FOUR SEASONS CHICAGO
120 E Delaware Pl, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
https://www.fourseasons.com/chicago/
My Rating: 78%
Price Rating: $$$$$
Summary of Stay: I hadn’t been to Chicago before and so I booked a week to explore this incredible city. While I fell in love with Chicago, the Four Seasons didn’t leave the biggest impression. Considering it was a 5-star Four Seasons, I expected more. The junior suite had outdated furniture and a very outdated bathroom. When I stay at a property of this calibre, I expect it to differentiate itself. I want an experience. I want something beyond a regular “business” hotel. This hotel ended up being a comfortable yawn.
Main floor entry
Highlight of the Room: The views and windows. I am thankful I upgraded to a junior suite - the views of the city from both the bedroom and living room were quite spectacular from the 40th floor. I loved waking up to views of the lake in the morning and coming back in the evening to see the skyline all lit up. In the living room, there was a built-in bench along the window. One rainy afternoon, I had my coffee on the bench and read my book while the city and rain painted the most lovely backdrop. While I suspect other hotels have nicer views along the river, I was very pleased with mine.
Highlight of the Hotel: Staff. Everyone that works at the hotel has clearly completed a high standard of training. They certainly put the guests first and I was surprised that a large number of the staff addressed me by name within the first couple days. The staff (with the exception of the host) were very lovely and gave me great suggestions of things to see in the city. The room service attendants took their time to set everything up with thought and consideration. Housekeeping did a thorough job refreshing the room twice a day.
Highlight of the Stay: When I think back at my stay, the highlights were mainly suggestions that came from the concierge team. They were very kind and took the time to get to know me and what I would enjoy the most. From there, they began to build an itinerary for my stay. They secured me last-minute reservations at restaurants that were near impossible to get. They got me tickets to a sold-out theatre performance. They also facilitated concert tickets with meet & greet with the artist. Beyond this, they helped guide me to the best shopping, photo locations, and cocktail bars. For all the work they did for me, I tipped them generously. But without their help, my holiday wouldn’t have been the same.
Drawbacks: There were several places for improvement for the hotel:
The bath towels were so abrasive that it made my skin bleed. I had to request new (softer) towels - and there was no difference. I resorted to actually buying my own towel for the rest of the stay. Imagine getting out of the shower and drying off with sandpaper.
Bathrobes - I’m a beefy guy but I’ve never had an issue with bathrobes not fitting - not even in Asia. So when the robe didn’t fit, and I requested a larger size (and they replaced it with same size), I was annoyed. We’re in the mid-west and I wear a size 36 pant. There is no reason for robes this small.
The pool is beautiful BUT I almost didn’t want to go down to it. The water was FREEZING. The hot tub was “boarded” up - not sure if it was broken or a pandemic precaution, but it looked ratchet. Also, the pool is also equipped to be hand-accessible, but the equipment was regularly in the way and a bit distracting from the beauty of the pool. It would be nice if it could have been tucked away when not in use as I’ve seen in other pools.
We had to get matinenance in to try and regulate the shower water temperature. But even after they adjusted it, it was either scalding or freezing. So I had very quick showers which was frustrating.
The hotel lacks personality. Everything is “fine” but very forgettable.