Editorial score of 9.4 of 10, the composite average of the three factors above (Rooms, Service, Location). Method at our methodology page. Affiliate disclosure: booking links may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you, and never change our verdict.
Why book The Peninsula Chicago on the Magnificent Mile?
Book the Peninsula because no Chicago hotel carries a heavier trophy cabinet and the daily experience actually matches it. The hotel opened in 2001 at 108 East Superior Street, next to the historic Water Tower and half a block off Michigan Avenue, and it holds a Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star rating, an AAA Five Diamond and Two Michelin Keys, and U.S. News named it the number one hotel in Illinois in 2025. What those badges translate to on the ground is anticipatory service: doormen who track your comings and goings, housekeeping that appears twice daily without being seen, and a front desk that fixes problems before they surface.
Add the strongest hotel wellness floor in the city and rooms that rank among Chicago's largest, and this is the address that removes the most friction from a first luxury stay. It reads as polished contemporary comfort rather than historic drama, and that is a deliberate choice. For a traveller who prizes execution over architectural romance, the Peninsula is the most complete booking in the city, and it sits fourth on our list only because the top three lead on view or character rather than on service.
What are the rooms like, and which should you book?
The rooms are big, quiet and unusually well engineered, and the variable worth paying for is floor height. Entry-level rooms start at 531 square feet, among the most generous in Chicago, with marble bathrooms, deep soaking tubs with built-in televisions and dressing areas. A 2016 top-to-bottom redesign by Bill Rooney Studio brought a warm, yacht-inspired palette and the group's bespoke tablet system, which runs lighting, temperature, drapes and room service from the bedside and wall panels. Book a high floor facing east for glimpses toward Lake Michigan over the Streeterville rooftops, or face south for the denser skyline.
Suites add proper sitting rooms and dining tables that double as meeting space, which is why the hotel works so well as a business base as well as a celebration one. Travelling with a small dog? Dogs and cats are accepted for a fee per pet per stay, with the charge stepping up by weight, so confirm the current policy when you book. Wherever you land, the room product is a genuine strength rather than an afterthought, and the height you choose matters more than the category.
Rates swing hard by season: weeknights average around $700 while peak weekends clear $1,000, and the November to February window can run roughly half the spring price. Book winter, request a high east-facing room, and reserve the spa and afternoon tea before arrival, because both fill up on weekends.
Where do you eat and drink at The Peninsula Chicago?
You eat well without leaving, though the city's marquee dinners still belong outside the hotel. The Lobby is the all-day American restaurant and the stage for the Peninsula's famous afternoon tea, served under a soaring ceiling with live music on weekends. Shanghai Terrace, which the Michelin Guide rates among Chicago's top Chinese restaurants, serves Cantonese and Shanghainese cooking with a seasonal outdoor terrace above the Mile. Z Bar, the sixth-floor rooftop lounge, pours globally inspired cocktails on an open terrace with skyline views and runs year round. Pierrot Gourmet, the European-style cafe and wine bar off the street entrance, is the one locals treat as their own, and in winter an open-air Sky Rink appears on a terrace above Michigan Avenue.
How good is the spa and skyline pool?
It is the single best reason to pick the Peninsula over its neighbours. The Peninsula Spa covers about 15,000 square feet across the 19th and 20th floors, the entire top of the building given over to wellness, and its centrepiece is a half-Olympic indoor lap pool set behind floor-to-ceiling windows with the skyline stacked outside the glass. The pool is a true swimmer's pool, consistently deep and built for laps, joined by a whirlpool, steam rooms, a serious fitness centre and an outdoor sun terrace for warm months. The treatment menu leans Asian-inspired, and most treatments are reserved for guests 18 and over, which keeps the floor calm. Few city hotels anywhere in America match this floor.
Signature amenities
Half a block off the Magnificent Mile
Magnificent Mile · half a block off Michigan Avenue, next to the historic Water Tower
What's nearby
- Magnificent Mile
Michigan Ave shopping1 min walk - Historic Water Tower
Chicago landmark2 min walk - 875 North Michigan
360 Chicago observatory5 min walk - Museum of Contemporary Art
Streeterville5 min walk - Oak Street Beach
Lakefront10 min walk
The tower, the rooms, the skyline pool
Tower
Guest room
Sky pool
Z BarHow does The Peninsula compare with other Chicago luxury hotels?
The Peninsula holds fourth on our Chicago list, and it loses ground to the top of the field only on view and architectural character, never on execution. Against The Langham Chicago, whose river-bend glass is the best hotel view in the city, the Peninsula answers with the superior spa and afternoon tea. Against the Four Seasons, it matches the service standard and wins on wellness. Against the Ritz-Carlton, it takes the more current room product. Its own honest trade-off is price and restraint: this is one of the most expensive stays in Chicago, and the celebrated swim is an indoor pool behind glass rather than an open-air rooftop deck.
| Hotel | Best for | Signature | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Peninsula Chicago | Service, spa, afternoon tea | Skyline lap pool on floors 19 and 20 | Steep rates; modern not historic |
| The Langham Chicago | Views, design pedigree | River-bend glass in a Mies van der Rohe tower | Busier River North address |
| Four Seasons Hotel Chicago | Reliable classic all-rounder | Upper-floor lake views, vaulted pool | Less distinctive wellness floor |
| The Ritz-Carlton Chicago | Full-service renovated landmark | Torali dining, 12th-floor sky lobby | Sits above a retail centre |
Frequently asked questions
Where is The Peninsula Chicago located?
The Peninsula Chicago sits at 108 East Superior Street, half a block off Michigan Avenue next to the historic Water Tower, in the middle of the Magnificent Mile. The flagship shopping is on your doorstep, the lakefront is a few blocks east, and the Loop museums are a short taxi south.
How many rooms does The Peninsula Chicago have?
The hotel has 339 rooms and suites and opened in 2001. Entry-level rooms start at 531 square feet, among the largest in Chicago, and all were redesigned in 2016 by Bill Rooney Studio with tablet controls for lighting, temperature and hotel services, plus marble bathrooms with deep soaking tubs.
Does The Peninsula Chicago have a pool and spa?
Yes. The Peninsula Spa covers about 15,000 square feet across the 19th and 20th floors, with a half-Olympic indoor lap pool behind floor-to-ceiling skyline windows, a whirlpool, steam rooms, an outdoor sun terrace and a full Asian-inspired treatment menu. Most treatments are for guests 18 and over.
What restaurants are inside The Peninsula Chicago?
The Lobby serves American cooking and the hotel's famous afternoon tea, Shanghai Terrace offers Cantonese and Shanghainese dishes with a seasonal outdoor terrace, Z Bar is the sixth-floor rooftop lounge with cocktails and skyline views, and Pierrot Gourmet is the adjacent European-style cafe and wine bar.
How much does The Peninsula Chicago cost per night?
Expect around $700 for an average weeknight and past $1,000 on peak weekends, before valet parking at about $85 a night with in-and-out privileges. Rates drop sharply in the November to February window, often by half against spring peaks, so winter is the value play for this hotel.
Is The Peninsula Chicago good for an anniversary or special occasion?
Yes, if service and wellness define the occasion: the skyline pool, the spa and afternoon tea at The Lobby make a strong celebration weekend. If your idea of romance is a dramatic view or Parisian-style architecture, The Langham and the Waldorf Astoria Chicago are the better-matched splurges.
Other luxury stays in Chicago
#1 · River NorthThe Langham Chicago
#2 · Mag MileFour Seasons Hotel Chicago
#5 · Water Tower