Birthplace of the skyscraper and steel-frame construction. Home to modernist maestros Mies van der Rohe, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Louis Sullivan. Chicago’s unique juxtaposition of ornate classical buildings with modernist less-is-more—plus the 1930s steel “seesaw” bridges connecting River North to the  Loop—show why the city is widely considered America’s most architecturally significant metropolis. The top hotels are, in some cases, located within the city’s celebrated buildings or serve as a backdrop for viewing them. What unifies them is a Midwestern ethos of quiet luxury. There is swank, yes, but it is whispered through design, high-end amenities, and micro-attention to detail.

With some extra vetting by our expert Travel Masters, and in no particular order, we introduce the nine best luxury hotels in Chicago.

The Langham, Chicago

Photo : The Langham

Award: Best in Bauhaus 

For architecture buffs who like their lodgings with a pedigree, The Langham delivers with its clean lines and bronze-tinted, double-paned glass courtesy of Bauhaus maestro Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. (He designed the IMB building in the 1960s.) Set on a Loop-adjacent plaza alongside the Chicago River, the hotel offers sweeping views of the water and iconic buildings, including Bertrand Goldberg’s “corncob” parking structures, also built in the ’60s. Ironically, the hotel is sumptuous, a departure from Van der Rohe’s pared-back aesthetic, but the architect’s style is evident in the lavish use of materials like travertine and marble, and the trademark steel-and-glass framework, which is visible from every vantage point.

Nods to the architect live in the furniture, too. The lobby features sofas and chairs that Mies designed for his family but never put into mass production; certain rooms have midcentury modern chaises. Like other Langham properties, art is a big deal here. You’ll encounter more than 140 artists, including Christopher Wool, Anish Kapoor, and Jamie Plensa, connected to or inspired by van der Rohe and the Bauhaus School. As for the 316 rooms and suites, they are awash in rich, touch-me textiles, with floor-to-ceiling windows flooding the space with light. Chicago has hundreds of cocktail bars, but not many serve up a pairing of tipples and views like Travelle; sip on the kombu-infused Lakefront Frost Martini while gazing at the classic Jewelers Building and a duo of Seesaw bridges.

Best amenity: A new interactive Chicago landmark-themed lounge for children in partnership with the Chicago Children’s Museum.

Can’t-miss experience: Chuan Spa. The spa’s yin-yang take on wellness stands out: You step through the “moon gate” to symbolically leave negative energy behind, and can enjoy enhancements like herbal saunas and four-sense loungers (meant to stimulate light, sound, smell, and touch).

From $395

The St. Regis Chicago

Photo : Eric Wolfinger

Award: In the Lap of Loop Luxury

It takes serious chops to make a mark in America’s most celebrated architectural city. Enter hometown architect Jeanne Gang, whose undulating, 101-story skyscraper has glass windows tinted in varying degrees of blue to catch the shimmer of the surrounding water and sky. The 159 rooms and 33 suites are studies in big-time, understated chic, done in grays, white marbles, and earth tones—set off by killer views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago River through floor-to-ceiling windows. Suites come with butlers who are happy to unpack for you, press your trousers, and bring snacks. The hotel’s two excellent restaurants, a Japanese one called Miru and Evan Funke’s Tuscan steakhouse, Tre Dita, are tough tables to book thanks to a trifecta of excellent food, service, and city views. Fun Fact: The hotel clocks in as the tallest building in the world designed by a female architect.

Best amenity: Rivian house car will ferry guests to destinations within a two-mile radius.

Can’t-miss experience: The spa’s new evening Floating Pool Meditation & Sound Bath, where guests unwind by candlelight.

From $500

Chicago Athletic Association

Photo : Daniel Kelleghan Photography

Award: Gilded Age Glamour  

Seated in the Drawing Room by the fireplace, flanked by original quarter oak millwork and terrazzo marble floors, it’s not hard to conjure the Gilded Age, even if everyone is wearing jeans. That’s because the Chicago Athletic Association still oozes the Venetian Gothic glamour it did when it opened as an elite men’s sporting and social club in 1893. These days, the time capsule Drawing Room is a favored hangout for locals, as is the Game Room, where foosball, billiards, and skeeball beckon beneath the turn-of-the-century coffered ceiling. Design firm Roman and Williams infused nostalgia and history into the 240 rooms, adding brass beds topped with Faribault Woolen Mill Co. custom blankets, racquet-sport wraps on table legs, and crisscross backs on desks that reference old-fashioned stretching walls. There are two standout restaurants on-site: Cindy’s, a rooftop spot for seasonal dishes under a glass atrium with views of Millennium Park, and Midōsuji, a nine-seat omakase nook with original tilework and lovely cherry blossom wall coverings. Eleven Madison Park alum chef Brian Lockwood serves up dishes like caviar-flecked cauliflower chawanmushi and an umami bomb of a Jonah crab salad infused with horseradish, miso, and melon. 

