2023 Readers’ Choice Awards: The Top Hotels in Chicago
Now in its 36th iteration, our annual Readers’ Choice Awards continues to capture the travel experiences our readers love best, from the top hotels in Chicago and beyond to the best airlines to cruises, islands, and luggage. This year, you traveled farther and deeper; seeking out remote properties; sailing on smaller, more intimate ships; and prioritizing destinations you’ve been waiting years to visit. At least that’s what a staggering 526,518 of you told us in our annual Readers’ Choice Awards survey. Now, you can use the results to decide where you’re going next—these are the top hotels in Chicago, according to our readers.
View the Readers' Choice Award hotels in Chicago as a list with scores here.
This gallery has been updated with new information since its original publish date.
All listings featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. If you book something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Courtesy Trump Hotelshotel10. Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago
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Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2023Get past the 20-foot letters emblazoned on the building and there’s no denying: This hotel is a stunner. Guests beeline to the wellness trifecta on the 14th-floor that includes a 75-foot swimming pool, an 11-treatment-room spa with sprawling locker rooms, and a serious fitness center wrapped in windows. But even locals come to the 16th-floor rooftop for unparalleled views of the Chicago River and skyline. They're doing it in a more laid-back atmosphere now though, as the two-Michelin-starred Sixteen was replaced with a more casual option in 2018.
21c Museum Hotel Chicagohotel9. 21c Museum Hotel Chicago
$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2021, 2023Fittingly located between the commerce of the Magnificent Mile and the galleries of River North to the west, the 21c Museum Hotel Chicago attracts travelers across the tourist-to-hipster spectrum. What keeps them in-house are the dynamic art exhibitions, which guests are free to roam 24/7. It might take a few viewings to fully grasp the social, political, and economic issues explored in the galleries (beyond the Insta-begging appeal of a synthetic life-size bison carrying a rider draped in an American flag). To decode it all, take the free, hour-long docent tour offered weekly.
Christian Horanhotel8. Pendry Chicago
$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2023The office-centric stretch of Michigan Avenue south of the Chicago River got an instant upgrade in the Pendry, both rejuvenating a 1929 architectural icon—purportedly designed in the shape of a champagne bottle in the heady pre-Crash era—and living up to its gilded interiors with social aspects that channel a sense of celebration, from the bustling ground-floor brasserie to the rosé-all-day rooftop bar peer with skyline icons. On the edge of the Loop, the Pendry locale is hard to beat, whether you’re doing business or seeing the sights. The Riverwalk and Millennium Park are both just a block or two away, and the Art Institute of Chicago just a bit farther. Explore the parks with one of the loaner bikes stabled at the hotel (just don’t try this in the traffic-jammed Loop itself).
Courtesy Chicago Athletic Association Hotelhotel7. Chicago Athletic Association Hotel
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Hot List 2016 Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023They don't build them like this anymore. The Venetian Gothic exterior gives way to 19th-century interiors, complete with carved stone fireplaces, terrazzo floors, and leaded glass—all freshly restored. Rooms vary in dimension widely, with the most spacious overlooking Millennium Park. Brass-bed-inspired headboards and Faribault Woolen Mill Company blankets make even the bed a bit retro, though still cozy by modern sleep standards. The Chicago Athletic Association has a strong local following for its historic lobby, indoor bocce and foosball in its game room, the gem-like Milk Room bar, and the clubby Cherry Circle Room restaurant. On the rooftop, and mostly enclosed by an atrium, Cindy's cranks it up with large format cocktails, sharable dishes, and some of the best views over Millennium Park. Come for the design, and stay for the location and amenities.
Anthony Tahlier/Courtesy Virgin Hotels Chicagohotel6. Virgin Hotels Chicago
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023Virgin Hotels' Chicago outpost is all about contrasts: It's buzzy in public and serene in private, and cheeky accents and a cherry-red color scheme contrast with the stately old bank building it calls home. At once clubby and retreat-like, there are loads of dining and drinking options: the centerpiece Commons Club, the ground-level diner Miss Ricky's, and the rooftop bar and lounge, Cerise, which has great views of the city from its seasonal patio. The library—actually called the Funny Library—next to the second-floor Commons Club bar was curated by the improv group Second City. Upstairs, rooms included so many small and charming surprises: a wool-upholstered wall with pockets for things like the TV remote, the cherry-red Smeg fridge, Stelle Bluetooth speaker, yoga mat, and minibar selections that, thankfully, don't come with exorbitant price tags. Pet-friendly rooms, meanwhile, come with a porcelain dog stationed in the hallway at the front door.
