8.28.18 10

THE SWISSOTEL CHICAGO

Hi friends!

Today we want to share with you a review of the beautiful Swissotel Chicago hotel. Maria and I have both been to the Swissotel in the past, and we have attended a few events hosted by them as well so they are easily one of our choice hotels in the city.

They invited us to stay in one of their newly renovated rooms and of course we took them up on it since we were already huge fans of the hotel. If you follow us on Instagram, you probably caught a lot of our staycation live that weekend (feel free to check out our story highlight if you missed it)! Keep an eye out for our official Chicago Staycation blog post, and without further ado here is our review of the Swissotel Chicago!

LOCATION

Okay so we’re starting off here with a no brainer. This hotel is perfectly situated downtown on the Chicago River. It is between the Mag Mile and Millenium Park so you can take the obligatory photo with the Bean (Cloud Gate) or shop til you drop with a short walk or cab ride. With Navy Pier, the Children’s Museum and Lake Michigan to the Northeast, and the Art Institute and Buckingham Fountain to the south, staying at the Swissotel literally means endless options for your stay in Chicago. There is definitely enough to do in the area! You wouldn’t even need to rent a car if you were visiting from out of state.

HOTEL

The hotel staff was very friendly upon arrival. We arrived before our room was ready and the concierge held our bags so that we could head out and explore or grab a drink at the bar while we waited. They can even text you when the room is ready (no rush though) so you can head back if need be! The hotel lobby is beautiful, very artfully decorated and definitely a cozy place to gather or wait. We’d recommend grabbing a drink in the lobby and snagging a seat on one of the lush lobby couches to relax before beginning your Chicago adventures!

THE VIEW

You can’t review a hotel in Chicago without talking about the view. And holy moly does the Swissotel have some truly breathtaking views!! The building is an all-glass triangle, designed by renowned Chicago architect Hary Weese so if that doesn’t set the place up for success I don’t know what would! Whether your view is of the river, Navy Pier, the parks or just the city in general, there is literally not a bad seat in the house!

ROOM

We stayed in the duplex suite and we were floored by how beautiful it was! It was recently renovated and the updates are spot on with regards to elegance, style and functionality. There was an incredible living room big enough to fit a family, bridal party or small event. A dining table or conference table, depending on what you need it to be, and a small mini-bar area alongside. Head passed the chic chaise lounge sitting area and up the stairs to find a huge bedroom with flat screen tv and another chaise! The bathroom was nothing less than luxurious with extreme attention to detail throughout.

AMENITIES

The Swissotel has an entire offering of in-room spa services beginning October 1st, 2018. If you are staying here definitely give that a try. After all, who doesn’t want a massage or facial without even having to leave their room?! If you’re not into being pampered (you might be crazy but that’s okay haha) but maybe fitness is your thing- don’t worry they’ve got ya covered! Reopening October 1stin their Penthouse Fitness Center. You can probably already tell by the name, but this hotel gym will be like no other with sweeping views of the lake to make for a one of a kind workout experience. If you’d rather get your fitness on outside, they offer a jogging route map or you can even get with the concierge to see if there is a Vitality Morning Run group heading out in the mornings while you’re there! Additionally, we’ve attended a couple yoga events in the evening at the Swissotel, so be sure to check if there is anything else going on at the hotel that you might want to grab a ticket to attend!

CLEANLINESS // COMFORT

Our room was spotless. I mean, normally I don’t even feel comfortable without slippers on in a hotel so it is crazy for me to say I would even observe the 5-second rule while staying there! Haha

This part doesn’t really have to do with cleanliness as much as it does comfort. If the Swissotel would sell me their bed and pillows I would buy them. I wanted nothing more than to lay in that bed forever the next day! I spent $90 on my current pillow at home and thought I’d never find another, but man was I wrong. Heavenly pillows, mixed with lavish sheets made for one heck of a good night’s sleep! Be sure to allow yourself a little extra time to hit snooze in the mornings of your stay!

DINING

Aside from the bar and lounge in the lobby area, there is also The Palm Restaurant that you should definitely check out. I don’t normally try out the hotel restaurants on vacations but The Palm sure as heck made me a believer! The steak tartar was to die for and we highly recommend splurging on the surf and turf. Our steaks came out perfectly prepared to each person’s preference. Each cut of meat was wonderfully seasoned and melt in your mouth delicious. While we sat at a booth, there is also a beautiful bar area that would be an awesome spot to grab a drink before heading out on the town. You could even finishing your evening with a night cap before heading up to the pillow-y heaven that awaits you in your room hehe.

The other thing Swissotel offers is 24-hour room service. This is a MUST when we travel because you never know when restaurants in an area close down, or if you’re just going to want to dine-in one night in the privacy of your room! We opted for room service breakfast before check-out and it was delicious! We recommend the breakfast sandwich and bagel and lox for sure; don’t forget to order a pot of coffee too.

Overall we were blown away by our experience at the Swissotel Chicago and will most definitely be back soon! Book a room here if you want to be in the heart of Chicago, staying in a hotel where no view is a bad view. If you want a place where you don’t even have to leave to experience delicious food and cocktails and there’s a pillow fit for a queen waiting to cradle your tired head at the end of a fun filled day in the Windy City!

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10 Comments

  1. I love Chicago and this looks amazing! Beautiful views! I need to take my kids to chicago! beautiful city.

    Published 8.29.18
    Reply
    • hashtagsandhangsbags wrote:

      yes!! Obviously we are biased since we grew up here, but its such an amazing city!

      Published 8.30.18
      Reply
  2. That is the CUTEST hotel! It would be so much fun to stay there!

    Published 8.29.18
    Reply
    • hashtagsandhangsbags wrote:

      If you are ever in Chicago, don’t forget to look them up and book!

      Published 8.30.18
      Reply
  3. Corinne wrote:

    I live in MI, and would love to visit Chicago one day! BTW, love the name of your blog (so cute!)

    Published 8.30.18
    Reply
    • hashtagsandhangsbags wrote:

      Yes come to Chicago, we are so close!! Thank you SO much!

      Published 8.30.18
      Reply
  4. joy abou zeid wrote:

    The breakfast looks so good and oh my the room looks so nice!! Great post xx

    Published 8.30.18
    Reply
    • hashtagsandhangsbags wrote:

      It all was amazing!!

      Published 8.30.18
      Reply
  5. I’m a Chicago girl! Glad you enjoyed the hotel and some amazing restaurants!!! oxoxo!

    Published 8.30.18
    Reply
    • hashtagsandhangsbags wrote:

      We are too!! We love our city and it was so fun to do a staycation!

      Published 8.30.18
      Reply