The Ritz-Carlton Chicago

Why book The Ritz-Carlton Chicago?

Book the Ritz-Carlton Chicago when you want a Magnificent Mile landmark with big-hotel service and, after its recent overhaul, genuinely current interiors. The hotel occupies floors 12 through 31 of Water Tower Place, and its defining trick is the 12th-floor sky lobby: a dedicated elevator lifts you from the Pearson Street entrance straight into a bright lobby with views of the historic Water Tower, Lake Michigan and the Gold Coast, so the sense of arrival is immediate.

What sets the current version apart is the roughly $100 million renovation led by the San Francisco firm BAMO, which refreshed all 434 rooms and the public spaces and brought in the Torali dining concept. It moved the hotel from a somewhat dated grande dame to a comfortably modern one while keeping the scale and service depth that a 434-room five-star can offer, which is why it earns strong Service and Location scores.

Is it still a Four Seasons hotel?

No, and this is the single most common point of confusion, so it is worth stating plainly. The Ritz-Carlton Chicago opened in 1975 and was operated by Four Seasons for decades, an unusually long arrangement, but that management relationship ended in 2020. The property is now run by Ritz-Carlton under Marriott, and it participates in Marriott Bonvoy rather than any Four Seasons program.

In practice, the address, the building and the sky-lobby layout are unchanged; what changed is the operator and, since then, the interiors. Older reviews that describe it as "a Four Seasons hotel" or reference the former restaurant are out of date. We flag it because the distinction matters for loyalty points and for anyone comparing it against the separate Four Seasons Hotel Chicago a few blocks away.

What are the rooms and amenities like?

The 434 rooms are among the more generously sized on the Magnificent Mile, and the BAMO renovation gave them a warm, contemporary finish with navy and neutral tones, a built-in bar and updated bathrooms. Lake-facing rooms on the upper floors deliver direct Lake Michigan views that are hard to match in the city, and they are the ones worth requesting for a special stay.

On amenities, the hotel keeps the depth you expect at this scale: a comprehensive fitness centre, spa treatment facilities and one of the more genuinely used indoor hotel pools in the city. It is a full-service hotel rather than a boutique, so the trade-off is a larger, busier operation in exchange for the range of services and the reliability of the Ritz-Carlton standard.

What is Torali, and is it worth it?

Torali is the hotel's signature restaurant and the headline of the renovation, a modern Italian steakhouse on the 12th floor with a copper-clad Torali Bar alongside it, led by executive chef Guenther Moreno with a menu built on seasonal Midwest ingredients. It replaced the former Deca Restaurant during the refurbishment, so if you have read about Deca, Torali is what you will actually find on arrival.

The setting is a real asset: frosted glass walls give the room an open, airy feel while framing the city outside, and in the warmer months the seasonal Rooftop at Torali opens for drinks with a view. For an anniversary or a client dinner, a Torali reservation is the highest-value booking on the property, and it is worth reserving ahead on weekends.

Where is it, and what is the location like?

The location is about as central as luxury Chicago gets. The hotel sits at 160 East Pearson Street, atop Water Tower Place on the Magnificent Mile in the Gold Coast, which puts the Mile's shopping, the lakefront, the Museum of Contemporary Art and a short ride to the Art Institute all within easy reach. Guests can go from spa to shopping to dinner without a car.

The one quirk to understand is the vertical layout. Because the hotel starts on the 12th floor above a retail centre, there is no grand street-level lobby; you enter through a dedicated door and elevator on Pearson Street. Once up top the arrival is dramatic, but it is a different feel from a hotel with its own ground-floor entrance, and worth knowing before you arrive.

What are the honest trade-offs?

The Ritz-Carlton Chicago is a strong, freshly renovated landmark, but it is not right for every traveller.

• It sits above a mall. The entrance is a dedicated elevator from Pearson Street rather than a street-level lobby, which some guests love and others find less grand than a standalone hotel.
• Big-hotel scale. At 434 rooms this is a large operation; guests who want an intimate boutique feel may prefer the Waldorf Astoria or the Langham.
• Check which view you book. The lake views are the reason to stay, but lower and city-facing rooms miss them, so the room you reserve makes a real difference.
• Top-of-market pricing. Post-renovation rates sit at the high end for Chicago, and the best lake-view categories command a premium.

How does it compare in Chicago?

The Ritz-Carlton wins on scale, service depth and its renewed interiors, and gives ground to the city's view leaders and its most intimate landmarks. Here is how it lines up with the hotels ranked around it.

Pick the Ritz-Carlton for a full-service Mag Mile base with Torali and lake views; move to the Langham for the city's best interior views, or the Waldorf Astoria for a more intimate, romantic landmark. All appear on our full Chicago ranking.

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From $400/night. Independent review; we may earn a commission at no cost to you.