.
This Review of the Ritz-Carlton Chicago Club Lounge is from our recent stay at this luxury hotel on the Magnificent Mile, at Water Tower Place.
Ritz-Carlton Chicago Club Lounge Location, Hours, and Culinary Presentations
The Club Lounge is located on the 15th floor, and accessible to guests who have reserved a Club Lounge room or suite (note that not all suites offer Club Lounge access; double check the suite description).
The Club Lounge is open Tuesdays-Saturdays 7am-10pm, Sundays 7-11:30am, and Mondays 4-10pm, so avoid Sunday evening stays if you value Club Lounge amenities. Note that up to two adults and up to two children under age 12 are included in the Club Level room or suite rate; an additional charge ($100 per guest per day at time of writing) applies for additional guests.
Food & Beverage presentations are:
- Breakfast: 7-11am
- Lunch: 12noon-2pm
- Afternoon Tea: 2:30-4:30pm
- Hors d'oeuvres & Cocktails: 5-7:30pm
- Evening Desserts & Cordials: 8-9pm
.
The lounge, which is 2600 square feet, wasn't overly crowded during our visits; we easily found seating.
.
Ritz-Carlton Chicago Club Lounge Dining
We arrived in the late afternoon on a Saturday, but had arranged in advance for some of the afternoon tea treats to be saved for us. Initially, however, when we asked about them, we got blank looks, so clearly not all Club Lounge staff had been informed. We were finally able to find someone familiar with our request, who brought out the afternoon tea sandwiches, as well as some sandwiches from the lunch service. The lunch sandwiches were very lackluster, but the afternoon tea sandwiches were prettily plated, with edible flowers, and the smoked salmon on rye and hard boiled egg tartlets were tasty.
.
Evening hors d'oeuvres were better, with a giant sushi boat the highlight. The salmon and unagi nigiri and the shrimp tempura maki were the highlight for me.
.
There were also some salads, including one with shrimp that was especially good.
.
There was also a hot buffet of Chinese take-out-style dishes that didn't look very appetizing.
.
Wines are available in various pour amounts via dispensers:
.
Desserts (some strawberry cream tarts, pistachio financiers, and mocha mini cupcakes) looked nice enough, but weren't that great, I wouldn't save room for them.
.
Fortunately, due to an allergy, the Club Lounge team had saved a couple special desserts for us: a tiramisu, and passion fruit and mango sorbet. These were much better, and were so generously sized that we couldn't finish them.
.
For breakfast, I was impressed to see fresh berries (so often, in the age of cutbacks, berries are some of the first things to be eliminated) as well as sliced pineapple and melon. There was also granola, and in the chilled cases under the buffet, Chobani yogurt.
.
We were also happy to see plenty of smoked salmon with accompaniments, and bagels, since a toasted bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese is one of our favorite savory breakfasts.
.
The hot buffet featured the expected scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and breakfast potatoes.
.
Since our visit coincided with the Chicago marathon, there were also smoothie shots near the entrance, bananas, energy bars, and energy drinks.
.
There were espresso drink machines, but I preferred the Palais de Thes teas on offer.
.
STARS Benefits
TravelSort Clients enjoy STARS benefits at the Ritz-Carlton Chicago:
- Priority for a room upgrade, based on availability at check-in
- Welcome amenity
- Daily breakfast for two (up to $60 credit) for use at Torali Restaurant or via in-room dining
- $100 hotel credit once during the stay (may be used at Torali Restaurant, The Cafe, for in-room dining, or spa services)
- Early check-in and late check-out, based on availability
.
The Verdict
Despite the initial communication snafu, most of our experience in the Ritz-Carlton Chicago's Club Lounge was excellent. There was ample seating, and highlights were the evening sushi, tiramisu, Palais des Thes teas, smoothie shots, and berries and pineapple at breakfast. Don't expect super gourmet food; while the dessert bites were pretty, I didn't find them to be very good; lunch sandwiches were akin to what you'd find at a cheap supermarket, and parts of the sorbets were icy. But staff were all friendly and professional, which we appreciated.
Recommended Posts
Top 15 Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis STARS Offers, 2025
Nekajui, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve Opens March 2025
If you enjoyed this, join 200,000+ readers: follow TravelSort on Twitter or like us on Facebook to be alerted to new posts.
Subscribe to TravelSort on YouTube for travel inspiration.
Become a TravelSort Client and Book 5-Star Hotels with Virtuoso or Four Seasons Preferred Partner Benefits