AssetID: 92572872 / {Thinkstock} / Fireworks over Chicago skyline The Trump International Hotel and Tower , also known as Trump Tower Chicago and locally as the Trump Tower , is a skyscraper condo-hotel in downtown Chicago , Illinois . The building, named after real estate developer Donald Trump , was designed by architect Adrian Smith of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill . Bovis Lend Lease built the 98-story structure, which reached a height of 1,389 feet (423 m) including its spire, its roof topping out at 1,170 feet (360 m). It is adjacent to the main branch of the Chicago River , with a view of the entry to Lake Michigan beyond a series of bridges over the river. The building received publicity when the winner of the first season of The Apprentice television show, Bill Rancic , chose to manage the construction of the tower. Trump announced in 2001 that the skyscraper would become the tallest building in the world , but after the September 11, 2001 attacks , the building plans were scaled back, and its design underwent several revisions. When topped out in 2009 it became the second-tallest building in the United States after Chicago's Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower). It is expected to be surpassed by One World Trade Center in New York City in the middle of 2013. Trump Tower surpassed Chicago's John Hancock Center as the building with the world's highest residence above ground-level and held this title until the completion of the Burj Khalifa . As of 22 October 2011 (2011 -10-22 ) it is the tweflth-tallest building in the world. The design of the building includes, from the ground up, retail space, a parking garage, a hotel, and condominiums . The 339-room hotel opened for business with limited accommodations and services on January 30, 2008. April 28 of that year marked the grand opening with full accommodation and services. A restaurant on the 16th floor, named Sixteen , opened in early 2008 to favorable reviews. The building topped out in late 2008 and construction was completed in 2009. The hotel is one of four in Chicago with a four- or five-star rating, and the building hosts a restaurant that is one of nine restaurants in the city with either a four- or five-star rating, according to the Forbes Travel Guide (formerly Mobil Travel Guide ). This page is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, anyone associated with the topic.