July • 2006 IMSC students take a back seat - Irish American News

July 2006 IRISH AMERICAN NEWS 37
T. Colm O’Callaghan brings a warm
“Cead Mile Failte” to the Conrad Chicago
By Maureen Callahan
Last November, Chicago welcomed
a new hotel to its River North Area.
The modern and luxurious Conrad
Hotel now occupies the former site of
Le Meridian Hotel at 521 North Rush
Street. The ideal location, originally the
historic McGraw-Hill publishing building,
makes it a perfect place for out-of
town guests to enjoy Chicago. The
Conrad is connected to the Nordstrom
and Westfi eld North Bridge shopping
center, with the hotel actually occupying
the 5th to 17th fl oors.
Behind the hotel’s huge renovation
project is general manager T. Colm
O’Callaghan, most recently the former
manager of The Peninsula Chicago.
Colm brings greater than 20 years of
hotel management experience with
him to the Conrad. Besides credentials
spanning stateside from the St. Regis
in New York to the Mandarin Oriental
in San Francisco, Colm also gained a
valuable European perspective through
working in hotels in England and
Switzerland. He holds degrees both
from the Shannon College of Hotel
Management and a graduate certifi cate
from Hong Kong University of Science
and Technology.
Perhaps his most valuable knowledge,
however, came from his earliest
vocation. The important lessons of “being
honest, down to earth and looking
after people,” necessary to succeed in
this business stem from his family’s 15
room inn, the Failte on Cottage Street
in Killarney, Ireland. His father still
works behind the bar and his mother in
the restaurant. “I learned very early that
if you hire the right person for the job
and train him or her well, you see success.”
As for his crew at the Conrad, “I
was lucky to come into such a fantastic
group of talented people,” he says.
With 311 guest rooms and 33
suites, the Conrad ensures a classy
respite for the weary traveler. When
the renovations are complete, all rooms
will have plasma HD televisions, 500
thread-count Pratesi bed linens, towels
and bathrobes, wine and champagne
glasses and hi-fi Bose 3-2-1 entertainment
systems. IPod docking stations
and Xbox 360 game consoles are also
available upon request.
The Restaurant at Conrad is full service
and open from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00
p.m., off ering a fusion of international
cuisine. Celebrate la joie de vivre with
a chocolate martini or choose from a
selection of wines at the Rendez-Vous
lounge right off of the main lobby.
Enjoy the view and nice weather with
global tapas on The Terrace at Conrad,
open May through September. This
brand new, beautiful outdoor addition to
the building is a perfect warm-weather
spot to meet for drinks en plein air.
The Conrad is an ideal and convenient
place for meetings and events. 12
meeting rooms all named for various
French cities add up to greater than
13,000 square feet of meeting space.
The executive boardroom, Avignon,
off ers a 42 inch plasma screen TV and
oversized leather chairs. The hotel also
off ers a full-service business center
and wireless Internet access from all
public areas. The menu options vary
greatly to avoid culinary monotony
during multi-day meetings. Besides a
functional meeting space, the Conrad
is a stylish setting for a wedding ceremony
or reception, rehearsal dinner
or brunch. The French architecturally
designed Ile-de-France grand ballroom
can accommodate up to 180 guests for
a seated dinner. Plans to expand the
ballroom to include a beautiful view
of the city are in motion.