ZestVlog

HOTEL ZACHARY, WRIGLEY TOWNE — The moment you step from the Wrigley Field concourse over the threshold of the American Airlines 1914 Club, you’re struck by the fact that such a cavernous, heavily gilded space shouldn’t exist inside of a century-plus-old ballpark.

That’s kind of the point of the subterranean home plate club, the first (and biggest) of four planned premium club spaces at Wrigley Field. It’s almost like being transported to another world — or maybe a new River North restaurant.

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But 1914 was the aim of the design, which incorporates elements from that era, from old photos to actual bricks from the original ballpark embedded in the walls. The Cubs even borrowed a framed copy of an old drink recipe book from a Kentucky club, which includes one of the original recipes for the old fashioned (they have to give it back in six months).

The club measures 7,500 square feet and features elements of Cubs and Chicago history. Cubs senior vice president of sales and marketing Colin Faulkner said part of the inspiration was drawn from architect Louis Sullivan, who designed the Auditorium Building, among other since-demolished structures. There are mostly subtle, vintage airline posters scattered around the walls to pay homage to the club’s naming rights partner. While it seems like a place to get away from baseball, that is the main focus of the space. The Cubs asked their wealthier fans what they wanted, and it is still baseball.

“The things that [fans] told us were they really enjoyed baseball, they enjoyed the view from their seats, but they wanted more baseball, and they wanted less time waiting for restrooms, less time waiting for concessions and things like that, and more comfortable seats,” Faulkner said. “So we took all that kind of survey research and feedback from fans and incorporated it into the club during the design process.”

Much of the club, which can accommodate all 700 people whose tickets are connected with it, is designed to keep fans in their seats as much as possible. Like the Cubs’ new dugout, it’s tough to see the game in here. There are plenty of places to sit, but there aren’t many TVs — Faulkner says they didn’t want it to feel like a sports bar, despite it being located in the world’s largest beer garden. There are also two grab-and-go food and drink stations on either end of the club, near the exits that lead to the seats. The restrooms are also strategically located near those exits, which are accessible by both stairs and elevators.

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The seats, which are the first seven rows of the club box section from dugout to dugout, include service from a dedicated set of premium vendors. Unlike other home plate clubs around the league, there are no high-back, plush chairs — the seats look just like every other one in the stadium, save for a cushioned bottom, which was done to maintain the “aesthetic” of the ballpark.

Another “interesting” feature is the bunker suite. There are six of these spaces, which are perfect for anyone who wants to watch a bunch of TVs in a swanky room below the ballpark. It would also be a great spot to spend the End Times — you could sip wine out of 1914-emblazoned glasses and be none the wiser to what’s going on above you. Even better, bunker suite holders have access to the suites throughout the year, including when the team is out of town. Each suite is associated with eight tickets, plus four additional guest passes for others with tickets elsewhere in the ballpark.

There’s also a small retail area that features items you won’t find anywhere else — the aforementioned 1914 wine glasses, cardigans, flasks, cufflinks, leather koozies — and lockers in which to store them, complete with phone chargers.

The Cubs are late to the party when it comes to offering these premium experiences, but they’re catching up quick. Over the last three or four years, the Cubs did a grand tour of premium experiences and clubs around sports, from every other Major League Baseball team that has a similar kind of home plate club, to the Kentucky Derby, to the Masters. Faulkner said they were able to take the best ideas from those experiences, and learn from others’ mistakes.

As the Wrigley Field restoration nears its end, the remaining three clubs will come online next season. The first base (Maker’s Mark Barrel Room) and third base (W Club) clubs, as well as the upper-deck Catalina Club, will all have different feels than the 1914 Club, but the amenities will be very similar. The first- and third-base clubs will also have views into the batting tunnels on either side, something the 1914 Club does not have.

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It’s clear that the Cubs’ focus is marrying a premium fan experience with one that’s as game-focused as possible. It’s a tough tightrope to walk, especially with tickets in the 1914 club ranging anywhere from $450-$695 (though some seats are going for as low as $150 on StubHub). While it’s obviously a certain kind of fan the Cubs are catering to (and they haven’t left the average Joe Cubs fan completely in their dust), the Cubs went to great lengths and left no detail unfinished to perfect the so-called “premier” experience. So far, so good, but time will tell whether the Cubs’ measures to keep fans in their seats are as effective as they’d like.

“The level of service is very, very good, and I think we also tried to be really responsive to our fans and take their feedback on it,” Faulkner said. “And I know other people probably do that, but I think we put a lot of time into making that happen. And we’ve been listening to the feedback. And I think it’s showed in just the response in the last couple days, we had the soft opening with the people down here, we had the opening day, and it’s blown away people’s expectations. So I think it’s been a good formula. We did it on the video boards, we did it with other things, where we said, tell us what you want, and then do that. It’s been a good formula. And I don’t know if that makes it unique to our club, but I do think other people just, they build a club and then they try to sell it. And I think ours is based on a ton of feedback and research with our fans.”

(Top photo: Lauren Comitor/The Athletic)

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