The Peninsula Chicago

From start to finish, my experience was infused with a sense of tranquility. The peaceful atmosphere seemed to slow time itself, allowing me to truly relax and unwind. Every element, from the soothing color scheme to the gentle background music, contributed to an overwhelming feeling of calm. I left feeling centered and rejuvenated.

We were really pampered during this stay by welcoming and courteous staff, very well managed by the gracious Mr. Vincent Reyes, who took the time to greet patrons at breakfast and gave us great tips on places to visit and restaurants to go to. Excellent located in the center of Chicago, the hotel is attractively decorated in a 1920’s Art Nouveau style with a humongous breakfast/dining hall. Our Deluxe Room was lovely decorated as well, spacious, with a comfortable bed and excellent bathroom. We enjoyed lovely breakfasts with a good range of offerings and we had an excellent dinner as well. We loved Chicago and our stay at this exceptional hotel was a bliss.

I came here for a girls' weekend and it was perfect! The spa packages were amazing - we all felt like new women afterwards. The room was ideal for hanging out and gossiping, with plenty of space and a cute little balcony. We loved the cocktail making class - hilarious and delicious. The staff were so accommodating, even when we were a bit loud (sorry neighbors!). Already p

We stayed for a total of 9 nights at the end of July 2024. I am a huge fan of The Peninsula hotels and this was our 4th stay at The Peninsula Chicago over the last few years. Having been to the fantastic Peninsula Hong Kong and Bangkok just a couple of months prior to our journey to Chicago this long stay of 9 nights definitely fell somewhat short of the experience in Asia and our (admittedly) high expectations. Not that it was “bad” in any way, but the series of minor issues during our stay left a bittersweet taste. Firstly, our stay did coincide with the stay of a famous Spanish soccer team, leading to a lot of hustle and bustle in and especially around the hotel. At certain times it was really hard to get in and out of the hotel due to the large crowd lingering around the front of the hotel. Some prior communication and support for the „common“ guest would have been appreciated by us. We had a similar situation a couple of years ago with Bayern Munich and us staying at the same time at the Mandarin Oriental Miami. They handled the situation completely different and better. Secondly (and honestly my biggest issue), the pool was noticeably dirty with lots of dirt and debris lying on the ground of the pool and floating around. Since I was swimming daily with goggles I could see the dirt clearly and that there was no cleaning done. At certain times I felt really uncomfortable swimming there. Even after complaining to the spa reception as well as the front desk nothing happened. So, I complained directly to the manager on duty and miraculously the next morning the pool was cleaned thoroughly. I do not know why they don’t clean it every night or use a cleaning robot. Also the fact that people are entering the pool area with their street shoes on is somewhat disturbing, especially if you are used to a completely different approach in Europe or Asia. This would be a total Faux Pas elsewhere in the world. Thirdly, there was a clear miscommunication with the daily breakfast allowance at check-in leading to a much higher surplus than anticipated at check-out. No big deal in terms of the total cost, but again if you’re used to the excellent and lush buffets in Europe or Asia you will be disappointed and shocked about the price of 2 fried eggs. Our Grand Premier room on the 14th floor was nicely decorated and immaculate clean. Also the view was nice. Nevertheless, we noticed that housekeeping did some “quick-and-dirty” work on several occasions, for example not vacuuming the floor or leaving used glasses untouched and unchanged. This was a little bit annoying since you always had to call housekeeping and complain. On one day we had some leakage from the toilet leaving the bathroom floor flooded (luckily with clean water). A small gesture of excuse like a bottle of wine or some chocolate would have been appreciated by us but was not on the mind of the person in charge at the hotel. Small side note: the fruits delivered on arrival were also not toped up or replaced for the whole 9 nights. In Bangkok and Hong Kong, the sumptuous amenities were changed/replaced even twice per day. Finally, we did not receive any guest survey. I would certainly have preferred some direct feedback regarding the above issues. Overall no big deal but definitely room for improvement. Some of the issues are also related to the general state of „luxury“ hotels in the US. If you’re used to a certain standard provided in Europe and especially in Asia you will always be disappointed in the US, no matter what hotel or chain. Nevertheless we will be back in July 2025 and hope that some issues will be resolved.

The Peninsula Chicago is a true luxury hotel with a great bar and restaurants. Both guest-rooms and public spaces are beautiful, and the service is gracious. I booked this hotel based on its outstanding reputation, and I was not disappointed.