This hotel is a true urban retreat with an award-winning spa, a gorgeous pool, and views of an iconic city
The Langham, Chicago, rose above the Chicago River, its windows glimmering in the sunlight. 'Wow,' mouthed my cousin. Before I could respond, a bellman welcomed us, offering to assist with our luggage. We were there for a mini-vacation, and judging by the lobby, we'd picked the right hotel.
The hotel occupies thirteen floors of a skyscraper featuring aluminum and bronze-tinted glass, designed by the famed architect Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe. The lobby is situated on the second floor, and hand-blown glass pebbles dangle elegantly from above, evoking the appearance of colorful constellations. Elsewhere, a beaded frieze plunges from the soaring ceiling, forming a shimmering metallic wall. In all, there are over 140 artworks gracing The Langham, Chicago, transforming something as simple as checking in or walking the halls into a remarkable experience.
The first Langham Hotel opened in London in 1865, and since then, the brand has been synonymous with luxury. The Langham, Chicago, opened in 2013, introducing refined English traditions, such as afternoon tea, to a uniquely Chicago property.
At 1,230 square feet, our one-bedroom Lakeview Suite was the size of a small condo. A doorway off the entry led to a powder room, a thoughtful touch if you're entertaining guests or traveling with another party. In the living room, the corner location allowed floor-to-ceiling windows to showcase views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago River. At night, the city glitters like stars, and the automatic drapes close with the touch of a button.
Furnishings in the Lakeview Suite are low profile and inspired by a mid-century modern aesthetic. The decor is minimal yet elegant, allowing the views to take center stage. Hardwood floors gave the space a clean, fresh look.
The bedroom featured a king-sized bed and a spacious closet with ample storage space, including cupboards and shelves. A Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe-inspired lounger by the window provides a sophisticated place to read.
The marble bathroom was truly a work of art with a large soaking tub, a separate walk-in shower, and thoughtful touches like DIPYTQUE bath amenities, heated mirrors, and towel warmers.
Even if you don't book a suite, standard accommodations provide more than enough space to spread out, with deluxe rooms offering a generous 516 square feet.
Travelle's breakfast and lunch menu serves American cuisine prepared with fresh, seasonal ingredients. Recommended breakfast dishes include an avocado and heirloom toast with seeded sourdough, poached eggs, and radishes. Lunch options range from smash burgers to wild onion pesto pasta. Saturday and Sunday brunch is a treat, featuring options like chicken and waffles or panzanella with burrata.
Dinner is served with a view of the river in the Travelle Lounge. The furnishings incorporate leather and supple textiles, while the walls are adorned with dramatic mirrored tiles that reflect the city lights. It's an alluring space, and we ordered a second round of drinks to bask in it a little longer.
Like the hotel itself, the Travelle Lounge cocktail list is inspired by art, frequently incorporating fresh herbs, flowers, or theatrical elements, such as foam bubbles. The menu at features light snacks, such as truffle fries or oysters on the half shell, as well as larger plates, like steak and pan-seared halibut.
Afternoon tea is served at Pavilion on Saturday and Sunday. It's everything you'd want in a hotel tracing its roots back to England, with petite scones, cakes, and dainty sandwiches served on a tiered platter with pots of Langham's proprietary teas.
The hotel's highest floor is home to The Langham Club Lounge, with robust complimentary offerings available to guests in club rooms or who pay a $160 per person fee. Like our suite, the lounge was situated on a corner, affording incredible views of the river and lake. The space is elegant and warm, with warm gas fireplaces and comfortable sofas and chairs.
The Langham Club Lounge offerings include a daily breakfast, light snacks, an afternoon tea spread, and evening cocktails and canapes. During our visit, the chefs got playful in the evening, adding iconic dishes like Chicago-style hot dogs and deep dish pizza to the buffet. The service was excellent, and we observed most guests being greeted by name after their first visit.
The treatments and therapies at the Forbes Four-Star rated Chuan Spa are rooted in Chinese rituals and medicine, guided by the elements of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Guests are handed a questionnaire to determine which element will be most beneficial to include in the products used in their session. The spa menu recognizes that no two bodies are alike, offering treatments tailored to expectant mothers, customized back massages, a diverse range of facials, and even acupuncture.
Don't rush out of the facilities after your session. The Chuan Spa facilities are worthy of an entire afternoon, and they're open to hotel guests, even if they don't book a treatment. We moved between a fresh herbal sauna, a Himalayan sauna, and an oriental steam room before rinsing off in a cold aromatherapy shower and relaxing on a stone lounger.
Adjacent to the spa, the fitness studio is sleek and modern, featuring state-of-the-art equipment and a roster of wellness programs, including yoga classes, Pilates, and sound meditation. At the end of the hall, an indoor pool sparkles underneath a sky of twinkling blue lights. At the far end, a steaming hydrotherapy tub is ready to soothe aching muscles.
