Best Luxury Hotels in Chicago

The Peninsula anchors the Magnificent Mile with one of the city's best hotel spas and a top-floor pool framed by skyline views. Afternoon tea in The Lobby is a Chicago institution, and Z Bar's terrace overlooks the historic Water Tower. Rooms are large by downtown standards, with bedside tablets that control everything from the drapes to the do-not-disturb light.

Perched above Water Tower Place, the Ritz-Carlton puts eight floors of shopping directly below your room and the Mag Mile at the front door. The greenhouse-style lobby on the 12th floor is a calm retreat from Michigan Avenue, and Torali serves Italian steakhouse fare with a seasonal rooftop terrace. A solid pick when you want full-service luxury without leaving the shopping district.

Set in a Mies van der Rohe-designed tower on the river's north bank, the Langham is routinely rated the top luxury hotel in the city. Floor-to-ceiling windows look straight down the Chicago River, Chuan Spa handles the pampering, and Travelle's riverside dining room does a strong weekend brunch. Service is the calling card here — this is the special-occasion stay.

LondonHouse occupies the 1923 London Guarantee Building at Michigan and Wacker, right where the Riverwalk bends. Its tri-level rooftop — including the tiny cupola you can book for proposals — has one of the best straight-down-the-river views in Chicago. Rooms mix original architecture with modern fittings, and you can walk onto the Riverwalk in under two minutes.

This 1893 Venetian Gothic athletic club across from Millennium Park was reborn as one of Chicago's most atmospheric hotels. The second-floor Game Room has bocce and billiards under original woodwork, and Cindy's rooftop looks directly over Cloud Gate and the lakefront. Rooms lean handsome and clubby rather than plush — you stay here for the building and the location.

The Fairmont sits a block from Millennium Park, which makes it the practical luxury base for Lollapalooza, the Art Institute, and lakefront runs along Monroe Harbor. East-facing rooms get open lake views that most Loop hotels can't offer. It's larger and more conventional than its boutique neighbors, which usually translates to better weekend rates for the location.

Tucked onto a quiet Gold Coast side street, the Waldorf Astoria is modeled on 1920s Parisian apartment houses, and its suites pair working fireplaces with deep soaking tubs. Oak Street's designer boutiques are around the corner, but the cobbled courtyard entrance keeps the whole place feeling private. This is the hotel Chicagoans book for anniversaries.

Thompson Chicago sits at the meeting point of the Gold Coast and Rush Street's restaurant row, with Oak Street Beach a ten-minute walk away. The lobby's Salone Nico draws locals for aperitivo, and rooms have a warm, residential look with oversized windows. A good fit if you want Gold Coast polish with a younger, less formal energy.