able to open the rooftop to the Chicago skyline, but we did have guests who commented on the full glass ceiling. Our guests absolutely loved the food that the chef prepared for us, and Chelsea worked with him to ensure we were able to accommodate any of our guests’ food restrictions and allergies. We had anywhere from vegan-only to peanut allergies and gluten allergies, and he was able to make wonderful meals for all of those guests. Boleo in itself was outstanding. Our guests LOVED the décor, absolutely loved the mixed cocktails and the bartending staff, as well as the late-night bites and food that the chef prepared for us. We still have guests complimenting us a month later about the late-night sliders and the Old Fashion drinks, ha! We honestly wish we could have our wedding here again and again every year just to come back and do it all over again. Can’t say enough great things about Chelsea and her team at the Kimpton Gray Hotel. Absolutely we would recommend getting married here to anyone looking for a beautiful, unique venue with outstanding staff and amazing food and drinks.

, beautiful, and care-free without all the time and effort they put in to make our wedding so perfect! All of our family and friends had an amazing time - from the gorgeous decor, to the delicious food, to the dancing under the stars in Boleo, they could not stop raving about our day. I would ABSOLUTELY recommend this venue to anybody who wants to make your wedding dreams become a reality!

ng to help us achieve that vision. Every single person at the Kimpton Gray was so nice and accommodating prior to our wedding. We worked with Chelsea, and she was so easy to work with. She responded to every comment and request promptly, and answered our questions completely. The weekend of our wedding, every single staff member at the Kimpton Gray made us feel so special. Our out of town guests raved about the guest rooms. My bridesmaids and I used the presidential suite to get ready in, and it was absolutely perfect. We used the Boleo space for our wedding reception, and it was exactly how we envisioned it. The weather cooperated, so we were able to have the rooftop open for everyone to enjoy. We constantly hear from our guests how amazing our venue was! The food was absolutely delicious, the bartenders were amazing, and the entire staff made sure we were having a great time. Wedding planning can be such a stressful time, but I really feel like working with Chelsea and the team at the Kimpton Gray made it all so easy. Honestly, I wish I had another kind of event to plan so that I could do it at the Kimpton Gray again! I truly would recommend this venue to any couple looking for a beautiful venue in the heart of Chicago.

ception in a ballroom in downtown Chicago, and looked at numerous hotels and venues to fit our 150 guests, including other Kimpton hotels. When we toured the Gray with Veronica, we immediately knew that it would perfectly fit the vision of our wedding day - with the timeless look of the marble throughout the hotel (restored from the original building), modern trendy guest rooms, classy bars and delicious food, and the simple elegance of the ballroom. We enjoyed working with the team at the Gray during the year leading up to our wedding, and they were incredibly patient and accommodating to our every need, through countless emails, phone calls, and meetings. We had some bumps along the way (to be expected with a brand new hotel, a perfectionist bride, and a significant financial investment being made for one single day!) but Veronica made sure all of our concerns were addressed so that we (along with our families and bridal party) could relax and enjoy the wedding day. When the day came, our families and friends loved that their hotel rooms were in the same building as the reception, our bridal party had so much fun gathering and getting ready in the Gray's meeting rooms, our guests really enjoyed having the cocktail hour in the separate room at Boleo (with an open roof viewing of the Willis tower!), the ballroom looked exquisite for the reception, and it was great to be able to go back to Boleo to continue the celebrations at the end of the night. We had so many guests comment on the delicious drinks and food (from the hors d'oeuvres, to the entrees, the cake, and late night bites), and how the Gray provided an incredible venue to perfectly complement our wedding. Having never planned a wedding before, we didn't really know what to expect from the process, but our experience with the Gray went beyond what we could have hoped for. We are so grateful that we were able to have our dream wedding at such an amazing venue, and would highly recommend the Gray to anyone looking to get married in Chicago!

AMAZING in every way. She dotted every "i" and crossed every "t." My family had high expectations and she exceeded all of them. We did the ceremony in The Adler Ballroom, Cocktails in the Boleo Room, Dinner in Adler Ballroom and Dancing in Boleo. I cannot stress enough how INCREDIBLE the Boleo room is, especially if the weather is nice, and you are able to have the retractable roof open! Most of our guests were from outside the midwest area, and have not stopped raving about the venue and hotel! Customer service at the hotel for guests was also top notch. I loved everything about the Gray and would recommend it a million times over!

of the hotel, but we were lucky enough to have our first meeting with Veronica Cuevas, Catering Sales Manager. Skeptical about booking a new venue without any reviews, any hesitation we may have had was completely put to rest after meeting Veronica. Her enthusiasm and vision for my daughter’s wedding was by far so refreshing that it immediately gave us the comfort level we needed to book the wedding at the Gray. I am from the New York area and have made parties there, however, I have to say no one was as thorough and carried out my vision like Veronica. Her vision and passion for the smallest details created a spectacular wedding for my daughter. This venue, especially the Boleo room, makes for a phenomenal wedding venue. Make sure you ask for Veronica if you want someone who knows this venue inside and out and will make you an unforgettable evening.

re friendly, helpful and accommodating. They made our experience the best it could be! I highly recommend you look at hosting your big day here!!

s a reflection of my experience communicating with the events team at Kimpton Gray. My fiancé and I ultimately decided to host our wedding at another venue, but we were still very interested in having our rehearsal dinner and welcome reception at Boleo. The moment I told Veronica that we would not be having the main event at Kimpton Gray, she became completely unresponsive. I understand not receiving quite the level of service as a bride that is having the main event there, but found it rude that the team was completely uninterested in helping us as soon as they found out it would be smaller-scale. After several follow-up attempts with no response, we have given up on hosting our event at Boleo, which is too bad since the space is truly unique and beautiful. Be advised that responsiveness may be an issue if you are interested in having your event at Kimpton Gray. Hopefully they get the kinks worked out moving forward, as it is a newer venue.

ive, flexible, and really want to help make this a perfect day for us. The ballroom itself where the ceremony & reception will be is beautiful and spacious. The Boleo room for cocktail hour is also incredibly unique and a very cool space. We love that this is more of a boutique hotel. I highly recommend checking out the Kimpton Gray Hotel for a wedding venue!