(Chicago, Ill.; November 8, 2016)— The Deer Path Inn (255 E. Illinois Rd), the historic English manor house in the picturesque City of Lake Forest, recently reopened after an extensive year-long renovation project. Under the supervision of Charlestowne Hotels, The Inn’s hotel management firm, the elegant property closed its doors to revive its interiors and update the amenities while preserving its heritage and storied history.
Situated along Chicago’s North Shore, just steps from Lake Forest’s Market Square District, Deer Path Inn was established in 1929 with traditional décor in an iconic Tudor-style architecture. For almost nine decades, the 57-room property has served as a retreat from metropolitan cities and is best known for welcoming guests with unparalleled experiences and grand English traditions. The Inn’s recent 21st century renaissance updated the antiquated infrastructure with modern conveniences in each guest room, upgraded amenities and cutting edge technology throughout the property, and rekindled its brand identity by replacing its iconic logo featuring a traditional, naturalistic painting of a deer stag with a contemporary drawing. Additionally, public spaces were refurbished and restored, including all dining outlets, the Garden Courtyard, The Hearth Room, banquet facilities, meeting rooms, the fitness center and elevator access to the upper and lower floors for guests.
“Deer Path Inn is a historical landmark and has been a devoted member of the Lake Forest community for many years,” said Matt Barba, the hotel’s Innkeeper. “To ensure we continue delivering incomparable service for decades more and allow guests the choice and control over how they relax, dine and experience the property, we decided it was time to renovate and update the inn. BUT, we showed extreme restraint during the construction process so that the building’s beloved traditional English manor house style remains the same. As the building was an essential part of the neighbourhood’s history, it was important that spaces felt familiar to the community.”
Expanded Public Spaces The design team enhanced the luxury inn’s original English Countryside-inspired interiors with upscale furnishings and accessories to enrich the sense of arrival for guests. The lobby’s fireplace and stonework remain intact in a newly expanded space with the front desk situated against the back wall to allow for additional seating groups and guest comfort. Next to the lobby remains the Hearth Room with more windows for natural light, a new service bar, additional seating groups, a fireplace, sustainable lighting and enhanced finishes, millwork, and furnishings. Further improvements to the lobby include the addition of an elevator to provide easy access to the building’s dining outlets on the lower level.
The English Room, The Inn’s more formal restaurant, as well as the casual restaurants, The Bar and White Hart Pub, have all been completely remodeled. In The Bar, the featured wine wall and sushi station were relocated, increasing seating capacity from 56 to 75. An outdoor patio with a fireplace and lounge seating were also added to the bar, while the restrooms previously adjoining The Bar and The Pub were shifted to improve the pub’s seating capacity from 25 to 50. At the English Room, a west entry was created to connect the restaurant to the building’s new elevator landing and provide easy access for guests. The restaurant was expanded to allow for 24 more seats, and the entire room received new carpeting, furnishings, refinished millwork and exposed windows to provide natural light. Additionally, a glass conservatory was added to the restaurant’s previous veranda to create the Garden Room, an indoor/outdoor space.
Beyond the Garden Room is the completely redesigned Garden Courtyard, the premier wedding venue in Chicago’s North Shore. Updates include a new paving pattern for maximum capacity, modern landscaping, as well as a bronze statue in the heart of the courtyard. With these changes, seating capacity was increased by 88 seats. Other event spaces located at the property include two brand new boardrooms with built in technology for AV services, and Windsor Hall, a banquet space restored with new millwork, window treatments and carpeting to resemble the design and aesthetic of the English Room.
Modernized Guest Rooms and Amenities Guest rooms were completely redone, with unique amenities and furnishings curated to enhance the inn’s classic design for a modern lifestyle. In addition to updating all rooms and suites with individual thermostat controls, 48-inch flat screen TVs, Wi-Fi capabilities and bed-side convenience outlets, the renewed accommodations feature Frette linens, beverage centers, electronic safes and complimentary HSIA with secure data connections. Each bathroom holds spacious marble clad showers with Molton Brown bath amenities and updated facilities.
For additional information or to make reservations, please visit TheDeerpathInn.com or ring the inn at (847)234-2280.
