A new hotel name and experience tuned to Chicago music, nightlife, and technology.
00 / Overview
Giving a renovated Chicago hotel its own voice.
As the property left the House of Blues hotel flag and renovated, it needed a new name, identity, and guest-facing brand. Agency689 created Hotel SAX Chicago and carried it through the property, website, booking funnel, Crimson Lounge, launch, and a Microsoft-powered gaming floor.
Agency role Naming / Brand and Launch Direction
Client Hotel SAX Chicago
Services Naming / Visual Identity / Logo Design / Hotel Website Design / Booking Funnel / Property Collateral / Nightlife Branding / Opening Campaign and Event / Guest-Experience Design
01 / Naming
A name with the range of the human voice.
The saxophone is one of the instruments closest in tone to the human voice. “SAX” connected that expressive quality to Chicago’s music culture while giving the hotel a short, memorable name with a confident nightlife edge.
02 / Hotel Identity
One idea, carried through the stay.
The identity extended from logo and property materials to room collateral, sales communications, the full website, and booking journey. Agency689 also worked closely with the architecture team so the brand and renovated environment developed in conversation.
03 / Launch Experience
Nightlife and gaming made the new name tangible.
Agency689 named and branded Crimson Lounge, collaborated with the architects, and produced the opening campaign and event, where Samantha Ronson performed. The agency also helped bring Microsoft in as a partner, linking compact gamer suites to a central Xbox center. Together, the lounge and gaming floor turned the renovation into an entertainment story that earned substantial launch-period press attention.
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