Hidden Relaxing Jewel of a Spa Resort Hotel in the Heart of Chicago
It was a total surprise. With a life so busy we had no time to even plan an anniversary get-away, we left it to chance. How about trying for the lottery to win Hamilton tickets? With prices starting at 400-500 per person up to over 1000 per seat, we figured we could take a cruise for a week for that amount. Lottery tickets if won were only $10. per person. There were three chances of winning between Friday night and Saturday night. We decided to stay in Chicago so that in case we got tickets we were right there.
We had no reservations and had doubts to find any hotel in Chicago. Checking out an online hotel service where they had last minute deals, we saw a list of about eight hotels. If we were going to make a weekend out of it, what our busy lives screamed out for the most was a place to unwind, have peace and tranquility, enjoy an indoor pool, sauna, and co-ed hot tub and relaxation area. Looking at the website photos and reading the description one appealed to me–the Swissotel offered all four–pool, sauna, and co-ed hot tub and relaxation area. And the location was right on Lake Michigan and the Chicago River with lake and river views. Never having stayed there before, we thought we’d give it a try.
What we experienced at the Swissotel Chicago was an anniverary stay to remember, beyond our imagination.
When we were checked in and mentioned it was our anniversary, the person at the front desk looked through his computer and said, “Would you like a room with one of our best views where you see Lake Michigan on one side and the Chicago river on the other?” With a quick yes, he punched out our room key and said, “I think you’ll like this room.”
When we opened the door to our room, in unison we let out an “Oh, my goodness.” We were not just given us a room with a view, he had given us an entire suite with a panoramic view of Lake Michigan including Navy Pier. The dining room, desk area and living room went on forever each with windows overlooking the lake. At the far end of the living room was another set of windows and a separate bedroom both overlooking the river and the Chicago cityscape view. The separate bedroom had a generous-size bathroom. There was even a bathroom off the dining room with its own window overlooking the lake. We thought we were getting a regular king guestroom,yet for our anniversary, the person at the front desk had given us a suite with views on two sides!
But there was more to come. A few hours later, when returning from enjoying the hot tub, sauna, and relaxation lounge with soft spa music and a view overlooking the lake another surprise awaited us. An iced bucket of Martinelli”s sparkling non-alcoholic bubbly and a desert was waiting in our room, with a note from the front desk staff, wishing us happy anniversary. That sweet gesture from the person at the front desk who did not know us before and from whom we made no requests added to the celebration. This was another example of taking customer service to a whole other level. He didn’t have to do that. He has thousands of guests checking in and out weekly. But just taking that one moment to do something nice for someone else, as if he would want that done for him, made our day and anniversary something to remember.
But that was still not all! We were only going to check in for one night. But we had not yet won the Hamilton lottery tickets and were going to try again for the Saturday matinee and evening performances, and the thought of checking out and driving around the city to find something to do while waiting to hear if we won was overwhelming. We just wanted to relax. We knew the special suite was for one night. But when we called the front desk and asked to see about just a regular room for one more night–she told us we could stay in the same suite for another night for the same incredible rate so we didn’t have to move out and move back in to another room. The decor was so modern, comfortable, and beautifully designed, with a large screen TV and L-shaped comfy couch, we decided that when we did not get the Hamilton tickets we didn’t even want to leave the suite to go out. We wanted to just stay in, watch a movie on TV, order dinner to our room, and relax there.
Again, another surprise. The hotel restaurant offered a gourmet vegetarian and vegan meal wish a dish that is hard to find made without eggs–eggless spinach ravioli and truffle mac and cheese. Most restaurants only offer ravioli made with eggs, but they had an egg-free one, with the most tasty fresh tomato sauce. What an amazing anniversary dinner.
Still another surprise. At 10:30 pm there were fireworks over Lake Michigan. From our couch we could look out the expansive windows and see the entire fireworks show at Navy Pier right in front of us. What better display could the universe give us for our anniversary!
But there was still more. We received another greeting card from the staff hoping we were enjoying our stay and a special coupon for a free breakfast in the hotel. They did not have to do that, but it was another added touch that added to our celebration.
We had no idea the level of customer service offered by the Swissotel, but no it is a new spa hotel to add to my Ricki’s List guide to one of the best, most relaxing spa hotel health and wellness travel vacations with superb customer service.