Some 13 years ago, when Mario Tricoci first contemplated opening the Elysian Hotel in Chicago, the ultra-luxury market was dominated by fabled names like Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, Peninsula, and Mandarin Oriental. While the property he desired to create would also showcase “a refined and thoughtful experience,” he preferred a more easygoing approach guided by “an intuitive nature.” To put this ambitious plan into action, he turned to Kevin Robinson, who he was introduced to by a mutual friend and was then working at the Four Seasons in Alexandria, Egypt, and convinced him to move to the Midwest.