Best amenity: Location! Being across the street from Millennium Park means you can stroll to The Bean (Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate), the Crown Fountain, and the Pritzker Music Pavilion. The Art Institute of Chicago is within walking distance. 

Can’t-miss experience: Roller dance classes on the vintage basketball court.

From $250

Waldorf Astoria Chicago

Photo : Waldorf Astoria Chicago

Award: French-Inspired Flair

There’s something delightfully European about arriving at a city hotel via a private (heated!) cobblestone courtyard. With its courtyard and distinctive steel mansard roof, French architect Lucien Lagrange amplified a century-old nickname for Chicago—“Paris on the Prairie”—given to the city by Daniel Burnham in his 1909 Plan of Chicago, which is still considered a prime example of large-scale urban planning in America. The grand 1920s Paris spirit continues inside with a lobby gleaming in black-and-white stone alongside a new lobby parlor with feathered wall panels and jewel-toned velvet seating.

Fashion design informed the interiors. Take Bernard’s, a moody cocktail boite done up with leather and tweed accents. The 214 guest rooms feature a sophisticated play on black and white, with splashes of burgundy and pinstriped details. Other highlights: Most of the rooms have fireplaces, and many have outdoor terraces (a rarity in Chi-town); bathrooms have stunning mosaic floors and soaking tubs. Views, of course, are spectacular.

Best amenity: The House car, a BMW 7 series, will take guests within a one-mile radius.

Can’t-miss experience: The 14,000-square-foot spa. Book an out-of-the-ordinary treatment, such as an ashiatsu massage or a multi-sensory sound bath facial, and then unwind by the indoor, mosaic-tiled lap pool.

From $575

Four Seasons Hotel Chicago

Photo : Four Seasons Chicago

Award: Gold Coast Grand Dame

In 1961, the Four Seasons launched with a hospitality vision tethered to four pillars: quality, service, culture, and brand. Its 35-year-old Chicago hotel has remained top of the line because it has never deviated from this mission. The 345 recently renovated guest rooms are medleys of chocolate browns, crisp grays, and blues, with uninterrupted views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline. The spa, a favorite of locals, offers treatments and access to a 44-foot indoor infinity pool and a hot tub overlooking the city. Underscoring a commitment to wellness are the new Harley Pasternak–designed gym and the ability to have a fitness cart—complete with kettlebells, dumbbells, a push-up bar, and a medicine ball—delivered to rooms. Family programming is a cornerstone of a Four Seasons stay. There is a kids’ clubroom with foosball, board games, and arts and crafts; an on-call Ice Cream Man, who will prepare in-room sundaes; and hotel-wide scavenger hunts.

Best amenity: A chic striped martini cart rolled into your room for a custom cocktail.

Can’t-miss experience: The Mile High Cocktail Club is a collaboration with Handshake Speakeasy in Mexico City, which was voted the no. 1 spot on the World’s 50 Best Bars list in 2024. Book a table at the cozy suite turned lounge on the 46th floor and enjoy drinks like the Olive Oil Gimlet or Tarragon Fizz.

From $395

Park Hyatt Chicago

Photo : Park Hyatt Chicago

Award: Mag Mile Matriarch

Chicago is home to the Pritzker family, owners of the Hyatt brand, so it stands to reason that this Park Hyatt, the very first in the brand’s portfolio, is the five-star jewel in the family’s hospitality crown. Made on the Magnificent Mile in 1980, overhauled in 2000, and completely renovated in 2022, the 182-room hotel has remained true to its core ideal of serving as an elegant, residential-feeling retreat for guests. Anderson/Miller Ltd. oversaw the $60 million project, creating soft cream cocoons with camel-colored accents and by layering textures like stone and metal side tables, velvet benches, and burled walnut cabinetry. Wowza vistas are a focal point. Windows are outfitted with upholstered seating nooks to take them in, and bathrooms have retractable doors to make the skyline accessible while relaxing in the oversized soaking tubs. The restaurant, NoMI Kitchen, also serves up expansive views along with seasonal dishes and sushi. During the summer months, a rooftop garden becomes a hotspot for cocktails and meals. Don’t miss the spa. It’s a small but mighty oasis located next to an indoor pool. Other wellness offerings: Wellbeing and Mindfulness Suites that have AI-powered Bryte Balance Beds to personalize sleep, in addition to a private Tonal digital fitness system, yoga gear, sleep oil, and fresh-pressed superfood juices and nutritional bites.

