HoB Hotel Fades Away

The House of Blues Hotel Chicago is getting a new name and a facelift, which means there will be no HoB hotels in the U.S. as of May.

"We wanted to relaunch and reposition the property," a principal of hotel operator Gemstone Hotels & Resorts told the Chicago Tribune. "House of Blues has not made a major initiative to create a big brand called House of Blues Hotels."

In fact, the Marina City property is the only facility in the U.S. named after the House of Blues. It is adjacent to the House of Blues Chicago, but the hotel was sold by HoB Entertainment to LaSalle Hotel Properties for $114.5 million last year, according to the Tribune.

Gemstone took over management of the hotel in March 2006.

The hotel will be renamed Hotel Sax Chicago (the "sax" is a reference to the city’s musical heritage), and the $17 million floor-to-ceiling renovation will cover all 353 guestrooms.