Goettsch Partners

How do you give a hotel privacy and quiet above one of Chengdu, China's busiest public squares?

At Grand Hyatt Chengdu, the answer was siting: setting the 25-story tower asymmetrically atop its podium, so all 370 guestrooms open onto unobstructed views, with stepped gardens offering guests urban terraces unlike anything else downtown.

Celebrating the 10th anniversary of its grand opening this week, the hotel is still an anchor that gives its guests real distance from the city below while staying right in the middle of it.

Congratulations to the key team members who helped bring this landmark project to life:

Chicony Co.
Tonychi and Associates

Today, we celebrate the 10th anniversary of GP’s LondonHouse Chicago, an adaptive reuse project that brings together old and new. Located at the iconic intersection of Michigan Avenue and Wacker Drive, the 452-key hotel integrates a restored 1923 office building, originally designed by Alfred Alschuler for the London Guarantee & Accident Company, and a new slender glass tower on an adjacent site. The renovation encompasses 305,000 square feet of the existing 21-story building, with an 85,000-square-foot expansion completing the street wall where a small parking lot once sat. The new tower's subtle saw-toothed façade angles respond to signature views west down Wacker Drive and overlooking the Chicago River, while respecting the cornice lines of its historic neighbor. From the gateway arrival through the historic elevator lobby to the grand second-floor check-in and bar, the hotel honors its past throughout. At the top, previously underutilized space has been transformed into a tri-level rooftop terrace and bar, with a special-events space nestled within the refurbished cupola, offering guests signature views of downtown Chicago and the river below.

Congratulations to the key team members who delivered this landmark project for its grand opening on May 26, 2016:

Oxford Capital Group, LLC
Simeone Deary Design Group
TGRWA
WMA Consulting Engineers
Klein & Hoffman
W.E. O’Neil Construction

Last week, GP participated in the 2026 JPMorganChase Corporate Challenge in Chicago, one of 16 locations hosting the world’s largest corporate running series. A total of 15 GP team members showed up strong and represented the firm with pride in the 3.5-mile loop through Grant Park along the city’s lakefront. New shirts featuring GP’s One Chicago, a group stretch, and a pre-race team cheer were all highlights this year, including the introduction of five first timers to the mix.

Earning a global ranking of #225 and #159 locally out of 484 Chicago companies participating, the event was about more than just crossing the finish line. This year’s race supported Association House of Chicago, an organization that has served Chicago communities for more than a century through programs that promote inclusion, stability and opportunity. We’re proud to have contributed to such a meaningful cause.

Thank you to everyone who ran, cheered and supported Team GP along the way, and congratulations to all participants.

A new landmark has arrived in Saudi Arabia. The W Riyadh – KAFD is officially open.

Located in the King Abdullah Financial District, this luxury lifestyle and business hotel brings together a dynamic architectural form, a rich program of guest amenities and a thoughtful response to its site and the demands of the desert climate.

The 17-story prism-shaped tower is defined by a nine-story opening that separates programmatic functions while drawing views and light deep into the building’s mass. A three-story podium anchors the hotel to the pedestrian life of KAFD, housing restaurants, conference facilities, outdoor gardens and a rooftop terrace.

Each façade tells a different story. The north face responds to the adjacent wadi—the district’s primary pedestrian promenade—with an undulating, faceted aluminum-and-glass curtain wall that shifts in scale from street level to the tower’s full height. The south is stone-clad and largely opaque, punctuated by rhythmically alternating horizontal slots. To the east and west, a saw-toothed profile maximizes shade while allowing measured light and views throughout.

Sustainability is woven throughout the project, from energy modeling and solar shading to daylight control and proximity to public transit, reinforcing the hotel as an integrated part of the district’s broader vision.

Congratulations to the entire project team!

Photography: Marriott International

GP projects have been recognized with three Award of Excellence honors in this year’s Council on Vertical Urbanism (CVU) China Awards!

In the Best Tall Hotel Building category, Conrad Shenzhen and Thompson Shanghai Expo at Expo Place were both winners. In addition, the overall Expo Place complex was recognized in the Urban Habitat category.

As part of the program, GP will present these projects at the CVU 2026 China Conference this June in Guangzhou.

The CVU China Awards Program recognizes projects and practices that advance tall buildings and the urban environment across China, achieving high standards of sustainability and human well-being.