Ritz Carlton, Chicago - Chicago, IL Review

I have to admit, that I really like luxury hotels. So, this past weekend, when a group of friends and I decided to stay downtown for the weekend, it was no wonder that we wanted to stay at one of the Chicago historic hotels (synonymous with luxury). We considered The Ritz, The Four Seasons and the Peninsula. Since we stayed at the Four Seasons last time, the Ritz was the obvious choice-- given it's location (and that my friend got a discount through her husbands job).I think we paid about $600 for the room/night.

The Ritz Carlton Chicago is located in downtown Chicago right on the magnificient mile. In fact, it is attached to the Water Tower Place-- one of the biggest shopping centers in downtown Chicago. The Ritz is also about 3 blocks away from Oak Street Shopping (Barney's, Nicole Miller, Juicy Coutre, etc) as well as Saks, Neiman Marcus, and Nike. On a summer morning, it is also a lovely walk down to attractions like Millenium Park.

Our room at the Ritz-- My friends and I rented a suite on the 28th floor since there were 5 girls coming. The suite was quite large, with 3 twin beds and a pull out couch (you can opt for a King instead of 2 twins). It was perfect for 5 women. We also had 2 bathrooms. The room itself was nice and what you would expect from a Ritz property (nice linens, stocked high end bar, sound system, CDs, lovely toilletries, etc) but nothing to brag about. The view was TERRIBLE and the bathrooms were borderline embarassing for a 5 star hotel. The wallpaper in the bathroom looked dingy, the vanity looked like fermica (?) and the baths were both super small with old looking fixtures. The main bedroom had 2 twins in it which seemed like an odd alternative to a king.

The common hotel space at the Ritz Carlton Chicago is lovely. However, the rooms seemed old and in need of some updating! It was fine for a girls weekend where the bill was split among 5 women. But, if I spent $600 per night to bring my family there, I would have been a little upset. The room was not up to that price tag in my opinion. It was not horrible, just not great (and I expect great at $600/night)