Excellent service makes up for the dated design
The Ritz certainly has an incredible location! It was a tranquil escape from the crazy throngs of people over St. Patrick's Day weekend. We had two adjoining suites with friends which was very convenient. The service was impeccable. The concierge was particularly helpful and efficient. The staff was very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. The restaurant had wonderful food and terrific service. The only issue with service was there was no evening turndown service which is a cardinal sin at a Four Seasons!
The only weakness of the hotel was the suite itself. The huge windows brought in a great deal of light which was wonderful. It was also very well maintained and spacious. That is where the superlatives for the room end. This Four Seasons could be renamed the Four Decades. The wallpaper was from the 1960['s (at least the style) and I swear it came from my grandparent's wallpaper and paint store. The curtains were from the 1970's and had to come from my great aunt's Florida condo. The furnishings were from the 1980's and the bathroom was from the 1990's. The bathroom had a shower/tube combination with a shower curtain. (Yes, a Four Seasons bathroom had a shower curtain!) YUCK! Except for the carpet and the flat screen TV's, there was no hint of anything contemporary in the room. The Four Seasons Chicago caters to well paid businessmen and rich housewives who either don’t care in the case of the former or decorate their 1980 McMansions in the same manner in the case of the latter, so most people will have no issue with the decor.
The gym was very large, air conditioned and had a good deal of high quality equipment. The access to Water Tower Place was very convenient. You cannot find a better location in Chicago as it is centrally located along the Magnificent Mile. Be prepared to pay a whopping parking fee of $52/night. A garage adjacent to the hotel has parking for $28/night but it fills up quickly! We were very fortunate to snag the complimentary hotel limo to take us up to North Halsted for a show.
We got a decent deal on the hotel and have no regrets. This hotel is stuffy, pretentious and dated (despite the "refreshing" designed by my grandmother's Bridge club), but it does have top notch service, a great location and is obviously well maintained with quality materials.