The Peninsula, Chicago

Location

Enjoying an excellent location in the centre of the Magnificent Mile, the hotel is something of a luxury extension of the city’s upscale shopping district. Come Christmas, stores bring some of their interior dazzle outside with bright light displays and more than a sprinkling of festive cheer. The hotel itself is especially well located, just opposite Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. You’ll also find the glitzy kitsch of Navy Pier just a few blocks walk away. A little further afield there’s the lakeside Millennium Park and the second largest art museum in the country, the Art Institute of Chicago.

Accommodation

In a city known for its sleek architecture, epitomised in the now famous Willis Tower, the rooms takes their design notes from their surrounds. Chicago’s French Deco public spaces are especially well represented with commissioned artwork adorning the walls and stylised, dark wood furnishings in every corner. The rooms and suites are some of the largest in the city and are bright and airy as signature blues are complemented by rich wood and cream leather accents. In recognition of the Peninsula’s commitment to modernising tradition, each room features a tablet, complimentary worldwide phone calls over the web and a 55” television. There are also spacious marble bathrooms complete with soaking tubs inset with televisions. And this is all just in the standard rooms.

Dining

The Peninsula invites the Magnificent Mile’s fine dining in with its three award-winning restaurants, each known for outstanding cuisine and excellent service. There’s the classic European fare on offer at Pierrot Gourmet, a French bistro in downtown Chicago, and the highly acclaimed Chinese menus of Shanghai Terrace; dine in a 1930s supper club ambience or outside with spectacular skyline views. Lastly there’s the international cuisine of The Lobby, where guests enjoy a classic, understated elegance and even afternoon tea.

Facilities

The hotel’s standout attraction is undoubtedly its Spa & Wellness centre. Set across the 19th and 20th floors of the hotel, there’s a fitness centre and a half-Olympic length pool complete with 20-foot floor-to-ceiling windows, framing views over the city and out to Lake Michigan. To get even closer, step outside onto the sun terrace and settle into one of the loungers, a serene juxtaposition to the bustle below. Of course, there’s also the spa whose Asian-inspired treatments have contributed to the Peninsula being named among Health magazine’s ‘America’s Healthiest Hotels’.