How to get the most bang for your buck
The hotel's loyalty program is Brilliant by Langham. It's free to join. Benefits include special rates for Brilliant members and dining discounts. As you earn points and move up the ladder, benefits include room upgrade vouchers, invitations to special events, early check-in, and late check-out.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Reviewing Trump's second travel ban and national security concerns
President Donald Trump on Wednesday brought back a piece of his first administration, announcing a travel ban on citizens from 12 countries and restrictions on people from seven others. Trump signed a proclamation that banned individuals from those countries from entering the United States come Monday at 12:01 a.m. The ban will affect Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. The seven restricted countries include Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. In his announcement, Trump cited national security concerns. He said in a video that the recent attack in Boulder, Colorado, underscored the 'extreme dangers' posed by people who overstay their visas. The suspect in Colorado is from Egypt, which is not one of the countries included in Trump's new travel ban. 'In the 21st Century, we've seen one terror attack after another carried out by foreign visa overstayers from dangerous places all over the world, and thanks to Biden's open door policies, today, there are millions and millions of these illegals who should not be in our country,' Trump said. 'In my first term, my powerful travel restrictions were one of our most successful policies and they were a key part of preventing major foreign terror attacks on American soil.' He said more countries could be added to the list if threats arise later on. Trump signed an executive order on Inauguration Day that signaled he had plans for a new travel ban. The order instructed the State Department to identify countries with inadequate vetting and screening processes. A draft list was reviewed by The New York Times in March, but it showed the administration was considering restrictions for many more countries than the ones included in Wednesday's proclamation. In his video, Trump said he directed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to review 'high-risk regions' and to make recommendations for restrictions. The State Department examined national security threats, countries that had a 'large-scale presence' of terrorists, a failure to cooperate for visa security, difficulty verifying traveler identity and countries that had high rates of visa overstays, Trump said. 'Very simply, we cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen those who seek to enter the United States,' he said. This policy is similar to the previous travel ban under Trump's first administration, as it seeks to curb migration from a specific country. The original list included Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. This time, Trump is also likely to face less legal challenges, experts told the Times, likely due to the delay in the ban beginning and the variation of countries impacted. The original travel ban, often referred to as the 'Muslim ban,' was sharply criticized, but the Trump administration insisted it was in place for national security reasons and not on anti-Muslim grounds. In his proclamation Wednesday, Trump said he must protect the national security and national interest of the United States and its citizens. While Trump cited the recent attack in Boulder, deemed by authorities to be an antisemitic terror attack, Egypt, the suspect's home country, is not on the list. The current list of impacted countries could change in the future, if governments work with the U.S., the announcement said. He said he is committed to engaging with the impacted countries that are willing to cooperate and improve 'information-sharing and identify-management procedures,' as well as address terrorism and public safety risks. 'Some of the countries with inadequacies face significant challenges to reform efforts. Others have made important improvements to their protocols and procedures, and I commend them for these efforts,' the proclamation said. 'But until countries with identified inadequacies address them, members of my Cabinet have recommended certain conditional restrictions and limitations.' While Trump did not entirely outline his reasoning for all of the bans, citing 'serious damage to the national security' of the U.S. if he released it, he shared a bit about why the restrictions were going into effect. For example, Afghanistan's ban cited the Taliban as a designated global terrorist group and its lack of 'competent or cooperative central authority' for issuing passports and security screening. Burma is on the list because it has a high rate of visa overstays in the U.S., and Haiti poses national security concerns to the U.S. because of its visa overstay rate and criminal network establishment. The inclusion of Afghanistan on the banned list angered supporters who have worked to resettle people, the AP reported. However, the proclamation makes certain exceptions, including for Afghan Special Immigrant Visas, which are given to individuals who have worked closely with the U.S. during the war. Other exceptions include adoptions, visas for ethnic and religious minorities being persecuted in Iran, athletes or members of athletic teams traveling for the World Cup, Olympics or other major sporting events, and immediate family immigrant visas, among others.
