CHICAGO – The Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) today issued a request for proposals (RFP) for a hotel operator to develop a new hotel adjacent to Terminal 5 and renovate an existing hotel at O’Hare International Airport.

“Today’s passengers and business travelers need and expect modern facilities for lodging, events and office space critical to their unique needs, like direct access to and from the airport and ground transportation options," said Ginger S. Evans, Commissioner, CDA. "We are building hotels at O’Hare to provide a significantly higher level of customer service and increased non-airline revenue. We are creating construction and service jobs for Chicago residents and enhancing O’Hare’s status as one of the world’s premier airports.”

The RFP calls for an operator to develop a new hotel adjacent to Terminal 5 at O’Hare International Airport that will provide direct access to airport travelers to the terminals via the free, 24-hour Airport Transit System (ATS). The new, full-service hotel is envisioned to have 300-400 rooms, 25,000-65,000-square-feet of conference space, banquet rooms, ballrooms, and other amenities.

The RFP released today also solicits hotel operators to renovate and modernize the existing O’Hare Hilton with a goal to accommodate large-scale trade shows and events, as well as adding amenities such as spas, extended room service, concierge services, and quality restaurants and boutiques.

Each respondent to the RFP must submit a plan demonstrating a commitment to conduct at least four job fairs in designated Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Areas throughout the city to recruit employees for the new hotels and related facilities.

The Airport Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program (ACDBE) participation goal of 15 percent for these airport projects represents one of the highest goals that have ever been solicited for an airport hotel project.

The Hotel Development RFP is available online at: http://flychicago.com/ORDHotelMgmtRFP

The RFP released today notifies potential respondents that they have until January 18, 2017 to submit responses. The CDA anticipates to submit the awarded contract to City Council for approval in the first half of 2017.

The development of these hotels represent Mayor Rahm Emanuel's long-term vision for strengthening O’Hare as not only the economic engine of the city, but for the entire country, and are the latest in a series of announcements regarding the modernization of O’Hare Airport. In building one of the most efficient runway systems in the country, Mayor Emanuel announced a historic $1.3 billion investment that includes a new runway (Runway 9C/27C), deicing pads and other critical airfield projects at O’Hare that will allow for additional gates and terminal improvements. It also follows an announcement by the Mayor and American Airlines to add five new gates at O’Hare by 2018, creating the first major gate expansion since 1993. Additional gates will increase capacity at the airport, provide significant economic benefit to the city of Chicago, and improve airline performance.