Adult getaway opens in Midlothian

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Midlothian mayor Terry Stephens (left) and Frank Sottrel, president of Prestige Club Destinations, cut the ribbon during a ceremony and reception at Aura, 14400 S. Cicero Avenue, in Midlothian Thursday, July 14, 2011. | Brett Roseman ~ Sun-Times Media

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Updated: October 31, 2011 2:04PM

Although Midlothian’s newest business resembles a hotel, it’s actually a club for adults — with beds — but it is run by a hotel group, Sottrel Hotel Group.

Aura, located at 14400 S. Cicero Ave., is billed as a “romantic getaway” “where you can indulge in your most private pleasures and turn fantasies into reality,” according to its website.

The club — called Prestige — hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony last week, complete with tours of the ultra-modern, technologically advanced guest rooms.

“We’re not a hotel; we’re a private club. We don’t cater to the public,” developer Frank Sottrel said. Prestige also has the Ambience location in Franklin Park.

In order to stay in one of Aura’s rooms, you must be a registered member of the Prestige Club, which costs $20 a year.  Sottrel said a valid driver’s license is required for all reservations.

“We cater to upscale, young couples looking for an upscale getaway,” Sottrel said. “People used to have the money to take a little getaway, but with the economy being the way it is, people come here and feel like they’re getting away for the night.”

“We’re not seedy, we’re not red-light-district types; this is a clean, safe, beautiful environment,” Sottrel said.

“We offer hourly stays at a minimum of four hours because sometimes couples don’t have an entire night to spare,” Sottrel said.

Similar businesses, including Essence Suites in Orland Park and Sybaris in Frankfort, also market themselves as a couples retreat.

Dan Fahrner, marketing director at Sybaris, said he really doesn’t consider Aura as competition.

“I don’t know too much about it, but we’re not worried,” Fahrner said.  “We’ve been in Frankfort for more than 20 years with loyal customers. Our most sought-after feature is our private suite swimming pools, which Aura doesn’t offer.”

When first proposed, Aura drew criticism from nearby residents. Residents expressed concern about prostitution and parties because of hourly rates. As far as any noise or crowd concerns residents may have, Sottrel said Aura has a strict two-person limit to each room, and that parties are not allowed. Despite earlier criticism, Sottrel said residents’ response has been “really good.”

“We went to the neighborhoods with our business cards to address their concerns,” Sottrel said. “We included green space in the back to provide separation from the neighborhood and shifted the location a little more forward (closer to Cicero Avenue).

Aura is exempt from hotel taxes since it is not registered as a hotel in Illinois.  Instead, Sottrel said his company has an agreement with the village of Midlothian to pay a village license fee for operation, which is unique to the development.

“Aura will generate $35,000 to $100,000 per year for Midlothian, based on our projected income,” Sottrel said.  He said Aura also doesn’t fall under Illinois regulation for state taxes, either.

The rooms at Aura are equipped with mood lighting, adjustable colored LED lights, whirlpool tubs with rainfall spouts coming from the ceiling and LED fireplaces. Six two-level penthouse units are available.

Midlothian Mayor Terry Stephens said, “This is a family-run business. Mr. Sottrel took over from his grandfather, his father and now is in business with his mom and sister. This is nothing but good for Midlothian.”

“We researched Sottrel’s other properties. They’re clean and well landscaped; this will certainly add to Midlothian,” Stephens said.

He said the village also has been in talks with developers about the vacant areas just south of Aura on Cicero Avenue.  While he was not at liberty to discuss those plans, he said they could possibly turn that stretch of Cicero into a destination, with talks of restaurants to complement Aura’s appeal.

Sottrel said in all, seven years of planning went into the Aura development, and talks became serious three years ago.  He said that in the next 10 years, Midlothian could make as much as $1 million from Aura.

Sottrel said business has been “very busy” since Aura opened on May 23.

“We’ve been booking a lot of weekends,” Sottrel said. “We do only have 33 rooms, so we are a true boutique destination.”