Following the initial site plan announcement in 2025, Backbeat Hotel is giving the public its first detailed look at the design of the 50-room independent boutique hotel planned for the city’s Northalsted community. The first hotel of its kind in the heart of Chicago’s iconic LGBTQ+ neighbourhood, the 41,000-square-foot property will offer modern, design-forward accommodations, including 12 suites, and coveted amenities, including a rooftop pool, street-level restaurant, gathering spaces, and a below-ground lounge.
Built on the site of the renowned Northalsted fixture Yoshi’s Café, which shuttered in 2021, the design of the six-story hotel is directed by Miami-based Studio Rodrigo Buelvas. The project is a collaboration with Chicago-based Jonathan Splitt Architects, who are guiding the process as Architect of Record. Inspired by Chicago’s connection to the origins of house music, “Backbeat” draws its name from the city’s legendary sound that rose from disco basements and house lofts which created a refuge through rhythm that still lives on Halsted Street today.
“At Backbeat Hotel, hospitality becomes a celebration of identity, nostalgia, and unapologetic style. Welcome to a singular property imagined as a sanctuary of glamour and expression, where design is a bold declaration,” said Rodrigo Buelvas, creative director of design. “Interiors are wrapped in rich, sun-drenched palettes and electrifying nighttime tones, echoing the rhythms of Chicago’s legendary nightlife and the warmth of a community that thrives on self- expression.”
Each space is a stage for individuality, with decadent textures, mirrored finishes, and a fearless embrace of colour. This boutique hotel interprets vintage charm through a modern lens, merging high design with layered cultural references.
Designed as a destination for celebration and expression, Backbeat’s vibrant rooftop pool and bar is conceived as a social anchor of the property, featuring skyline views, a retractable roof for all-season flexibility, and elevated entertainment space. Open to the public, the space will serve both hotel guests and local patrons, reinforcing the project’s commitment to the broader community and a culture of inclusivity.
Built for gathering and connection, the lobby and lounge areas emphasise warmth and flexibility, combining bold, contemporary design, house-music and disco-inspired details, and sophisticated lighting technology to strike the perfect mood from day to night. The ground floor will also feature a publicly accessible restaurant and bar concept with indoor-outdoor space drawing inspiration from the site’s original inhabitant, Yoshi’s. A place where design, music and flavor collide, the interior is wrapped in rich finishes and warm lighting, evoking the energy of a glamorous past with a fresh, modern attitude. Underground and tucked behind an unmarked door, a speakeasy style destination bar and lounge blends vintage charm with modern edge.
“This hotel is a place where modern pieces flirt with retro silhouettes, comfort meets provocation, and everyone and everything becomes a passport to a world of glamour, sexiness, and endless experiences,” continued Buelvas. “This destination is an homage to the legacy of Boystown, to freedom, to style without boundaries.”
