The Peninsula Chicago

We recently celebrated my husbands 50th birthday and chose to stay in Chicago in The Peninsula hotel. The location is exceptional and I chose it as it wa in partnership with the platinum amex which always comes in handy with perks like late check out and breakfast and upgrades. From the moment walked in the place was stunning and we were checked in by Omar who I think was the Front desk manager. He single handedly took our whole trip to another level with his welcoming and unique customer relation. He knew our name every time he saw us, he made sure we had the best experience and he went above and beyond to ensure a fantastic stay for us. Thank you Omar, you are an asset to the group. Due to the Amex we had 92 dollars credited every day for breakfast and gosh oh boy, the breakfast was incredible in the restaurant. We also had some credit for the stay which we used for the Bar at the rooftop and the cocktails were amazing and the view fabulous. Our room, the Michigan suite was beautiful and the stained glass between the bedroom and lounge was superb and the views were the best. Everything was thought out and the bathroom amenities were excellent and for once I did not have to ask for a thing !! This was all topped off with a seamless checkout where the bill was correct which is so rare for some reason. Overall an excellent choice and thank you again to Omar.

Again we had a 9 nights stay at The Peninsula Chicago. Overall it was ok, but could have been so much better (mainly due to poor communication and lackluster customer service). On arrival at 3 pm (despite communicated arrival time) our room was not ready. They wanted us to wait for an hour or so. Having traveled for almost 24 hours this was not exciting news. It took some time and effort to find a suitable room (we denied an accessible room as well as a room with a connecting door). Than our benefits through our Signature Travel booking were lost. This led to some discussions with the front office supervisor. Luckily the issue could be resolved by a phone call from the travel agency. Finally they told us, that they had no information about our Peninsula Time late check out at 5 pm and therefore were unable to honor it. Luckily I had a written confirmation from the hotel itself about the late check out, so they backed down after some further discussions. Arguably this was a pretty miserable start for such a long stay. At least they sent us a bottle of red wine in the aftermath. The rest of the stay was ok. Kudos to the housekeeping and many thanks to Don from breakfast. He was as truly amazing. One last comment on the cleanliness of the pool, since I have complained before and commented on in my previous post from last year. Unfortunately there was no improvement. Again the bottom floor of the pool was grossly dirty. Even after complaining it took days until it was cleaned superficialy. I am puzzled why management is not investing in a cleaning robot that simply runs overnight. Will we return? Honestly - even with my strong loyalty towards the Peninsula brand - I am considering The Langham for my next stay.

We recently celebrated a special occasion with a stay at the Peninsula Chicago. Outstanding in every way. The staff were so friendly and helpful. The room was exquisite and smart in many ways. The location is ideal for exploring Chicago. We enjoyed an after dinner drink at the Z Bar outside deck area on a beautiful night and a delightful breakfast in the Lobby. A bit more expensive than other options but certainly worth it.

I splurged on a Michigan Avenue suite for my spouse's Birthday. I paid for ($1,600 per night) and expected a 5 star hotel experience. Unfortunately, our room was infested with flying bugs. The good news was that since they were flying- they were not cockroaches or bedbugs. Likely baby flies or fruit flies. There were so many flying around that I made sport of catching them under a glass; which I brought to the front desk. The front desk staff was not surprised or apologetic and seemed aware of the bug problem prior to my visit "we will make housekeeping aware". When checking out, they asked about our stay and I reminded them that the room needed an exterminator. They simply said "we will make housekeeping aware". If you pay thousands of dollars to stay in a hotel, you don't expect to see bugs or to bet met with indifferent staff when a problem comes up. BTW, they offered to let me speak to a manager, but did not offer anything else for our troubling experience.

I reviewed years ago and since then have stayed there multiple times, but also naturally have stayed in numerous 4/5 star hotels and thought it was time to refresh the review. It’s still the standard all hotels (especially US urban/city hotels) should be judged by. While not cheap compare to other rates for hotels that just don’t compare it looks like a bargain. Best service, best room, great location. Really can’t recommend more One thing I will add in hopes management reads these—the bar option is my only complaint. Z Bar does not fit the vibe nor the expectations of many of the clientele. I’m a business man so understand it’s probably a great revenue source but the majority of people there I strongly suspect are from outside the hotel. They at least need another lobby bar option where you can have a relaxed cocktail and a conversation without pulsating dance music, I genuinely miss the old bar. Beyond that it is the place to stay in Chicago