Union Club Hotel celebrating new, international designation
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue's Union Club Hotel recently announced that it has officially transitioned into an Autograph Collection Hotel.
As part of Autograph Collection Hotels, The Union Club Hotel is now among more than 200 hand-selected hotels around the world that were chosen for their craft and perspectives on design and hospitality, according to an announcement from Purdue.
The Union Club Hotel was built in 1929 as an extension to the Purdue Memorial Union and underwent a constructive transformation in 2019-2020.
Design and legacy
The transformation of The Union Club Hotel is "concealed" behind the classic, "untouched historic building façade featuring the same brick and American Gothic-inspired architecture common across many prestigious universities."
Guests can see black-and-gold mosaic tiles in the main lobby which also features a two-story front desk area with monochrome bookshelves. These bookshelves display projections of Purdue artwork and famous figures, such as Amelia Earhart.
Other features in the lobby include upholstered fabric furniture, inlaid Purdue icons and a hidden lobby bar.
"Since The Union Club Hotel’s transformation last year," Purdue's announcement states, "it has earned many accolades, including the Best Boutique Hotel of 2021 by Boutique Lifestyle Leaders Association (BLLA). The hotel also received a 2021 Gold Key Award from Boutique Design Magazine for Best Lobby; Best Hotel Renovation and Restoration from the AHEAD America’s 2021 Awards; and Silver Award for Interior Design-Renovation from the 2020 IDA Design Awards."
Food and drink
A mainstay at The Union Club Hotel is 8Eleven Modern Bistro. This restaurant's name is an ode to one of the most famous aerospace programs in history.
"...8Eleven celebrates the trailblazing tradition of two of NASA’s most daring aerospace programs, Gemini 8 and Apollo 11, as well as the missions’ command pilot, Purdue alum Neil Armstrong," 8Eleven's website says. "We’re proud to honor our namesake and proud to be recognized as one of West Lafayette, Indiana’s top restaurants."
This bistro's menu combines regional and seasonal ingredients with nods to bistro classics, including roasted bone marrow, braised beef and pan-roasted chicken.
Boiler Up Bar is a well-known Purdue eatery open for lunch and dinner.
"In this refined and sophisticated cocktail lounge," Purdue's announcement says. "fresh garnishes provided by Purdue’s College of Agriculture enhance farm-inspired cocktails, while an extensive selection of bourbons and whiskeys that tells the story of Indiana’s best small-batch distilleries."
Leaps Coffee & Artisan Pastries features a grab-and-go coffee and pastry counter along with artisan teas from regional purveyor Hubbard & Cravens. In-house-made pastries and the artisanal teas pay homage to the generations of Purdue culinary professionals.
Educating future hospitalitarians
Through collaboration with Purdue's White Lodging – J.W. Marriott School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, The Union Club Hotel acts as a hands-on learning space for hospitality students.
Joining the Autograph Collection provides students with additional learning opportunities, according to Purdue, as the systems, processes and resources needed to operate a hotel are supported by Marriott, the world's largest hospitality company.
“Throughout history, generations of Purdue graduates have left their mark, in small steps and giant leaps,” Vicki Wicks, general manager of The Union Club Hotel at Purdue University, Autograph Collection, said in the release. “Joining Autograph Collection Hotels is a giant leap for Purdue’s hospitality program and further reinforces the world-class amenities we offer at The Union Club Hotel.”
The Union Club Hotel is also set to host LAUNCH, a hospitality immersion program. LAUNCH is a multi-year talent-development program created to help university students into the industry by providing paid experiences at the hotel and with internship/job opportunities at White Lodging.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Union Club Hotel celebrating new, international designation