Courtesy Langham Hotelshotel5. The Langham, Chicago
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Gold List 2018, 2020 Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023A highlight of any Chicago riverboat architecture tour is Mies van der Rohe’s last skyscraper—330 North Wabash, still commonly referred to as the IBM Building. It’s a paragon of the late International Style: a 52-story rectangle of anodized aluminum and bronze glass that is the perfect distillation of corporate might and urban promise. To check into the Langham Chicago, which has occupied the building’s first 13 floors since 2013, is to step into the story the building tells about the American city. You feel like you could be a character in a spy thriller as you pass through the note-perfect midcentury lobby and take the elevator to the elegant second-floor reception area. Everywhere you go, there are encounters to be had with the City of the Century: You’ll ponder the curious curlicues of Marina City, the iconic “corncob” apartment towers next door, over a bowl of scallop ceviche in Travelle, the handsomely brassy New American restaurant, and admire the bold way North Wabash slices diagonally through the urban jungle from the cream-and-taupe comfort of your vast guest room. For the traveler, it’s Chicago’s finest address.
Christian Horan/Courtesy Four Seasons Hotel Chicagohotel4. Four Seasons Hotel Chicago
$$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023Tranquil and refined, the Four Seasons towers over Lake Michigan. The residential-style rooms make you feel like the most luxe of locals, as does the concierge, who are so skilled and accommodating that they may even be able to score those coveted Bears tickets. On floors 30 to 46, rooms have stellar skyline views and suites have doors that separate living from sleeping quarters, but even the smallest rooms have a residential feel with armchairs, matching ottomans, and circular dining tables. Come summer, head up to the 50th floor for the swimming pool and skyline views.
Courtesy Hilton Hotels & Resortshotel3. Waldorf Astoria Chicago
$$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023At this Windy City Waldorf, opulence isn’t just a design feature; it’s an ethos. Pull around the circular, brick-paved drive, where a massive, glimmering chandelier looms large and luminescent behind the front window, and you’ll see what we mean. Crystal baubles crown communal spaces accented with plush velvet couches and glossy black doors. In each of the 215 suites, the style is mod, but subdued: Pale gray rooms with set-in ceilings are sharply contrasted by black and white fixtures throughout—think black granite fireplaces and delicate crown molding—with mirrored end tables and marble bathrooms rounding out the design. Views of Lake Michigan and Downtown are everywhere, and there's a constantly updated calendar of goings-on about town, from Cubs games to Craft Beer Week, and a single call to the concierge will guarantee your spot. For some pre-matinee munchies, check out Bernards Bar, a brassy, leather-bound boîte, for small plates, and custom cocktails.
Courtesy Hilton/Nicholas James Fochtmanhotel2. LondonHouse Chicago, Curio Collection by Hilton
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2023Set in a landmark building where the Magnificent Mile meets the Chicago River, LondonHouse Chicago is all about the views. The gold coffered ceiling of the ground floor lobby makes a stunning first impression, but the best rooms—the Vista rooms—are in a glass addition featuring floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the river and the bridges that vault over it. Dark wood paneling and framed black-and-white photos lend a slightly masculine tone. There's a nightclubby restaurant on the 21st floor, and a rooftop bar with one of the best views in the city is just one more floor up. Buy a glass of Dom Perignon, and you can have the iconic cupola—the topper on the 1923 landmark building, and a popular engagement spot—all to yourself.
hotel1. The Peninsula Chicago
$$$ | Gold List 2018, 2019, 2022 Hot List 2017 Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2023This high-rise hotel might be home to the city’s best-kept secret: a sprawling, 80-foot pool some 19 floors up, with floor-to-ceiling windows and a view you can’t peel your eyes from. You could easily spend all day there in unperturbed bliss—block off a whole day to alternate between spa treatments and dips in the pool. Fortunately, there’s plenty of relaxing to be done in the guest rooms, many of which are more spacious than a Chicago apartment. You know a hotel is at the top of its game when the towels are so plush they feel as though they were woven on-site and there are neatly labeled amenity drawers so you don’t have to pry each one open to find what you’re looking for. Peninsula hotels are known for their intuitive technology (in-room tablets let you control the lights, request housekeeping, and check your flight status). If you’re in need of a good night’s sleep, spend a night at a Peninsula hotel.
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