Vision Quest:
David Pisor's Elysian Hotel and Private Residences Aspires to Give the World's Most Luxurious Hotels and Condos a Run for Their Money

By HEATHER KENNY

For anyone who grew up reading books about Eloise — the tyke who terrorized the Plaza Hotel in New York — grand hotels represent a world of elegance and sophistication. But in recent years, that refinement seems to have been replaced by sleek, all-too-edgy hotels that dress their employees in hipster-friendly black and sometimes neglect basic luxuries in favor of more gimmicky services. Chicagoan David Pisor hopes to turn that trend around with his new project, the Elysian Hotel and Private Residences, a lavish condo/hotel hybrid located at 11 E. Walton St. that is scheduled to open in the fall of 2008.

While the Elysian’s features read like a luxury wish list (a new restaurant and dining room run by chef extraordinaire Charlie Trotter, a Beaux Arts design by renowned architect Lucien Lagrange, private terraces on every hotel room), the most unique thing about the property is the vision of the man behind it. Pisor has created a high-end model that eschews mere flash for an experience built on a genuine zeal for fine service.

And people want what Pisor’s selling. Although the development hasn't even made it above ground, 70 percent of the 188 private suites and 51 condominiums — which start at $480,000 and $2.6 million, respectively — housed in the 60-story building have already been sold. It’s a testament to just how well Pisor 41, knows the market.

A Bucktown resident and father of four, Pisor got his first taste of high-end hospitality after college, when he spent several years working at Chez Panisse, the Bay Area restaurant founded by the hugely influential chef Alice Waters, who also happens to be Pisor’s aunt. “She’s truly a visionary, and I got to see that firsthand,” he says. But instead of continuing with the family business, the Michigan native moved to Chicago in 1991, working for a series of real estate developers. A few years later, he took a detour, starting a technology company with a friend. They sold it in 2001, and the cash influx allowed Pisor to plan for the Elysian, his dream project. “It’s a blend of real estate, service, fine food — all the things that make up me,” he says.

As Pisor talks about the Elysian — whose competitors will include the Peninsula and Four Seasons on the hotel side and the Ritz-Carlton Residences, Mandarin Oriental and Trump Tower on the residence side — it’s clear that the attention to detail and quality he learned at Chez Panisse influences every aspect of his latest project, from the old-world-style courtyard space that welcomes arriving guests to the property’s goal of offering a level of service unavailable at most upscale hotels.

“Intimacy is essential to delivering a great experience,” Pisor says. To that effect, Elysian staff members will meet guests at the airport, and owners of the private suites, which are available to other guests when owners aren't using them, can keep personal items on site in specially designed armoires that easily move back and forth from suite to the hotel’s storage space. (Pisor says the suites are ideal for those who want an in-town option without the hassle of buying groceries or hiring cleaners.) The Elysian will also abandon the typically impersonal check-in desk, as Pisor wants each of his guests, resident or visitor, to feel like they’re returning home — albeit, the grandest home they’ve ever known. After all, at 800 square feet, guest rooms are twice the size of the typical high-end hotel room, and the room-service cuisine is overseen by Trotter himself.

With everything falling into place, Pisor says he feels lucky to work on a project for which he has so much passion. “It’s such a gem for us, we want to make sure that everyone who stays there feels the same.” While there are plans to open Elysian hotels around the world, the Chicago location will remain the flagship. That’s not a matter of simple convenience or familiarity. Pisor hopes to ride the city’s ever-growing reputation as an international destination as much as he aspires to add to it. “Chicago’s created some great companies,” he says. “I hope someday I can be mentioned among the great successes.”

For more information about the Elysian, call 312.664.9500 or visit www.elysianhotels.com.

Published by Chicago Social