The Langham Chicago: A Luxury Winter Staycation Destination
Hey girl!
I recently stayed in The Langham Chicago, a luxury 5-star hotel in downtown that is truly heaven on earth. Not to mention it’s like 3 buildings away from where I live! The Langham Chicago is the perfect getaway for Chicagoans looking to escape winter in a nearby staycation that’s close to home. It has romance, relaxation, great dining, and awesome amenities.
Let me take a quick second to brag on my boyfriend because he really hit this one out of the park. He actually surprised me with this staycation as my Christmas gift! I LOVE staying in nice hotels, and he actually really dislikes hotels, so it was a total selfless gift to trump all others. Our stay pretty much set a new level for “date night” — we only stayed one night but made the absolute most of our date-night-on-steroids. LOL.
Tip: Check in starts at 3pm and check out is at 12pm, so be sure to arrive right on time to get in almost 24 glorious hours of this luxury hotel experience!
We arrived a little after 5pm due to my procrastination earlier that day with a work deadline, and I totally regretted not being able to enjoy those two lost hours at the hotel. Still, can’t complain!
Table of Contents
Rooms fit for a Chicago Queen
Even the least extravagant rooms at The Langham Chicago are fit for royalty! We didn’t prioritize having a room with a view since we get river views from our apartment everyday, so we stayed in the standard Deluxe Room (which starts around $450 per night without valet parking, breakfast, or other specialty add-ons).
Note for Parents: One of their big add-ons right now is their Playtime with Paddington package for little kids! While we didn’t get to see one of those rooms, there is the cutest gift shop in the lobby with Paddington stuffed animals.
For guests wanting the best views, I recommend either the Deluxe Premier Room or the Deluxe Premier River View Room (ranging from $550 – $700 per night). But I’m telling you, if you’re looking to save some money, just go with the standard Deluxe; the room will not disappoint. The design is made of Botticino Fiorito marble, Alaskan White granite, and travertine bathroom, which basically translates to beautiful.
Bubble bath heaven
Besides the super comfty king-sized bed, my favorite part in the room was definitely the deep soaking tub and rainfall shower! It was an absolute DREAM. All the bath products are a lavish French brand called Diptyque (I was able to use the shower gel in the tub to transform it into a luxurious bubble bath). And for those who forget to pack hygiene items, every bathroom includes a full box of convenient toiletries.
A hidden bar with snacks and drinks
Another great addition to the room is the cellaret with fully-stocked private bar. We actually completely didn’t realize this cabinet was a bar until a woman in the elevator told us after we complained that there wasn’t coffee in the room. LOL, there’s a lot more than coffee in the room. There’s actually eleven different drawers that open to reveal various snacks, beverages, glasses, a fridge, and a coffee maker. It’s almost hidden though if you don’t take the time to look!
We assumed this was just a dresser to store clothes (thank goodness we didn’t end up missing out). I’m also not completely sure if items from the bar are charged separately for most people, but after checking out we didn’t have any extra charges from diving into the champagne and wine!
Top tier service
After checking in, we left the room for a few hours to enjoy the amenities and dinner, and upon our return our room was already serviced! Typically, you only see rooms spiffed up after staying an entire night, so this was a pleasant surprise to see the bed remade and our slippers set out to dry.
What I loved the most though was that the housekeeper set our stereo to play the most soothing classical music to add to the relaxing ambiance.
Amenities at The Langham Chicago
One of the best reasons to stay at The Langham Chicago is that you don’t need to spend extra to enjoy some awesome amenities. The pool and locker rooms are included free in your stay! I was most blown away by the locker rooms, which at first doesn’t sound like anything impressive… But trust me, once you go in and experience them, you’ll understand.
That’s hot: heated tubs & saunas galore
Not only is the atmosphere in the locker rooms serene and exqusite, but there are two sauna rooms: one dry sauna with a Himilayan salt wall and a eucalyptus sauna that smells incredible. There’s also an oriental steam room and a relaxation room with recliners. To stay hydrated, there are complimentary Flow alkaline spring water bottles available to sip on. In the iconic words of Queen Paris, “That’s hot.”
The pool room was also pretty awesome. I recommend for couples to come after around 6:30pm when all the families with kids tend to leave for dinner. Then you have access to a 67-foot indoor pool and the Hydro-Vitality hot tub all to yourself! Above the pool are little lights so you totally feel like you’re swimming under the stars.
Note: From January 14 – February 8 the pool room will be closed for maintenance. Guests will be given access to a nearby hotel’s amenities, but my advice is to book a visit after!
spa treatments
Any treatments in the Chuan Spa will cost extra and range from $205-$470. This includes facials, massages, and full-body treatments. While I didn’t opt for anything extra (I was lucky enough to get several spa gift cards for Christmas, score!), I definitely didn’t feel like I missed out with everything else that was available. Plus, you can still check out the tranquil spa lobby across from the locker rooms, which has little cookies, infused water, and tea!
Also I should add that in 2019, the Chuan Spa at The Langham Chicago was voted “One of the Finest Properties in the World” by Forbes Travel Guide. So yeah, you can say it’s top-tier.
