Luxury LGBTQ+ Hotel Planned for Northalsted
Tryst Hospitality is developing a new luxury boutique hotel in Chicago's Northalsted neighborhood, historically known as Boystown. The project is specifically designed to cater to LGBTQ+ travelers and aims to provide an upscale hospitality experience within the community.
- The hotel is planned for 3350-3352 N. Halsted St., the former site of the D.S. Tequila Company, which Tryst Hospitality acquired. The development calls for a five-story, 21-room building that will include a restaurant, a nightclub, and an enclosed rooftop with a pool and bar. - Tryst Hospitality's founder and CEO is Tristan Schukraft, an entrepreneur who also founded MISTR, a telehealth company focused on providing access to PrEP for HIV prevention. His hospitality portfolio is expanding in major LGBTQ+ destinations, including properties in Puerto Vallarta, San Juan, Fire Island, and Provincetown. - An entity led by Schukraft purchased the Northalsted property for $3.1 million, according to Cook County records. The project requires a zoning change from the City Council to move forward and is currently in the community meeting phase with local groups and 44th Ward Alderman Bennett Lawson. - This is the second hotel proposed for the immediate area; the independent "Backbeat Hotel" is a 50-room project planned for 3255 N. Halsted St. with a projected opening in 2028. - Northalsted was the first officially recognized "gay village" in the United States, a designation it received from Mayor Richard M. Daley in 1997. The neighborhood is also home to the Legacy Walk, the world's only outdoor LGBTQ history museum. - The project's architect and lead designer is the Illinois-based firm NEWLOOK Design Build + Development. Construction is expected to take approximately 18 months once all approvals are secured.
