The Langham, Chicago is Chicago’s newest addition to its expanding list of luxury hotels. The 316-room hotel occupies floors 2-13 in the former IBM Building at 330 N. Wabash, a 52-story landmark tower designed by renowned architect Mies van der Rohe.

The Langham, Chicago features 316 luxurious guest rooms and suites, which are among the most spacious in the city. The 516-square-foot unit features a king-sized bed or two double beds, dressing and dining parlors and a bathroom. At the other end of the spectrum, a guest can stay in one of two 2,700-square-foot suites with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a fireplace and a grand piano. All guest rooms have 9.5 foot ceilings with floor-to-ceiling windows providing dramatic views of the Chicago River, Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline.

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The dining options at The Langham, Chicago are suited to both business and leisure travelers. Located on the hotel’s second floor, Travelle’s modern David Rockwell design is a splendid backdrop for Chef Tim Graham’s contemporary take on Mediterranean cuisine served throughout the day and Pavilion features Tiffin at The Langham, the brand’s signature afternoon tea that originated at The Langham, London.

The Langham, Chicago’s 22,000 square feet of luxurious spa and wellness facilities allow guests to relax and unwind within a calm oasis. After a day of business meetings or sightseeing, guests can ease into the evening with a pampering treatment at the Chuan Spa, a workout in the fully-equipped gym or a dip in the swimming pool.

The Langham, Chicago offers 15,000 square feet of private event space spanning 12 function rooms, including the largest space, the Devonshire Ballroom.

The Langham, Chicago is one block west of Michigan Avenue, at the start of Chicago’s Magnificent Mile and directly across the street from another Chicago luxury hotel, just minutes away from the boutique-lined boulevards of Chicago’s retail hub and within walking distance to many of the city’s premier tourist sites.

The Langham Chicago joins The Langham Huntington, Pasadena and The Langham, Boston as the third US location for Hong Kong-based Langham Hospitality Group. Including the flagship The Langham, London, which opened its doors in 1865, the Langham collection of hotels includes 22 locations open or under construction in eight countries, comprising nearly 7,000 rooms.

Rates

According to ChicagoRealEstateDaily.com, rates at The Langham, Chicago start at $395 for the 516-square-foot unit and range up to $5,895 a night for the two-bedroom suites. By comparison, rates for a Wednesday night in early July, 2013, range from $475 to $1,625 at Trump International Hotel & Tower; from$399 to $9,000 at the Peninsula. and from $345 to $6,000 at the Waldorf.

Photo credit: The Langham, Chicago.

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.

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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.

My husband and I stayed at The Drake Hotel in Chicago last year and it was wonderful. The Drake Hotel is one of the most luxurious hotels in Chicago. We stayed for eight days and were able to have two different rooms during the 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.