Fitness at its finest
If you’re staying for longer than a day and want to get in a workout, the Health Club is pretty top-notch. It includes state-of-the-art equipment and of course my favorite, Peloton bikes! You can also get day passes for friends and family to join you. Since we were only there for a day, we didn’t waste any of our precious relaxation time on a workout, but the studio looked sweet. It also has chilled Flow waters and eucalyptus towels in the fridge, which I always love after a workout.
Dine in style at Travelle & Pavilion
Dinner at Travelle at The Langham Chicago is a divine experience. Everything was so fabulous, from the swanky bar to the open kitchen where we could watch the chefs cook. The wine walls and decor are also such a nice touch of elegance. The cuisine is made extremely fresh from scratch and the dishes are all so inventive and colorful thanks to Justin Gomes, Chef de Cuisine! We also loved how healthy the menu options were. My only complaint is that there is quite a lot of dairy on the menu, which I don’t handle well!
To start, we had the oysters, which were refreshing to say the least. I’m not the biggest fan of oysters though, but my boyfriend is and he absolutely loved them. We also ordered the bread to start, which was interesting and had some sort of seeds in them (not my fave but the jam with it was delicious!). I had some sort of succulent chicken entree and my boyfriend had the salmon (which I couldn’t taste because of the cream sauce unfortunately).
Read my blog, “Ralph Lauren Restaurant in Chicago: High Fashion Meets World-Class Dining.”
Pinkies up, tea lovers
Instead of ordering wine with dinner — we had plenty in the bar in our room — we ordered pots of the mint tea leaves. This was definitely a more relaxing way to finish our meal since we were going to drink later anyway.
For my tea lovers, The Langham Chicago hosts a picturesque full tea service in the Pavilion that’s typically available from 12-4pm. We actually saw some late-night holiday tea diners when we checked in around 5pm on a Friday. Even though it wasn’t as crowded as a typical weekend tea time, it looked so decadent and there was even a harpist! The room itself is so beautiful, so highly recommend just coming back with girlfriends to experience this (I know I will!)
To Room service or not to room service?
After snoozing for a beautiful 9 hours, we woke up starving and immediately considered the idea of ordering room service! I don’t know about you, but I grew up watching Eloise at Christmastime and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York which has always made me DREAM of room service in a nice hotel LOL. Well, reality hit us fast…
If you want room service for breakfast, you actually have to fill out the order card and hang it on your door by 3am the night before. There’s no waking up and rolling over to grab the phone and ask them to bring you your meal the second you think of it. I guess that only makes sense so the kitchen isn’t preparing hundreds or dishes last-minute for late sleepers… Also, room service is like, really expensive. We’re talking like $45 if you just want eggs, breakfast meat, a pastry item or toast, and a drink. (This is definitely not your mom and pop’s breakfast diner!)
Breakfast with a view…sort of
No worries though, we eventually got our lazy butts out of bed and had breakfast in Travelle. While the food items were mostly pretty standard, I have to applaud their breakfast potatoes. I normally abhor when restaurants give you potatoes with breakfast; they usually take up half the plate and taste like nothing just to give you the illusion of being full on empty carbs. But these potatoes, oh mon Dieu! They were so incredibly mouthwatering and flavorful!
We also requested to have a seat by the window this time since we sat by the wine wall for dinner. The view was decent, but it’s pretty low since the restaurant is only on the second floor. For those of us who are use to living and working in high-rises, that’s obviously not the most impressive in terms of elevation. But still, it was cute and made for a good picture! Also their matcha latte…so good.
Read my blog, “I|O Godfrey Rooftop Lounge: Chicago’s Year-Round Patio Dining.”
But wait, there’s more?
For my ballers out there looking to splurge, I have to urge you to check out several other amenties The Langham Chicago has to offer.
The Infinity Suite is easily my favorite after exploring the website — it has a custom painted gold grand piano!!!! (How I would do anything to play one of my Mozart sonatas on this beauty!!!) Not to mention it comes with two marble bathrooms with tubs that are even dreamier than the one we had (and that was a damn good tub).
The Langham Club is accessible with a reservation of any club room or suite (or you can pay an extra fee for access with a standard room). Guests with access here can enjoy a breakfast buffet, all-day refreshments, afternoon tea and cocktails, assistance with unpacking, and a reading library! So posh.
There are also several Event Venues available to accomodate meetings, fashion shows, and even small weddings with parties under 50 people.
A hidden MOvie theater
Lastly, while I didn’t find this amenity promoted on the website, we did happen to stumble upon a Cinema Room on one of the top floors! According to the housekeeper who was inside cleaning it, it’s available to rent out for guests. It’s not a full-size theater, but it’s similar to a cozy home theater with snacks and drinks on display!
10/10 Winter Staycation Rating
Overall, my boyfriend and I found The Langham Chicago to be an exquisite retreat for date night! If you’re looking for a winter escape without having to leave Chicago, definitely opt for a staycation at this luxury hotel on the river, even if just for a night (it’s totally worth it!). And for those who aren’t local, there are several other lavish locations, including New York, L.A., Boston, London, ten hotels in Asia, and three in Australia!
Have you been to any of the other locations? Let me know about your experience in the comments below.
Sincerely,
