I enjoyed my fifth stay at this hotel for 3 nights. Each stay at the Ritz Carlton Chicago has been more memorable that the past–this hotel is a major reason I’ve become fond of visiting Chicago. The hotel’s location is amazing. It’s on the Magnificent Mile, above one of the nicer vertical malls – Water Tower Place, and 3 blocks from the lake and its bike/jogging path. I am also fond of the Museum of Contemporary Art, one block away.

For architecture buffs, the landmark Ludwig Mies van der Rohe apartment buildings at 860-880 Lake Shore Drive are 2 blocks away. The hotel’s strongest attribute is its service. It’s managed by Four Seasons, and FS standards and Midwestern friendliness combine to great effect here. On my last visit, I could only find fault with the very busy street-level staff (doorman, valet), but this time there was improved service there, and the upstairs staff was superb as usual (front desk, housekeeping, spa, dining, and especially the concierges). Being addressed by one’s name is always a good feeling. I think the hotel prides itself in its old world, classic and elegant ambiance, and may even be eschewing modern technology to a certain extent–i.e., TV’s are not flat screen, no DVD players, room safe has a key instead of an electronic lock.

The Dining Room, the hotel’s former fine dining venue, is now open for private functions only and was “fully committed” each evening–obviously a lucrative business for the hotel. The Greenhouse serves a great brunch on weekends. The Ritz’s main competitors would be the sister Four Seasons and the Peninsula. All 3 have upper-level lobbies. The Ritz and Peninsula’s lobbies provide a great amount of natural light, while the Four Seasons is darker. All have fine spas with indoor pools. I have stayed once at the Four Seasons and frankly prefer the Ritz. I would like to try the Peninsula one day, but it would be very difficult to not consider the Ritz my first choice when returning to Chicago.

The television broadcast studio for Chicago CBS 2 will newly open on this same block in September of 2008. Examples of the stores or businesses to be housed on this block include Aveda, David Barton Gym, Club Monaco, Steve Madden, Beard Papa’s, Godiva Chocolate, Sabon and many others. Chicago’s Millennium Park is also only three blocks from the hotel. It contains 24.5 acres of wide-open spaces, playgrounds, public art, ice-skating, outdoor dining and the Jay Pritzker Pavilion.

If you love baseball, Wrigley Field is only ten minutes from the hotel. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs. Amenities include in-room yoga from the Yoga Channel on every TV with a complimentary basket of accessories to use while you stay, hi-speed Internet access, two-line speaker phones with data ports, mahogany writing desk, ribbed chaise lounge, gentleman’s chest, ironing board, CD stereo, hair dryer, individual room climate control, pets are allowed and help is available for the pet’s needs, a choice selection of pillows that includes eight different types, maid service is twice a day and Wi-Fi is available in the main lobby for all guests.

A small luxury hotel, Hotel Burnham boasts numerous awards, such as, Conde Nast Traveler’s-2004-2005-2006-2008 Gold List, National Geographic Traveler 2008, City of Chicago Best Restoration-2000, Travel & Leisure’s 2007 Top 500 Hotels in the World, and several others. The Hotel’s Atwood Café has enormous eighteen foot ceilings and floor to ceiling windows for viewing the city. Comfort foods are prepared by Executive Chef Heather Terhune, and it is open from seven in the morning until dinner closes at ten in the evening. There are nine bar seats, eighteen patio seats and seventy indoor seats including booths. People can visit the restaurant from off the street, while guests can enjoy room service when staying at the hotel if desired. How about some vanilla yogurt, cereal, turkey burgers, waffles or fillet mignon with French green beans?

Next morning I learned that Coffee was free – and this is a great thing if you always need 3 or 4 cups in the morning like I do! We had a nice walk around, there is the Millennium Park and the Magnificent Mile nearby and after all, we ended up at the Navy Pier. Okay, there might be more romantic places to look at boats, but men are different *shrug* and my husband really enjoyed it. Before our evening event I received some treatments in the spa nearby and we really had a nice evening in the theatre, followed by a great meal an vine in the Monaco’s restaurant.

