From family-friendly welcomes to the allure of an acclaimed, contemporary restaurant, The Ritz-Carlton Chicago is a world of timeless luxury finely attuned to the art of recreation ? atop the prestigious shops of Water Tower Place. The Ritz-Carlton Chicago, on the city?s Magnificent Mile, offers 435 richly appointed guest rooms, including 91 suites, on the 15th through 30th floors of Water Tower Place. All guest rooms and suites feature extra large picture windows that showcase stunning views of this world-class city. Moderate Rooms include a comfortable sitting area, a cherrywood desk and one king or two twin beds. More expansive Superior Rooms and Deluxe Rooms offer the same luxurious amenities from higher floors of the Hotel. At select corners of the Hotel, Four Seasons Executive Suites offer the added privacy of the bedroom being secluded from the living room by elegant French doors. Savour the distinctive style of Executive Chef Kevin Hickey?s award-winning Modern American cuisine, and experience The Dining Room?s inviting setting of quiet luxury, complemented by the most attentive service. Hickey?s ever-evolving menu features ethnically-inspired, refined home cooking, infused with bold flavours and the freshest local and seasonal products. The extensive wine collection, which has won the Grand Award by Wine Spectator since 1982, offers more than 650 selections, with a particular emphasis on Bordeaux, Burgundy and California boutique wines. The Dining Room is also an elegant alternative for hosting private breakfasts and lunches.The exclusive Spa at The Carlton Club is an oasis of renewal. The indoor heated lap pool is 18 feet (5.5 metres) wide, 52 feet (16 metres) long and consists of four lanes.

At the doorstep of some of the world's best shopping, dining, culture and entertainment, with indoor access to exclusive 900 North Michigan Avenue, Four Seasons reflects the comfort and decorum of a skytop mansion ? with award-winning cuisine and acclaimed service. Four Seasons Hotel Chicago offers 343 elegant guest rooms, just steps away from the fashionable Michigan Avenue shopping district. All guest accommodations feature spectacular views of Lake Michigan or the Chicago skyline from the 32nd to 46th floors of the tower. Comfortably appointed Moderate Rooms, located throughout the Hotel, offer a cosy sitting area, one king bed or two twin beds and a writing desk. Similarly sized Superior Rooms feature enhanced views of the city and the lake. More spacious Deluxe Rooms take advantage of spectacular views with large windows in the seating area. Situated throughout the Hotel, spacious Four Seasons Executive Suites offer privacy and comfort with the addition of a living room separated from the bedroom by elegant French doors. Enjoy extraordinarily creative cuisine in Seasons as Executive Chef Sulatycky introduces a taste of France into his North American cuisine. At its core, his cooking shows a deep respect for the ingredients, which to Sulatycky means shopping the world for the highest quality products and celebrating their natural form and essential flavours on the palate. Seasons is as opulent a dining room as you will find in the city, with mahogany furnishings, a gaily flowered carpet, brocade armchairs and fresh-cut flowers. Through the foyer, with its grand marble fountain, is a comfortable lounge that is popular for afternoon tea or evening cocktails accompanied by the relaxing sounds of the piano. The seventh-floor location affords a grand view of Chicago's sweeping avenues.Relax while swimming laps in this picturesque pool. Surrounded by Roman-style columns and covered with a domed glass ceiling, you'll feel like you're floating in luxury.

Set in the heart of the 'Magnificent Mile', The Peninsula Chicago is ideally situated near all of the city's key attractions, businesses and entertainment. On the doorstep of Chicago's Lake Michigan and Michigan Avenue, the hotel is located in the center of the city's most exclusive shops and steps from the historic Water Tower. The Peninsula Chicago is located 13 miles from Chicago Midway Airport and 17 miles from Chicago O'Hare International Airport. The Peninsula Chicago offers 9,000 sq ft of versatile meeting and event space, providing the flexibility for every type of event from intimate meetings to lavish galas. The Grand Ballroom can accommodate up to 550 guests in a variety of configurations. Five additional function rooms and a boardroom with a plasma flat screen television and a fully equipped business center with offices and computer stations are also available for rental. Several fine dining options are available Avenues serves contemporary cuisine from an exhibition kitchen, and was recently awarded perfect scores from each of Chicago's major publications in 2005, a distinction held by only two restaurants in the city. A fully-equipped spa and exercise facility with panoramic city views is located at the top of the hotel. The Peninsula Chicago off 339 luxurious and spacious guestrooms and suites furnished in a magnificent classical style, including the 3,000 square foot Peninsula Suite. Each guestroom and suite is equipped with a state-of-the-art electronic system that allows guests to control guestroom features with the touch of a button. All guestrooms and suites feature marble bathrooms with separate shower, a deep soaking tub with a television above the tub, and hands-free telephone. Also included are an oversized executive desk with silent fax machine, data port and complimentary network and wireless high-speed Internet access.

Business travelers and hipster vacationers appreciate the professional service and array of choices for mingling and relaxing such as the 33rd-floor Whiskey Sky Bar and the first-floor Wave Restaurant and Bar. The W Hotel's lobby offers comfortable lounging areas with a mirror-tiled waterfall behind the zig-zag marble reception desk, fresh flower and wheat-grass arrangments in white vases, carved-wood chairs, leather sofas and ottomans, wood floors, natural light, and ambient music.

This 12-story, completely non-smoking Westin is a favorite with corporate travelers, who appreciate the location, business and recreational facilities, and famously comfortable bedding. The marble lobby is an inviting space with a soothing waterfall, grouped leather seating, Benchmark restaurant, coffee shop, and sunken bar with plasma-screen TV.

Faux Greek columns set the stage for the eclectic decor of the Hotel Monaco's lobby, which is furnished with a fireplace and brushed-velvet couches piled with pillows. Returning guests are often addressed by name, and new guests complete a preference card that makes their next stay more personalized.

A two-story, glass-atrium lobby provides comfortable seating amidst trees, flowers, and a reflecting pool. Located within four blocks of Magnificent Mile shopping, Lake Michigan, and the Loop business and theater districts, the 36-story Hyatt Regency Chicago attracts business and leisure travelers. Extensive on-site meeting and event space makes it popular with conventioneers as well.

Potted topiaries mark the entrance to this fanciful 10-floor Renaissance. The lobby's playful, chess-themed decor includes wooden chess tables. Across from the reservation desk, its corporate clientele sips wine in the library nook, which is decorated with a Lucite chessboard and overstuffed chairs. On weekends, leisure guests sink into high-backed banquette seating before a roaring fire in the lobby bar.

• This smoke-free hotel is located downtown, 1 block from both the Magnificent Mile and Lake Michigan.
• Raffaello Hotel beds have 340-thread-count linens and down comforters. The guestrooms have kitchenettes and sofa beds.
• Guests can take advantage of the conference facilities on site. The business center offers video web conferencing.

The hotel’s emphasis on privacy is especially attractive to business travelers and VIPs. The third-floor lobby has high ceilings, antique reproductions, Art-Deco chandeliers, and plenty of couches and chairs for chatting and planning the business of the day.