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
Thinking of getting away? A new direct flight debuts at Miami airport
Have the storms and flooding the first few days of hurricane season got you thinking of heading out of town? You may want to get over to MIA, pronto. American Airlines debuts a nonstop flight to Rome on Thursday. American Airlines' first nonstop flight between Miami International Airport and Rome's Fiumicino Airport is scheduled to depart MIA at 7:45 p.m. June 5. The roughly 10-hour trip will be aboard a Boeing 777-200 aircraft. The airline will run daily service. The flight was originally planned to start in July, but increased demand pushed up the date. Miami to Europe Rome becomes the fifth city in Europe with direct flights with MIA on American Airlines. The others are Madrid, Barcelona, Paris and London. The flight to Charles de Gaulle Airport operates during the winter. 'We are strengthening our service to Europe,' Juan Carlos Liscano, the airline's vice president of MIA operations, said in an email to the Miami Herald. Other carriers fly between MIA and Italy. British Airways and Lufthansa have direct flights to Rome although not every day. Condor has service four times a week. American Airlines and MIA As MIA's largest airline, American is betting on the airport's continued growth. 'American Airlines continues to double down on Miami,' Liscano said. The carrier, which says it has about 15,000 employees based at MIA, is flying its largest summer schedule ever out of Florida's second busiest airport, and for the second straight year. Between May 16 and Sept. 2, American will operate more than 37,200 flights from MIA, about 336 per day. That's an increase of 3% in flights compared to the same period in 2024. The number of flights is also expected to grow next year with American the official North American Supplier of the FIFA World Cup and with Miami is one of the host cities. Other locales seeing more flight frequency from MIA on American this summer include: ▪ Chicago O'Hare: 8 flights daily, up from 7 daily ▪ Las Vegas: 4 flights daily, up from 3 ▪ Montego Bay: 3 flights daily, up from 2 ▪ Charleston: 3 flights daily, up from 2 ▪ Los Angeles: 8 flights daily, up from 7 ▪ New York La Guardia: 10 flights daily, up from 9 American is also adding new year-round service to Salt Lake City. And if you're looking to stay closer to home, American will start service from MIA to Sarasota-Bradenton in November.
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
When is the right time to take your kids on their first road trip?
Age 3 and a half is when kids are the most challenging to travel with, according to new research. The survey of 2,000 American parents with children under the age of 13 asked respondents about the best — and worst — ages to go on a road trip with their children. When asked why this was the worst age, parents' top reason was because their little one gets bored easily (46%). Others said this was the worst age because their 3-and-a-half-year-old will throw a tantrum in the car (39%) and they don't enjoy road tripping at this age (31%). 5 The survey found that while 3 and a half was pinpointed as the most difficult to road trip with, age 6 was found to be the easiest. Getty Images And 55% of parents have purposefully avoided traveling with their child at certain ages because of how difficult they thought it would be. Commissioned by good2grow ahead of their On The Road campaign and conducted by Talker Research, the survey found that while 3 and a half was pinpointed as the most difficult to road trip with, age 6 was found to be the easiest. Regardless of their age, parents said seven hours is the cut-off — that's the maximum length of time they're comfortable road tripping with a child under the age of 13. 5 55% of parents have purposefully avoided traveling with their child at certain ages because of how difficult they thought it would be. SWNS 5 59% of parents surveyed said road tripping is 'somewhat' or 'very' stressful. SWNS In those seven hours, parents are likely to hear 'Are we there yet?' 22 times (3.2 times per hour), experience 18 sibling fights (2.6 per hour) and deal with 14 tantrums (2 per hour) in the car. Perhaps it's no surprise, then, that 59% of parents surveyed said road tripping is 'somewhat' or 'very' stressful. 'Traveling with young kids isn't always easy, but our research shows that 93% of parents still find road trips to be a fun and memorable experience,' said good2grow VP of Brand Marketing Edzra Gibson. 'With our annual On The Road campaign, we want to help take the mess and stress out of family travel — so there's more room for smiles, laughter and connection for both kids and parents.' 5 Parents said seven hours is the cut-off — that's the maximum length of time they're comfortable road tripping with a child under the age of 13. Getty Images/iStockphoto Parents said the most stressful parts of a road trip are the prep and packing (46%), keeping their child entertained throughout the journey (36%) and the drive itself (36%). The number one way parents reduce this stress? Giving their child snacks to help keep them occupied (53%). This was followed by having movies or TV shows pre-loaded and ready for the car (52%), as well as giving their child toys to help keep them occupied (47%). 5 Parents look for snacks that don't have to be refrigerated (56%), ones that are mess-free (51%) and easy to share (51%). SWNS When it comes to the snacks they want to give their children, parents look for snacks that don't have to be refrigerated (56%), ones that are mess-free (51%) and easy to share (51%) — potentially to help prevent any additional sibling disagreements. They also prioritize snacks that come in a variety of flavors (44%) and 'better-for-you snacks' (i.e., not junk food) (32%) 'Kids' snacks and beverages are an everyday treat that helps families enjoy smooth, meltdown-free travel,' said Gibson. 'This summer, families can go the extra mile with our mess-free options with reusable packaging, packed with flavor and fun for maximum value on every adventure.' Top tips for parents taking summer road trips with their kids, based on the survey results — Pack plenty of snacks Ensure there are movies, TV shows and toys to keep their child entertained Pick a destination five hours or less away from home, to help ensure the 'perfect' trip Regardless of the length, make regular stops along the way to get out of the car Be a little flexible with the rules — maybe giving more screen time to help make it a smooth journey Survey methodology: Talker Research surveyed American parents with children under the age of 13; the survey was commissioned by good2grow and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between May 5–9, 2025.