While checking out the next morning I was really pleased to see that our dog stayed with us for free. Only the room service was a little bit more expensive than expected, and I really wondered how we could waste so much money on such a few things! Next year we will have our convention here and I really look forward to this next visit and hope I’ll find enough time besides work to visit all the other nice places like City Hall, Chicago Symphony and the Shubert Theatre.

Maybe I´ll take the kids with us then – it would be great fort hem to spend more time with us, and they`re free! At least as long as they stay with us and don’t need extra beds. Anyway, this was a great experience, i wish we had found this nice Hotel earlier – we wasted so much time in really awful places all around Chicago, that’s a pity!

Rest assured, everything will be in place and ready for you when you arrive. The rooms at the Park Hyatt are spectacular, including beautiful views of the city. Anything you could possibly need or want will be right at your fingertips the moment you walk into your room. There is a DVD player, wireless Internet and the softest, plushest robe awaits you after a hot bath in the over-sized bathtub. You will even have access to a mini bar and individually controlled air conditioning. While visiting, be sure to take a boat tour or just browse through all of the quaint shops available to you.

At the end of the day, be sure to visit the spa to soothe away your aches and pains. Is there a special event that brought you here? Maybe you need to just unwind and spend time with your family. Perhaps you and your girlfriends just want a girls week-end away. No matter the occasion, the Park Hyatt is there to accommodate. You may choose to dine in your room and that’s always an option here at the Park Hyatt.

However, if you want to experience something truly unique, visit one of the lounges or bars inside the Hyatt. Then move on to a great, delicious meal at the NoMI restaurant. Their French dishes are to die for! As well, the view of the Chicago skyline from this restaurant is breathtaking. The Park Hyatt is also the greatest place if you are planning a wedding. Whether you plan a small family gathering for the special occasion or plan to have a huge ordeal, the specialist here will attend to every detail. Regardless of the visit to the Park Hyatt, you’ll be creating memories to last a lifetime.

Service at the hotel include the Skyline Reception Room, concierge, twenty-four room service, personal attache service, wireless Internet access, valet indoor parking, meeting rooms and board rooms, the world-class signature Sixteen Restaurant and the Rebar Cocktail lounge. Also available are banquet facilities within the Grand Ballroom. Televisions in the rooms are 42-inch flat screen LCD’s, you will find and in mirror TV portal as well. CD and DVD players are furnished.

The baths are made of limestone with separate showers. The suites are either one- or two-bedroom suites and hosting cocktail parties or any party can readily be achieved between the spacious quarters and the state-of-the-art kitchen. Guests and residents of the Hotel & Tower stay on floors fourteen through eighty-nine for the ultimate in views. The Trump International Hotel & Tower is designed of stainless steel and glass with a curvilinear perimeter and an awe striking reflection.

The spa at the Trump includes both men and women’s locker rooms, their eleven treatment rooms and personal trainers, studios for groups or individual classes, also steam rooms and saunas are provided. Women (also men) will enjoy a manicure and a pedicure suite. The rooms are spacious, and for about $500 a night this is good you can probably stay four to a room, with room left over. The rooms are decorated in relaxing, contemporary beige, brown and taupe. There is also soundproofing between the living room and the bedroom.

The hotel is still under construction, though almost completed, its completion date is April, 2009. Many guests offering reviews reported a surprise cake being left by the staff with a bottle of wine, evidently a complimentary gesture by the hotel. The Rebar Cocktail Lounge is open for business with food and drink, waitresses and breakfast.

It was absolutely exquisite and the most comfortable room we have ever stayed in. The view of Michigan Avenue from the 10th Floor of the hotel was fantastic. When we arrived on Friday night we were a bit tired so we decided to dine in our suite. The room service was impeccable and our food was delicious. As I am a big fan of bubble baths, the large marble bathroom was a dream come true for me and the perfect ending to a long tiring day.

On Saturday we had a chance to walk around the city and were very happy to find many great department stores within walking distance of the Peninsula Hotel – namely Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. We returned from our shopping spree just in time for afternoon tea and what treat that was. The little finger sandwiches were to die for and the delicate little tarts were just as good. The tea selection was fantastic – by far the best afternoon tea I’ve ever been to! Saturday evening we invited some old friends over to to enjoy some drinks.

