The 26 Best Luxury Hotels in Chicago

With lake and city views: At The Peninsula Chicago, you swim in a 25-meter pool on the top floors, behind floor-to-ceiling windows facing Lake Michigan, with a sun terrace next door. The St. Regis Chicago has a heated indoor pool with views over the city and the lake. In the spa of the Park Hyatt Chicago, the pool and steam room are part of your treatment, before or after.Park Hyatt Chicago · Near North SideSteeped in history: The 14th-floor pool of the InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile dates from the 1929 Medinah Athletic Club, with Spanish majolica tiles and a terra-cotta Neptune fountain; swimmer Johnny Weissmuller once trained here. At The Langham Chicago, you swim laps in a 67-foot pool with a whirlpool, and at the Waldorf Astoria Chicago a lap pool is part of the spa and health club.

On the roof and in the neighborhood: In summer, the Solana pool bar on the sixth floor of The Robey Chicago draws guests with a dipping pool, tacos and frozen cocktails, from May into the fall. At the Nobu Hotel Chicago, you unwind by the Tranquility Pool with daybeds and a wall of handmade pink resin leaves. The Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago has a pool in the spa’s health club on the 14th floor.

Our advice: since nearly all of the pools are indoors, you can swim at the luxury hotels in Chicago all year, even when snow sparkles on the lakeshore. If the pool decides which 5-star hotel in Chicago you book, look above all at the view: lake views come high up, history comes with the old athletic club.

Spacious and calm: The Chuan Spa at The Langham Chicago covers some 22,000 square feet; its treatments draw on Traditional Chinese Medicine, from massages to facials, and the spa has hot tubs. The spa at The Peninsula Chicago sits on the 19th and 20th floors, with a steam room, a relaxation lounge with fireplace, a sun terrace, a yoga studio and Biologique Recherche facials.The Langham Chicago · River NorthWith a ritual: In the spa on the Wellness Floor of The St. Regis Chicago, the Celebration Bar pours Champagne after your treatment, and there is a dedicated spa suite for couples or small groups. The NoMI Spa at the Park Hyatt Chicago works with emerginC products and offers HydraFacials and massages with facial marma point therapy. At The Ritz-Carlton Chicago, the spa has a sauna and steam rooms, massages, facials and a nail salon.

After meetings and conventions: The JW Marriott Chicago has a large spa with 14 treatment rooms and an indoor pool. The Leaf Spa at the Fairmont Millennium Park Chicago has eight treatment rooms, a steam room, couples’ massages and hot stone treatments.

Our advice: in the winter months especially, an afternoon at the spa makes a wonderful part of the trip. Book your treatment at the luxury hotels in Chicago together with your stay. A spa day turns any 5-star hotel in Chicago into a winter retreat.

Rates start with The Midland Hotel Chicago from 142 €, The Westin Chicago River North from 150 €, The Talbott Hotel Chicago from 161 € and the Fairmont Millennium Park Chicago from 163 €, all including breakfast for two, served or as a credit.The Midland Hotel Chicago · LoopAround 200 €, you will find the Sofitel Chicago Magnificent Mile from 187 €, the Kimpton Gray Hotel Chicago from 191 €, The Robey Chicago from 213 € and the Chicago Athletic Association from 214 €.

At the top end are the Park Hyatt Chicago from 454 €, The Ritz-Carlton Chicago from 507 €, The St. Regis Chicago from 568 € and The Langham Chicago from 645 €. To see what your travel dates cost today and which rooms are still free, check the hotel list further down for all 26 hotels.

With every booking: Wherever you stay among the luxury hotels in Chicago, breakfast for two is covered, either served or as a credit, and when available, a better room awaits. Fourteen hotels add a 100 US-dollar credit, such as The Peninsula Chicago, the Waldorf Astoria Chicago and the Park Hyatt Chicago; that is how luxury hotel deals in Chicago look with suitespot.

Small extras: Thompson Chicago adds a 75 US-dollar credit, The Langham Chicago at least 50 US dollars, and The Robey Chicago welcomes you with Champagne and chocolates. With Peninsula Time at The Peninsula Chicago, you can move in as early as 6 a.m. and stay until 10 p.m., subject to availability, if you share your times three days ahead.

Minimum stay: At the Chicago Athletic Association and The Talbott Hotel Chicago, plan on at least two nights, otherwise the benefits do not apply; everywhere else, a single night will do.

Points: Marriott Bonvoy covers 13 hotels, including The St. Regis Chicago, The Ritz-Carlton Chicago and The Gwen Hotel Michigan Avenue Chicago; you earn World of Hyatt points at three hotels.

At the Waldorf Astoria Chicago, Hilton Honors points count double, at The Langham Chicago you earn with Brilliant by Langham and at the Pendry Chicago with I Prefer; two hotels each belong to IHG One Rewards and ALL (Accor). As we book at the hotel’s direct rate, the program credits your points and elite nights, and your status benefits apply as usual.

Chicago through the year: Spring brings the city into bloom, summer is the season for beaches, the Lakefront Trail and rooftop terraces, and fall brings crisp, clear days by the lake. Winter belongs to museums, theaters, indoor pools and spas, often with a snowy shoreline outside the window. For major conventions and festivals, settle on your 5-star hotel in Chicago early.

Length of stay: Three or four nights give you time for the art museum and Millennium Park, the Magnificent Mile, a walk by the lake and an evening in the West Loop. For a convention trip to a luxury hotel in Chicago, an extra day for the city is well worth it.