At precisely the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, The Drake Hotel celebrated a very special milestone moment in history, our Centurion Anniversary.
One-hundred years of anchoring the north end of Michigan Avenue, One-hundred years of welcoming millions of guests with a legacy of illustrious service, One-hundred years of setting the stage to best enrich your experiences, and One-hundred years of warm gestures of authentic hospitality to encapsulate memories to last a lifetime for all who pass through our doors. See some of our favorite moments in history.
Centurion 3 Martini Package
In celebration of the Centurion Anniversary, we invite you raise your glass to toast the generations of families and friends that continually make The Drake Hotel their Chicago home away from home. The 3 martini package, pays homage to our executive pour martini (a martini with a side of martini) and includes an evening seating to sip 3 martinis at Palm Court, selection of 1 "table to share" menu item and overnight accommodations.
Includes 3 executive pour martinis, suitable for sharing with 1 table share item during evening supper service. Subject to availability, room type and blackout dates.Must be 21 to consume alcohol.Nontrasferable and cannot be exchanged for hotel credit, hilton honors or other services.
Ten Things You Didn't Know
Lesser Known Facts About The Drake
1. Leading up to a visit from President Barak Obama, secret service discovered a hidden door disguised as a book shelf inside the Hotel Manager’s office leading to a private outdoor balcony. Rumor has it that it had once been used by Al Capone and his friends
2. Famed mafia boss, Al Capone’s accountant Frank Nitto, also referred to as “The Enforcer” had his office at the back of the hotel. Rumor has it, Al Capone was a frequent visitor of the hotel’s bar Coq d’Or
3. The Grand Ballroom was a multipurpose room. It was used as a tennis court and dance hall for the upper class. The hotel installed a spring floor for guests to perform the Charleston.
4. The 275-year-old French bronze urn was found in the Florentine Craftsman House in New York and was transported to Chicago to use as the focal point of the Palm Court’s fountain. The architect of the hotel, Ben Marshall was responsible for placing his baby alligators in the fountain.
5. In 1932, Cape Cod Restaurant became Chicago’s first choice for fresh seafood. Twenty years later, newlyweds Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio would carve their iconic initials into the bar’s world famous wooden counter.
6. On December 6th, 1933, the day after prohibition was repealed, Coq d’Or opened to the favor of thirsty patrons eager to purchase a 40-cent whiskey. In the 1940s it became a local hangout for reporters, politicians, and even some notorious characters, though it never lost the true Chicago crowd.
7. After Princess Diana’s stay in 1996, the hotel renamed the Presidential Suite to The Princess Diana Suite.
8. The Drake Hotel has long been an oasis for visiting kings, queens, diplomats and entertainers, including British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Walt Disney, Ronald Reagan, Queen Elizabeth II, Grace Kelly and Vince Vaughn. The hotel has captured some of these famous visits in the hotel’s iconic autograph book.
9. From the Camellia Room to the Gold Coast Room, the hotel has played host to some of the city’s most famous events and historic figures. The Drake has hosted over 10,000 galas, weddings and events throughout its 100 year-history.
10. The bread ovens at the hotel have been there since the hotel opened, back in 1920. They are still in use and are kept running 363 days a year at approximately 425-450 degrees to bake The Drake rolls used throughout the hotel's restuarants and banquets. It takes two days for them to cool down and then a worker crawls in and cleans them.
