The Congress Plaza Hotel & Convention Center can host meetings, conferences, trade shows, banquets and weddings for 10 to 2,000 attendees, in more than 50,000 square feet of event space. Its largest single room, the Gold Room, holds up to 400 guests. The hotel stands at 520 South Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago, facing Grant Park and a few blocks from the Lake Michigan shore.
Seminars and company events
The hotel sells corporate meetings, conventions, seminars, banquets and local trade shows, and offers a meeting package, a catering menu and a menu for tour and travel groups. Groups that need bedrooms can send a room block request together with the event request, so a conference and its accommodation are handled by the same team.
Four main venues carry the business program. The Gold Room, with a Renaissance-style interior, is used for general sessions, award dinners and galas of up to 400. The Florentine Room takes up to 300 for receptions and banquets and is also used for business functions. The Windsor Room is often chosen for conferences and trade shows. The Great Hall suits company events and corporate ceremonies. The hotel's own count runs to 22 event and meeting venues in total, which leaves room for breakouts, registration and exhibitor areas. A capacity chart with the full list is available from the sales team.
The front desk is staffed 24 hours a day, with concierge service, which helps when attendees arrive at different times.
Weddings and receptions
The hotel sells ceremonies and receptions. Couples can exchange vows in the Florentine Room, which seats up to 300 for a ceremony and up to 180 for a banquet. The Gold Room hosts formal receptions of up to 400 people, or seated dinners of up to 290. Both rooms overlook Michigan Avenue and Grant Park.
The hotel's wedding package for receptions of 115 guests or more includes a four-course menu, a custom cake, four hours of open bar and Chiavari chairs. Guests can stay the night in the hotel's rooms after the reception.
Rooms and capacities
The Gold Room holds up to 400 guests, or 290 for dinner. The Florentine Room holds up to 300, or 180 for a banquet. The Windsor Room and the Great Hall are offered for conferences and corporate events, with capacities on the hotel's chart. Total event space exceeds 50,000 square feet, with attendance from 10 to 2,000.
Accommodation
The hotel has guest rooms and suites on site, including Lakeview rooms facing Lake Michigan. It advertises no resort fees. A dedicated room block form handles group reservations for conferences and weddings.
Catering
Catering is provided by the hotel, with a catering menu and a meeting package for daytime events. Three outlets serve guests between sessions: The Gazebo for breakfast, Rafael's with a full menu and views, and the Congress Lounge for pub food.
History and setting
The building opened in 1893 as the Auditorium Annex, built by developer R. H. Southgate to house visitors to the World's Columbian Exposition, with a north tower designed by Clinton Warren. The south tower, built between 1902 and 1907, contained a banquet hall that became the first air-conditioned ballroom in America. The hotel took the name Congress Hotel in 1911. It housed army officers during World War II and is known as the home of presidents, having received Taft, Theodore Roosevelt, McKinley, Cleveland, Harding and Coolidge.
Getting there
The hotel is on Michigan Avenue at the south edge of the Loop, within minutes of Grant Park, the Art Institute, the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium and Soldier Field. Union Station and the Metra stations of the Loop are close by. O'Hare and Midway are the city's two airports.
