My husband and I stayed at the Peninsula Chicago over the New Year's weekend. The hotel is elegantly decorated and the service was excellent. I was a little disapointed with the food. We had afternoon tea on New Year's Eve and felt the food could have been a little better. It lacked freshness ever so slightly. Okay, so I'm comparing the food to my tea experience at Claridges in London in October 2005. I would still recommend the hotel.

Stayed at the Peninsula for one night in late December, and had an absolutely wonderful experience.

From the first contact with the staff to the last, everything was flawless. A request for a high floor, even though I was paying a discount rate? "Certainly sir, how about a room on our 18th (top floor) overlooking Michigan Avenue." OK! 15 minutes later, housekeeping wants to confirm the age of our daughter to get the appropriate robe and slipper size. An hour later, room service is knocking (or, ringing the doorbell, rather) to deliver a complimentary welcome gift; a tray of fresh chocolate chip cookies, a bottle of coke, gummy bears and jello -- all for the kids. (Rooms without children seemed to be receiving a tray of dried fruits and nuts, which also looked very good). Upon checkout, which took all of about 30 seconds, the clerk was efficient and friendly, while also acting warm and sincere.

Physically, the hotel is gorgeous, and impecabbly clean. Our double bedded room was large with a nice seating area, comfortable desk, and a nice little hallway between the bathroom and bedroom. Molton Brown amenities and super-soft towels completed the experience. In the bedroom, bed sheets were soft and luxurious, although I must admit, the bed wasn't as good as some in lower-class properties, although it was still comfortable.

The Spa is a must on the upper two levels of the hotel, with great locker rooms, a cool pool, fitness room, and a great selection of teas, coffee, citrus water and fruits in between.

The conceirge staff effortlessly handled our questions and gave great recommendations for breakfast. When I called down for directions to a theater, they had it drawn out in minutes.

But, thinking back on the experience, it all goes back to the staff, which truly made the trip. Every member of the hotel made an effort to greet us in the hall, and all seemed to care about their jobs, delivering service that was super-professional, but also not snotty.

Needless to say, I can't wait to go back.

The Peninsula was clearly a very nice 5 star hotel. But I was hoping that for the price, it would be the best in town. I have also stayed at the Four Seasons and the Park Hyatt. I think the Park Hyatt is a little more hip, more of a place to take your spouse on a romantic, urban weekend. The Four Seasons is superior in terms of service. I had some difficulty with the concierge at the Peninsula. Nothing major, but despite a request and an assurance of an early check-in, we had to wait a couple of hours to check into our room, which was especially inconvenient since we were traveling with our 2 year old son. Also, there was a mix up with dinner reservations that were not confirmed. I also purchased a special package for our son the "Peninsula Kids" or something. It included a backpack and some goodies for kids. The backpack was so cheap we left it in the room and I would not recommend it. It would be better to just order room service treats for the kiddos. The good news? The hotel was very accomodating to children. The babysitter service was wonderful. And the room service menu was excellent. They had a huge menu for children, which was wonderful. The rest of the food was good, but insanely expensive. I usually don't bat an eye at expensive food, but it was pricey, even by my standards. The bathrooms were awesome, with the flat screen television in the tub. Next time, I will probably stay at the Four Seasons again.

We stayed at this hotel from 21-25 November with our children, ages 4 & 6. Since many of the reviews touch on the beauty of the hotel which is as beautiful as everyone says, I'll gear my review towards those traveling with small children and trying to decide if this hotel is a good fit.
1. Location. The Peninsula was perfectly situated for all our excursions to the various museums around town since it's a block from Watertower, the Disney store on Michigan, a couple blocks from Lake Shore Drive and about 2 blocks from the "El" elevated trains/subway. The American Girl store is on the same block around the corner and the Hershey Store and Girardelli were just a few steps more. Plenty of shopping for everyone on Michigan Ave.
2. Staff. Everyone was friendly to us and our children. The staff of Avenues was fantastic. Those on the Lobby Restaurant were hit or miss.
3. Restaurants/Food. The Children's Afternoon Tea in the Lobby was yummy with mini hamburgers, PB & J, & ham and cheese in addition to the sweets and a pot of hot chocolate. Pierre Gourmet, the French Cafe just outside the main entrance, was perfect for breakfast (and probably for lunch). The staff and friendly and attentive to us and our children. Room service did well by us when we ordered dessert for the family one evening. Everything arrived on time and was as ordered. The hotel does have a children's menu at the Lobby and Avenues but the selection is somewhat limited.
4. Pool. There are three swimming lanes and a hot tub on the 19th floor. There were a few swimmers swimming laps while we were there who were politely tolerant of the 10+ children in the area. While not ideal for children or those who are swimming laps for that matter, it might make a good 30 minute diversion.
5. Pen Kids Package. We researched the various packages at the Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton before picking the Peninsula. The most kid friendly package was at the Ritz Carlton and it provided the most value for the $. If you choose the Peninsula, I would go with the standard room rate or the American Girl package and spend the additional $60+/per night from the Pen Kids Package elsewhere. With the package, the kids got a nice welcome snack, Pen Kids multi-color backpacks, a signature bear (who can't keep it's pants on), crayons and some coloring paper. We also received two coupons (one for ice cream at Bloomingdale's and children's admission to the Children's Museum at Navy Pier). A better investment is to buy a family membership at your local ASTC museum which had reciprocity at a number of museums in Chicago (Museum of Science & Industry, Children's Museum and Field Museum, to name only a few).
6. Room. Our bathroom was a nice extension of the main room. Whenever we were there, the kids wanted to take a bath and watch cartoons. This came in handy if one of the kids wanted to nap or as a diversion if one woke up before the other in the morning.
7. We also took advantage of the Thanksgiving buffet offered by the hotel. The food came from all three restaurants and exceeded our expectations. The hotel had also created a separate kids area with movies, playstation, and crafts that our kids enjoyed. The only negative were the $18 mimosas we ordered with the meal but thought were included with the buffet.
All in all the Peninsula is a wonderful hotel, in a great location. It is clear that the chain is trying to cater to families - the kids room during the buffet was a good example of this.