Chicago is a landmark city that is home to many landmark hotels including The Drake Hotel. If you love history, Chicago’s hotels offer a view of the city’s past that you won’t find at a museum. The Drake Hotel, for example, has hosted British and Hollywood royalty alike including Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Phillip, The Duke of Edinburgh, King Charles III and Diana, The Princess of Wales. Stars from Tinseltown and notable politicians that have made the hotel their overnight home include Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Walt Disney, Elizabeth Taylor, Julia Roberts, Eleanor Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan and Winston Churchill to name just a few.
I recently had a chance to stay at The Drake Hotel in The Churchill Suite. The landmark hotel, founded in 1920, was designed in Italian Renaissance style and is located at the top of Chicago’s most well known strip – The Magnificent Mile.
Let’s take a closer look at The Drake Hotel in our latest “A Room With a View”.
The Drake Hotel: The Details
Address: 140 East Walton Place, Chicago, IL, 60611
Phone: 312.787.2200
Instagram: @thedrakechicago
Website: thedrakehotel.com
On-Site Amenities: Wifi, fitness centre, restaurants on-site, boutique shopping on-site and paid parking on-site.
The Location
The Drake Hotel’s location couldn’t be better. It bridges the Magnificent Mile and the tony Gold Coast area of Chicago. You are steps away from the Oak Street Beach. It is easy to walk to some of Chicago’s biggest attractions and you can also access Ubers, taxis and transit.
The Room
The Drake Hotel has 535 guest rooms and 74 suites. Staying in the Churchill Suite was an unbelievable experience, but I also toured the standard guest rooms to ensure that they were well appointed and no surprise, they are. The standard rooms will still make you feel spoiled.
The Churchill Suite was impressive both in scale and the history of the suite. The suite featured saturated colours, a large entryway with a credenza and chairs, a large bathroom including a bath and separate stall shower, an enormous living room/dining room/boardroom/desk, a comfortable sleeping area, and more. If you are staying in the Churchill Suite, take the time to look around. You’ll see a painting of the man himself as well as antiques under lock and key in a stately armoire including his autobiographies.
The View
The Churchill Suite has a beautiful view of Lake Michigan, Lakefront Park and the Oak Street Beach. It was just spectacular and by far, the best view I have had in the four times that I have been in Chicago. As beautiful as the architecture in the city is, when you are constantly in the thick of it, sometimes you crave a more serene view.
Final Thoughts
The Drake Hotel is ideal for:
- Weddings – the hotel has some of the most beautiful event spaces that I’ve ever seen
- The avid tourist who likes to be walking distance to many attractions
- The history buff – there is so much history at The Drake Hotel that it’s worth a visit even if you aren’t staying at the hotel
- Girl’s Weekends – the hotel serves a renowned high tea, so pack your fascinators
The only caveat that I do have are for people that love a modern hotel. The Drake Hotel embraces it’s history. If you are looking for sleek design, modern architecture, fusion menus and a roof top bar, this isn’t the right fit for you. There are plenty of options for you in the Windy City.
The Drake Hotel is an experience, but what made my visit so special were the people that worked there. They made me feel so welcome and were so helpful. It is rare to get that of personal care – and I observed how the staff treated all guests and it was with the same warmth that I received. In the past, the hotel has been named one of the top hotels in Chicago – the accolades were well-deserved.
Although there is great food available at the hotel, there is too much history at these restaurants to include in a standard hotel review. We will take a closer look at the history of The Drake Hotel in a future article including a mini-tour of the Princess Diana suite.
*Hosted for review purposes – opinions are our own.
