VIP-only types check into Stoli Hotel


Stoli Girls at Stoli Hotel opening party event. (Photo by David Ditzler)

You cannot literally check into this “hotel” inside a spacious and airy warehouse on the outskirts of the West Loop nightlife scene. But the folks behind Stoli vodka have transformed this building—that’s somehow gone under the nightlife industry’s radar—into a month-long project that’s got everyone talking.

The Stoli Hotel (it’s also been to Los Angeles and is slated to travel to Miami, New York and San Francisco) is inspired by the Hotel Moskva, the iconic hotel on the Stoli bottle label. After “checking in,” and depending on your VIP status, guests head to one of two main bars or one of several suites serving Stoli’s flavored vodkas like Razberi or Vanil. Those VIP suites, roped off and usually filled with industry insiders, come with a server who mixes specialty martinis and cocktails.

For extra-special VIPs there’s the elit Suite, and those guests get the chance to sip what Stoli is calling their ultra-luxury vodka, Stolichnaya elit. Filled with suit-wearing dudes and guarded by a menacing-looking doorman, this area is probably going to be where legit celebs hang out when they come to future events (see below).

Luckily, Stoli Hotel offers distractions beyond the bars, as they’ve created a mini spa area for those needing a little rejuvenation—even though there’s not much relaxation with the pounding club beats right on their backs. Guests can make appointments at the Spa on the Go for manicures, facial rejuvenation, scalp treatments, chair massages, or hand and foot reflexology.

They’re also hosting fashion shows, art films and celebrity deejay appearances. Future events include:

Oct. 19 - GQ 50th Anniversary party with DJ Paul Sevigny
Oct. 20 - Playboy Girls Next Door
Oct. 24 - DJ Samantha Ronson
Oct. 25 - XRT Rocky Horror Show
Oct. 26 - Details with DKNY
Oct. 27 - Halloween Party with Perez Hilton

Invite only. Yep, that’s right. – Audarshia Townsend