I would like to offer the following report on my recent experience at the Ritz-Carlton Chicago. This report is not your typical FT trip report/hotel review as I had my wedding at this hotel. Since I spent my wedding night here, I think my review would be appropriate for this forum.
Background: My fiancée and decided last autumn to get married in Chicago because many of our family members and friends live in the Midwest. We visited the banquet spaces at four hotels: Peninsula, FS, RC, and Park Hyatt. The Peninsula while sparkling and grand did not seem to have as much capacity as the other three hotels and we did not like the banqueting space that was available for our date. The banqueting space at the FS is in need of renovation. We also didn’t like that the space shown to us was so close to the lobby with all the foot traffic. The PH was a beautiful property and my fiancée especially liked the contemporary design. However, we were most impressed with the RC with its beautiful lobby, fountain, and promenade which provide excellent photo opportunities.
We narrowed it down between the PH and the RC. The catering managers at these two properties were especially helpful, friendly, not aggressive. We ultimately chose the RC because the catering manager, Amanda B., really seemed on top of her game. For example, during our initial visit, when we asked if we needed a wedding coordinator, she confidently responded, “You won’t need one. I’ll be your wedding coordinator.” Now that the wedding is over, all I can say is she simply the best.
Everything from the creating the menu, to ceremony planning, to the tasting, to final minutes of the wedding were done with professionalism and class. Amanda really did a fantastic job. A few of our guests were young children. During our reception, we saw Amanda helping out the parents to make sure the children were comfortable and well fed. My fiancée and I just sat there in awe by her incredible efforts.
Our rehearsal dinner was in their renovated restaurant, Deca. Despite our large group of 30 people, the staff delivered service with precision and graciousness. I was so pleased with our rehearsal dinner and the price was very affordable. The 9 layer chocolate cake is excellent, moist yet not overly rich. The general manager came by and warmly greeted us, wishing us the best for the big event the next day. I look forward to coming back to Deca for a normal meal.
Our wedding day went perfectly. The food was fantastic, the décor and room layouts were beautiful, the staff was attentive and friendly. My guests told me after the wedding that the wedding was wondeful and they especially had high praises for the food. The filet mignon was cooked to order and according to guest preference. Mine came out perfectly pink. The wedding cake was so good, some guests asked for seconds. The servers were excellent, allowing our guests to enjoy themselves and be pampered. They had great attention to detail such as asking all of our guests if they wanted freshly ground pepper, or red wine with their filet mignon. Our waiter even asked me if I would prefer a black napkin because I was wearing a black tuxedo! Now that’s service!
The non-banquet staff was also superb including the reception, concierge, room service, housekeeping, and valet. We met Jon the chief concierge and he along with the associate concierges handled matters with aplomb.
For our wedding night, the RC provided us with a Deluxe Lakeside Suite. This was a beautiful room with a beautiful southeast view of Lake Michigan and Navy Pier. The suite had a large living room with seating for 5 people, a dining room with two chairs (though it could accommodate four), one full bathroom, and a guest bathroom. I know that all the rooms have recently been updated but look still feels tasteful and classy. We took home more than a few bottles of L’Occitane. The room is nearly identical to the one luxury had back in November, except that based on the pictures it looks like luxury had a northeast corner suite, while we were in a southeast corner suite. uclabruin82 makes a good point about facing the lake and the sunrise which made our living room quite warm in the early morning.
The staff brought up to our suite a bottle of the sparkling wine that was served at our reception, a plate of strawberries, and two slices of our wedding cake. My new bride and I were so touched.
The RC really made us and our guests feel special. We are by no means wealthy and our wedding was not large or expensive at all. In fact, we were told that a wedding that was planned for the same day with a budget that was based on my estimate at least 6 times as ours was cancelled on short notice. This hotel really went above and beyond our expectations.
I know that this report is rather unusual for this forum, but if you are thinking about holding a meeting/event at a hotel in Chicago, I highly recommend the RC. I’m looking forward to spending my 1st year anniversary here next year.