My wife Heidi and I had some business in the Windy City and enjoyed a very lovely one-night stay at The Peninsula Chicago in an Executive Suite.
The Peninsula Chicago Review – Executive Suite
Embracing my hotel free agency status, I booked away from the Park Hyatt Chicago and chose The Peninsula after the client I was meeting highly recommended it. We booked via Scott & Thomas (Kyle’s travel agency), enjoying a room upgrade, breakfast for two, and a late checkout. The nightly rate was $449…not cheap, but also acceptable since I was treating this as a date night as well.
Check-In
Entering the hotel at street level, we were directed upstairs to the lobby for check-in. There, we were warmly welcomed and informed we had been upgraded to a suite.
Suite
Our suite, 1631, was very spacious, with a living room, large bathroom, and bedroom. A long hallway connected each room.
The living room included a couch, chair, and desk area.
The bathroom had a large soaking tub under a window looking out at the skyline as well as a walk-in shower and an enclosed water closet. There was a sink on each side of the bathroom.
I loved that this hotel still had shower amenities in individual-sized bottles rather than bulk dispensers…it is becoming so rare to see these.
The bedroom had a king-size bed with incredibly comfortable bedding: we slept very well.
The hallway included a large closet and several drawers intended to store clothing (though we were not going to unpack for a one-night stay).
I cannot recall ever staying in a suite that was as tech-savvy as this one. Lights, temperature, and fan speed were easily controlled by tablet. Drapes and blinds were electronically controlled.
The top drawer beside each bed had two 120-volt outlets plus a cord for every type of phone.
A tablet beside the TV made it easy to hook in your phone or Chromecast your other devices.
The desk drawer included office supplies and there was a printer in the room—a first for me.
Finally, the mini-bar was well stocked with water, juice, soft drinks, beer, wine, spirits, and snacks. A complimentary espresso machine was present with Nespresso pods (tea too).
Dining
We went out for dinner to Swift & Sons (a fabulous Chicago steakhouse), but had breakfast at the hotel the following the morning.
The Lobby
Dining in The Lobby was very peaceful, with music softly playing in the background and natural light streaming in through floor-to-ceiling windows. Heidi had coffee and I had a cappuccino and freshly-squeezed orange juice. We split a bowl of berries.
She ordered shakshuka and rather than order the same thing (so that we could share), I ordered menemen. The shakshuka was outstanding…eggs were cooked perfectly and the sauce had a great flavor. However, the menemen was a big disappointment: it was simply well-done scrambled eggs with some tomatoes and peppers thrown in…it lacked the spices and moisture and creaminess of proper menemen.
Shanghai Terrace
I’m told this restaurant has some of the best Chinese food in Chicago, but I’m just not certain.
Z Bar
The Z Bar was hopping when I went up to check it out on a Saturday afternoon. Drinks and lighter dishes are available.
One thing I noticed here and really everywhere in the hotel is that people dress well…I think people in Chicago dress better than LA people in general, but it was really on display here. Think Brooks Brothers versus Lululemon.
Pierrot Gourmet
A European café and wine bar I didn’t even see during my visit…
Room Service
24/7 Room service was available.
Fitness Center
One reason we got to breakfast at 11:30 am was because we enjoyed the hotel gym so much. It was very well-stocked with TechnoGym equipment and featured great views of the city and Lake Michigan.
Wellness + Spa
A full-service spa offers a wide menu of (pricey) massages and skincare treatments, plus a hair salon.
While I was disappointed the locker rooms did not have a sauna, I did appreciate and utilize the steam room located in the locker room.
Swimming Pool
The hotel features a beautiful indoor swimming pool, which made me sad the kids were not along.
Valet Parking
We drove into the city and parked at the hotel, which cost another $80/night (admittedly, that stung…). I suppose we could have saved some money by finding a parking structure in the vicinity, but I’m not familiar with Chicago and don’t really like driving in general.
As an aside, I find driving in the Chicagoland area a mess…the traffic in and out of the city is always bad and the toll roads are aggravating (we have many taxes in California, but no tolls on interstates or highways, yet…).
CONCLUSION
I quite enjoyed our night here and would happily return with or without the kids. This is a very luxurious property and I don’t think I’ve ever stayed in a suite that was more carefully thought out than this one. This hotel is a Chicago gem, albeit a pricey one.
Wow! Maybe I missed you in Chicago. For business and personal reasons, I have been traveling to Chicago very often but never for more than 2 or 3 nights. I have stayed probably 15 to 20 nights there in the last 2 years so I can give you my perspective of my experience there.
For hotels, I used to stay at the Hyatt Centric but after a while I have shifted my stays to the Peninsula and Four Seasons as I can get some discounted rates in both which makes it a non brainer. After staying at both, Peninsula and Four Seasons, I have to say that IMO the Four Seasons is a much better choice. Nothing wrong with the Peninsula, and BTW I have stayed at the exact same suite you stayed (maybe a different floor) but the Four Seasons feels more modern and less crowded to me. It also offers LeLabo toiletries which are much better than the local brand offers by the Peninsula. The Peninsula feels outdated, the lobby is always super crowded and noisy while the Four Seasons is more modern, less crowded and the service has been spectacular. The Peninsula has a slightly better location, a nicer pool but every time I have to book I choose the Four Seasons.