Best amenity: Feeling frigid? A collaboration with next-door neighbor Canada Goose allows guests to borrow outerwear during their stay. 

Can’t-miss experience: Champagne Row serves primo bubbles and bites (foie gras macarons, anyone?) in the lobby library, amid a collection of Chicago-themed literature.

From $337

The Peninsula Chicago

Photo : The Peninsula Chicago

Award: Most Welcoming

For the past 25 years, the Peninsula Chicago has defined five-star hospitality with its genteel blend of Midwestern warmth and Far Eastern graciousness. Its bar, restaurants, and spa are hubs for locals, and its 339 guestrooms are a retreat for travelers looking for the kind of digs that include six pillows in degrees of firmness, a power cord selection to excite teens and tech bros, and necessities like Breathe Right nose strips just a tablet-touch away. The design references both cultures with steely grays and blues for Chicago’s architecture and lake, and noble flowers such as plum blossom, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum, which show up in the form of art walls and custom cabinetry, as well as decorative accents in the bi-level spa. Art enhances the sophisticated ambiance. Rotating exhibitions of local collectors are on display, and seven walls outside the popular Z Bar feature the work of emerging Chicago artists. Food offerings are also urbane: Pierre Gourmet for European-style pastries and sandwiches, Shanghai Terrace for dim sum, and The Lobby for afternoon tea accompanied by live classical music.

Best amenity: “Peninsula Time” is a flexible check-in/check-out amenity that allows guests to check in as early as 6 a.m. on the day of arrival and check out as late as 10 p.m. on the day of departure, with 24 hours’ advance notice. 

Can’t-miss experience: The Z Bar is the perfect perch to kick off or end an evening, with its skylight in the shape of The Bean and martinis and Old Fashioneds served in eye-catching stemware.

From $500

Thompson Chicago, by Hyatt

Photo : Thompson Chicago, by Hyatt

Award: Best Boutique Bolthole

The Thompson is tucked into a mansion-filled corner of the Gold Coast, kitty-corner to some of Chicago’s best steakhouses (Gibson’s, Hugo’s Frog Bar, Maple and Ash). This boutique hotel is high end but hip, with a lobby of hardwood floors, exposed brick, midcentury-style furnishings, and enough books and objet to supply a let’s hangout vibe. (Winter sets a roaring fireplace into action.)The industrial modernist theme is carried to the 247 rooms and suites with velvet jewel-toned sofas set off by metal-accented Le Corbusier-looking armchairs and side tables, and edgy artwork by locals. 

Best amenity: Location! You are steps from Oak Street, home to the city’s prestigious shops, and an easy meander to the lakefront, Michigan Avenue, and the Museum of Modern Art.

Can’t-miss experience: The steakhouse Tavern on Rush, known for its celebrity clientele (George Clooney, Jon Bon Jovi, Amy Poehler, and Mark Cuban have been spotted here) and see-and-be-seen ambiance, moved into the hotel in 2024. The hotel can organize VIP seating.

From $278

The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago

Photo : Don Riddle

Award: Best for Kids 

Conveniently adjacent to the Museum of Contemporary Art and connected to Water Tower Place, a mall with specialty shops and casual restaurants, The Ritz is ideal for families and business travelers seeking a central, Gold Coast location and not too many frills. The airy white marble lobby impresses with a statement chandelier and a glass-roofed cafe area offering attractive skyline views. There are 434 rooms; the entry-level ones are quite basic, while the suites are more graciously appointed with stylish details like an upholstered headboard and brass-accented furnishings. The 10 specialty suites are the most luxurious, though all rooms have knockout views of Navy Pier, Lake Michigan, and/or the city. 

The well-equipped 2,700-square-foot fitness center offers a daily slate of group classes, while the spa and indoor pool are restorative zones. Amenities for children abound, like a toy-filled wagon wheeled out during check-in and a candy cart that visits guest rooms.

Best amenity: The Club Lounge offers five continuous food and beverage services throughout the day, along with complimentary shoeshine and pressing of two garments for an additional $200 per day. 

Can’t-miss experience: The hotel’s proximity to Water Tower Place, home to American Girl, means guests don’t need to venture outside to get to the storybook shop, famous for its cafe with doll seating and salon for matching doll/girl hairstyles. The package includes a milk-and-cookie welcome amenity, a take-home American Girl Bed (including special turndown service), and a T-shirt for the doll.

From $399