We went down to The Bar and the ambience was great – The mahogany wood and comfy leather chairs felt like we were in own living room. The drinks were delicious and as expected the service as great. We all had a very memorable evening and will talk about it for a long time. My husband and I have agreed that this was one of our best trips and staying at the Peninsula Hotel was a big contributor to our splendid time. We will definitely be returning her for another weekend (or longer) in the future.

Services in your room include a refrigerated private bar, substantial terry bathrobes, twice a day housekeeping, wired and wireless Internet access, air ionizer, if requested, in-room safe, lighted make-up/shaving mirror, DVD and CD player, clock radio, multi-line telephones with voice mail and a hair dryer. As to your room selection, a moderate room selection supply a sitting area with armchair, chest of drawers, LCD flat-screen TV and a desk and chair.

The bathroom is in beautiful marble and has a deep tub with attached shower. You get one king bed or two twins, and one extra roll-away if requested. The color palette will be blue and taupe or chocolate and silver. These rooms are located on the scenic floors from floor Thirty-two to floor forty-six. A superior room has one king bed or two double beds with maximum occupancy three just like the moderate room, the deluxe rooms are somewhat bigger than the moderate or superior rooms and are equipped with wheel chairs, and a premiere room has a dining table large enough for two people and a sofa.

An executive suite is very large you will get French doors or sliding glass doors separating the bedroom from the living room and a deluxe city view. Larger suites include a dining table for four, a king-sized bed and two twin beds, 5 adults are allowed and there two bathrooms, one with a shower and one with a bath. An author suite is on the forty-sixth floor and is huge with two king beds, English furnishings, two full bathrooms and guest room with shower.

Six adults are permitted, completed with a fax machine. The price of a moderate room starts at $395, and executive suites start at $770. Suites with bedrooms separately are from $1,060 to $3,900 per night, this includes the Author (stayed in by real famed authors) suite which is $1,700 for one night. For $1,700 or more you will get two bedrooms. French and American cuisine are at the Seasons restaurant. The Lounge and Conservatory serves buffet, afternoon tea and has nightly entertainment.

If you’re single, you can definitely meet women in the bar, because there are always young women around at this hotel. There is even a piano there, and sometimes there is live music performance. Last time I was there, there was a female jazz singer who was really great.

Then you go up to your room in the elevator (which is one of the nicest elevators I’ve ridden in.) Inside your room, you will be amazed at how nice it is. The ceiling is very very high, so you don’t feel cramped at all. The beds are huge, with lots of space to lay around on, and there are chairs and a little writing desk too. There’s a big wooden closet where you can find very comfortable bathrobes and towels, along with an iron and ironing board. There is also a mini-bar that sells small bottles of whiskey and wine, as well as lots of snacks. The TV is big and there are many movies that you can watch on-demand. And, the best thing is, there is fast wireless internet, so if you’ve got a laptop, you can get online in your room. If you’re staying in Chicago, the Orrington is THE place to stay!

For the first four days we were in a suite that had a beautiful view of Lake Michigan. The last four nights we stayed on the other side of the hotel and we got an awesome view of the Chicago skyline, especially at night. The rooms were large and the beds were very comfortable. When choosing this hotel, I knew it would be on the expensive side, but I have to say it was worth it. Every thing looked so elegant, but was very comfortable. The rooms had large bathrooms with excellent lighting, even the bathrobe was so great.

The best part of the hotel was the many restaurants there. My favorite was the Cape Cod Room. It is the best seafood restaurant that we have ever been to. We had dinner at this place four of the eight nights we were there. Not only was the food very fresh and very delicious, the service was wonderful. The restaurant did get busy on Saturday night and we did have to wait more than 40 minutes for our dinner, but it was so good, when it finally did get to the table. One of their other restaurants was Drake Bros’. We went their for breakfast a couple of times, but their Sunday brunch is the best. They have a very large menu and their place a great view of Lake Michigan. The Sunday we went there was a Jazz group playing and it really added to the atmosphere. Another thing that I loved about this hotel was the proximity to all the places we wanted to go.

It is very close to Oak Street Beach, which is where we spent several days. Although the hotel is quite expensive for the average family, I would recommend it for the couple who is looking for some luxury in their hectic lives. We couldn’t afford to go here all the time, but we sure enjoyed it while we were there.