The Drake Oak Brook hotel earns arboretum status for its grounds

Jim and Tely Nagle didn’t rest on their laurels after the Drake Oak Brook hotel they purchased 13 years ago was the recipient of a Condé Nast award in 2022 as one of the top 50 hotels in the world and became part of the Marriott autograph collection.

They kept trying to improve the hotel and its environs, and now the Drake Oak Brook property is one of a very small number of hotels in the United States that has earned ArbNet arboretum accreditation.

Administered by the Morton Arboretum, the program is the only global initiative to officially recognize tree populations and diversity based on a set of professional standards, and Level I accreditation confirms that The Drake Gardens at the hotel has demonstrated the core functions of an arboretum.

The criteria included having a documented long-term plan for the property, an established governing group and designated arboretum manager to manage the trees, a labeled collection of at least 25 tree and woody plant species, and at least one public tree-related educational event each year, according to Arb Net by the Morton Arboretum.

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Featuring more than 50 species of trees, including uncommon species like the Japanese Yew which is native to East Asia, The Drake Gardens spans 10 acres. Additionally, the hotel has received designation as a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat, which reflects its commitment to preserving trees, protecting wildlife, and caring for this historic natural setting for generations to come, owners said.

“I’ve been involved with this project since we purchased The Drake, and I was doing the landscaping myself every year,” Jim Nagle said. “We wanted to make it nicer, and we also wanted to plant more perennials and more trees since we purchased the property.”

Nagle said 400 trees were planted early on, some of which died.

“We’ve had to buy new ones, but it was obvious to us that with this much land, we wanted to make something very special,” he said.

The decision to take the landscaping to the next level came after the Condé Nast recognition, Nagle said. And that is what led him to hire John Pascente, who has more than 40 years of landscaping experience in the Midwest. Pascente brought in two other men who had been part of his team on a previous job for more than 20 years.

“These three gentlemen now comprise our full-time landscaping crew,” Nagle said. “We keep them all employed during the winter by finding other jobs around the hotel.”

Nagle has received extensive reactions from hotel guests when they see The Drake Gardens.

“I believe the reaction from most guests are thrilled and delighted, but equally surprised,” he said. “Many customers comment that they’re shocked we put this much effort into the grounds.”

The grounds at The Drake are one reason it’s been a popular choice for hosting weddings, Nagle said.

“We host over 100 weddings a year,” he said. “Literally, every foot of our property is a ‘wedding ready’ photo op.”

Whether it’s an overnight stay by out-of-town guests or people visiting from nearby, Nagle said everyone is welcome to walk through The Drake Gardens.

“A lot of our business is derived from a restaurant and bars, where the majority of our customers are from the community and not necessarily staying overnight in the hotel, so obviously the entire community is more than welcome to walk through,” he said.

“I am tickled pink on behalf of myself and Johnny and his team to receive his recognition.”

Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.