Waldorf Astoria Chicago

Arriving at Waldorf Astoria is an experience unlike any other hotel in Chicago. Instead of popping out of your car at the curb, you’ll drive past a regal stone gate into a cobblestone courtyard with a porte cochere. It feels like a throwback to the motor courts of 1920s-era Paris hotels, with an uplit fountain and flowerboxes adorning the windows above—while also lending the utmost privacy to guests. Very apropos for Chicago’s Gold Coast, a neighborhood named for its tony townhouses, designer boutiques, and the people who can afford them. If you’d like to indulge, you’ve come to the right place. 

What are the rooms like at Waldorf Astoria Chicago?

The 60-story building has 214 rooms and shares space with the Residences at Waldorf Astoria. My room felt like an opulent apartment in Paris rather than Chicago, with high ceilings, wide crown molding, glossy dressers, and furniture clad in tweeds and velvets. Every detail is luxurious, from the deep soaking tub in the bathroom to the curvy chaise longue beside the bed. Some rooms have wrought iron-trimmed balconies as well as one-button fireplaces, which aren’t just for ambiance—they throw off enough heat to keep cozy on a biting winter evening. By the end of my stay, the only thing I could fathom was lacking was a tiny table on the balcony to rest my champagne glass.

What is the service like at Waldorf Astoria Chicago?

In a word: Attentive. “We’ve been expecting you,” is a common greeting, whether checking in at the front desk or arriving for a reservation at the spa. During turn-down service, staff will draw the bedroom curtains and leave slippers and chocolate at your bedside, along with a Breakfast in Bed menu that you can mark up and hang on your doorknob for room service the next morning. Judson Corrie, assistant director of guest experience and concierge services, emails guests prior to arrival, and his team is standing by to lend a hand with restaurant reservations or booking a ride in the hotel’s house car. If diversions are needed for the littlest guests in your group, toys and board games are available. 

What is the food like at Waldorf Astoria Chicago?

From succulent lobster-topped toast for room-service breakfast to the Kaviari Baeri caviar crowning the deviled eggs at the bar, indulgence continues to be a common thread when it comes to dining here. The hotel’s third-floor bar and restaurant, Brass Tack, is American with a French accent, serving seafood towers, steaks, and plenty of classics ranging from light (the namesake Waldorf salad) to rich (Gruyere-topped French onion soup). Some of the more gastronomy-inspired dishes that deconstructed popular dishes—the caprese salad and banana split for dessert—left me feeling less dazzled than simpler presentations, like the duck breast with barley risotto and heirloom carrots. Bernard’s, the low-lit bar on the second floor, is the place to go to impress a date with high-concept cocktails that arrive under hickory smoke-filled glass cloches or garnished with aromatic bubbles.   

What is the spa, pool and gym like at Waldorf Astoria Chicago?

The Spa at Waldorf Astoria Chicago on the hotel’s fourth floor was recently renovated and debuted a brand-new treatment menu in August 2026. I tried the spa’s signature treatment, Vitality—a full-body massage with hot and cold stones, aromatherapy, Tibetan sound bowls, and guided meditation—and 90 minutes later, I was ready to float right out of the room. My masseuse Emily encouraged me to visit the sauna, steam room, and whirlpool—in that order—and who was I to argue? Head down the hall from the spa to find the well-equipped fitness room, reformer pilates studio, and lap pool.

What is the area like around Waldorf Astoria Chicago?

Whether your chosen vice is jewelry, handbags, wine, gourmet meals, or fast cars, there are plenty of places to satisfy nearby. Luxury watchmakers Piaget, Roger Dubuise, and Jaeger-LeCoultre all have showrooms in the same building, while just about any fashion house you could wish for—French or otherwise—has a storefront nearby on Rush, Oak, or Chestnut streets. To scope out the latest from Lamborghini, Bentley, Bugatti, and Rolls-Royce, head down Rush toward Pearson Street. A few blocks north of the hotel, the bustling dining and nightlife district surrounding three-sided Mariano Park is known by locals as the Viagra Triangle, referring to its once-stereotypical clientele of men of a certain age and means. It’s an outdated nickname, though, really; all types gravitate here to see and be seen in the steakhouse bars and sidewalk cafes lining the streets. 

DETAILS

Address: 11 E. Walton St., Chicago

Price: Starting at $299-$499 depending on the season

Closest transport: 0.5-block walk to State Street buses; 1-block walk to Michigan Avenue buses; 4-block walk to CTA Red Line (Chicago station); 30-minute taxi ride to O’Hare and Midway airports

Book now: via Booking.com

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