How does a hotel that opened less than 15 months ago manage to crawl its way up to the #1 hotel on Trip Advisor in Chicago? A simple answer to this question does not exist. It is, however, a combination of simple elegance and modern amenities that put the Elysian Hotel in Chicago in a class by itself. I have been fortunate enough to stay in some very swanks hotels. The bar has now been raised.
Vagablond has been covering luxury travel since early 2005 and I read all about the uber expensive hotels suites, luxurious bed lines, the most most expensive champagnes ever to be consumed…blah, blah. Simply reading about the Elysian is not sufficient. If you have a special occasion coming up and want to whisk your significant other away on a weekend they will never forget here is what you do….book 2-3 nights at the hotel so you can experience everything it has to offer. Make room for a spa day, pack your swim suit and make sure you try both Ria and Balsan for a meal or two.
The hotel is privately owned so there is no limit in terms of sanctioned guidelines or protocol you sometimes see at a franchised hotel or brand.
The level of personal service is in a realm I had not previously experienced. From the minute you roll up in their gorgeous courtyard, everything just flows. Check in was seamless and we were promptly introduced to our concierge Timo. We started off in a beautifully appointed room. The only hiccup is that we had requested a queen-queen. Not a huge deal as the pull out seemed more comfortable than most mattresses. We used their car service to head to our dinner at Davanti Enotica (more on them later). Just as our main course was about to arrive we received a message from the hotel to call them. I was genuinely concerned there was an issue with a family member or friend. Quite to the contrary there was absolutely nothing wrong, but they were upgrading us to the Presidential Suite. I am going to wrap this up for now as the suite deserves an article all on its’ own.
To be continued…..