As for your experience with the city, never ever drive there. It is a mess and if you drive on toll roads you have to pay for it on a website using the car plate. It is a nightmare. I usually fly to MDW which is much closer to the city and a cheaper Uber/Lyft ride and use Lyft in the city. BTW, in my experience, Lyft is always cheaper than Uber in Chicago.
Finally, for your food at the hotel, no matter where you go in Chicago you will be shocked with prices and I am surprised they didn’t add a 3% surcharge to “help offset rising costs associated with the restaurant business” which is very common scam when eating out in Chicago. Next time you stay at the Peninsula, go to next door Whole Foods and grab a smoothie and something else for breakfast or walk to Stan’s Donuts next door and grab a coffee and a fantastic donut for much less money.
Instead of Stan’s, walk a couple blocks and try Do-Rite Donuts
Thanks for the tip. I am not familiar with Chicago at all. Any good restaurants in the area you recommend? I’ve been to The Purple Pig but it is best if you have more people to share their plates.
Check out Le Colonial on Oak st. (5m-10m walk from The Peninsula. It’s French-Vietnamese and is amazing. They have a great happy hour too if you like to sit in the bar (of which they have one of the best). Joe’s Stone Crab is also really good. I know it’s technically a chain, but if you like seafood the quality is always top notch. It’s another place that I prefer to sit in the bar area.
Frontera Grill is also one to check out if you never have been. Gary at VFTW always talks about the Rick Bayless ORD quick service, but if you get the chance this is one to try. Food is great and margaritas are top notch.
Theres a lot of chains in that area, so you know what are getting there. Shaws is well known, its great for Oysters if you’re into that. Bavette’s is fantastic, but hard to get a reservation. If you want something casual and less stuffy, check out Timothy O’Tooles.
I am OK to go a maybe a 10-15 minute Uber ride at night (less traffic) to get out of chain restaurants. Feel free to share some favorites not in that area.
Check out Randolph St. West of 90/94. Au Cheval, The Loyalist, Girl & the Goat are top notch, but theres so many others I can’t even name them all… just look at google maps and reviews of places in that area, you’ll find just about anything you have a taste for.
Let’s recall that Do-Rite also sells breakfast and chicken sandwiches, and you can get them made with a donut as the bun.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
Lyft is cheaper period.
Doesn’t the Peninsula offer complimentary airport transfers with their chauffeur fleet? It was listed as an amenity last time I checked, although I ended up staying elsewhere.
N0 it’s not. Sometimes late in the night my client would pay for it and it’s not cheap.
Here’s the irony. I can afford to stay at places like that at this stage in my life because I cannot bring myself to spend that much money. So, I never did and saved the dollars. I’ve been able to transistion from a guy who bought Y connecting flights to save $10 over the nonstop to a guy buying F/J. As wonderful as that place seems, I can’t stop thinking I could stay 10 days at a nice enough place in the suburbs fir the cost of a two-night stay there.
Shanghai Terrace is amazing
$111.75 for that breakfast? Any breakfast? Laugh? I thought I’d die.
I’m shocked at how reasonable the restaurant prices were for breakfast. And the hotel looked very peaceful and tasteful, as well as comfortable. And did the price include taxes and resort fees? That price didn’t seem to high for a 5 star hotel in a city.
Nice review!
$449 isn’t such a bad room rate for a big city like Chicago. Compared to NY, London, or Paris, they’re giving it away.
You beat me to this comment. $449 with breakfast alone and then the upgrade and late check out? That is a bargain for the time spent there, gym use, etc.
I just booked an employee a room in DC, $200 for a Fairfield Inn.
and people wonder why tourism to the US is down….hint – its not all about Trump.
The US is off the charts expensive these days
You can always count on this phenomenal 5* hotel with exceptional location, amazing rooms & breakfast.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
Swift & Sons Steakhouse is one of the genuine Windy City treasures… French Onion Soup, Carrot Agnolotti, Creamed Spinach, Stuffed Chicken Schnitzel, Steak Frites, Vanilla Panna Cotta and Espresso Créme Brûlée are hard to match… Bon appetit!
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
When is your Youtube channel starting? This is the type of thing that should be on it.
Interesting review! It appears that the rooms are well equipped as per usual with Peninsula properties (except Bangkok as far as I’ve seen). I’m hesitant to stay at such a property in the US as more often than not, I find them to be a nickel-and-diming factory and service here tends to be lackluster… However, the rate you paid, even without the upgrade, seemed like a “deal” for a Peninsula property. Bangkok charges around the same for really outdated rooms. Istanbul, newer than the Chicago property but with similar looking rooms, charges double of what you paid during low season!
Very nice!
Thank you for your very positive report of Chicago. The alleged “hell hole” status from the tangerine toddler currently occupying the White House is blatantly untrue. Yes, Chicago has its issues as does any major city. However it and his minions don’t follow any news so they do not know (or care) that Chicago was just named “Best Big City in America” for the ninth time in a row. Also, many runners will experience our stunning city and many of its neighborhoods during Sunday’s marathon. Thrilled you and your wife enjoyed a lovely experience. Please spread the word!
It’s a beautiful city!
The alluring Windy City is also the railroad capital of America.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
Pierrot Gourmet is on street level. Turn to the right when exiting the main doors, and you’ll find it on the corner.
Swift and Sons, I’m sorry to say, is not great—but I’m glad you enjoyed it nonetheless.
PG’s Spinach and Mushroom Quiche, Sandwich Aux Oeufs, Banana Cream Éclair are totally worth it.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün