The Ritz-Carlton Chicago
In order to figure out why the Ritz-Carlton has been named best hotel in the U.S. a record 7 times, I spent 24 hours at the luxurious establishment. Hey, sometimes a reporter has to make some sacrifices to uncover the truth . . .
Conde Nast Traveler's readers have spoken. Once again, they've deemed the Ritz-Carlton Chicago the best hotel on the U.S. mainland.
This year marks a record seventh time this Four Seasons hotel has clinched the top spot in the magazine's annual readers' poll. You don't need the last name Fodor or Frommer to know there are a lot of hotels in this country. What makes our fair city's Ritz-Carlton, perched above the shops at Water Tower Place, the best of the bunch?
(Al Podgorski/Sun-Times)
This intrepid reporter decided to investigate. I'd spend 24 hours at the Ritz, both as a guest and as a fly on the meticulously painted wall, to find out what it takes to be at the top of the hotel heap.
My day started at 10 a.m. sharp in the Ritz's "war room." Sixteen department heads sat around a table, poring over the Special Attention Guest List, a compilation of certain customers' likes, dislikes, special needs and specific requests.
One particularly lengthy list entry reminded staff that an especially good customer -- he's spent 273 nights at the hotel over the years -- likes the room temperature at 65 degrees. He's allergic to lilies and his wife prefers hazelnut coffee creamer. Another repeat client wants an extra floor lamp in the closet, a toaster and apricot jelly in the room, and, for the love of God, don't turn on the radio.
One guy wants the bed covered in rose petals. He's popping the question.
A businessman who spilled coffee on his only pair of pants borrowed some trousers from the hotel's uniform room. Crisis averted. And someone needs to pick up special-order baby formula from the hospital for a family arriving from Oklahoma later that day.
Meeting over. As I walked out of the war room, where the walls were plastered with the saying, "In the race for quality, there is no finish line," I realized two things: I am a very low-maintenance hotel guest, and it's not easy puttin' on the ritz.
It's not easy payin' for the Ritz, either. My 30th floor hotel suite -- bigger than my River North condo -- goes for $1,180 a night. Standard rooms start at $560.
No flat-screen TVs, hipster artwork and copies of Utne Reader in my suite. The decor was elegantly fancy in an old money, Great Gatsby kind of way.
The Ritz turns 32 years old this month, and it sure doesn't look its age. The sizeable maintenance staff keeps the property in a perpetual state of newness by targeting five of the hotel's 435 rooms each day, doing paint and wallpaper touch-ups, repairing furniture, replacing fixtures. They call it their "perfect room" program.
Before any room is deemed ready for guests, housekeeping must make sure it's up to snuff in 60-some areas. No spots on the mirrors. All surfaces dusted. No less than six Q-Tips and four cotton balls in the bathrooms. Four fabric-covered hangers in the closet. Pointed edges on the tissues, etc.
"It takes me about 30 minutes a room, depending on the people," said Vania, a Ritz housekeeper who's been tidying up after guests for two decades.
After watching Vania lift the freshly laundered duvet cover over her head and onto the bed for the 10th time, trying to get rid of every last wrinkle, I think she should star in her own workout video and turn bed-making into the latest upper-body fitness craze.
"The duvet cover is the hardest part," Vania explained.
When she's finished, her supervisor will check the room. Then the manager will check the room. If hospitals were this careful, infection rates would be lower.
Forgot your cuff links? Curling iron? Contact lens case? Cell phone charger?
The Ritz stocks more than 150 necessities, ready to be delivered within minutes -- on a silver platter no less -- to desperate guests.
Twenty-four-hour room service is a phone call away. And if you need a massage at 3 a.m., the spa can arrange it.
These conveniences are nice, but they're also somewhat expected in luxury hotels. What I didn't expect was how child-friendly the Ritz is. Kids make out like bandits! While parents are busy checking in, their offspring get to pick from a pile of toys wheeled out in a red wagon. A complimentary teddy bear and fleece blanket waits in their room, along with bath toys and mini-robes. Every day at 4 p.m., kids are invited to help the chef bake cookies in the kitchen.
When I was a young'un, I was thrilled just to stay at a place with a pool.
Regardless of guests' ages, the goal is to give everyone the VIP treatment -- something the Ritz seems to do better than most.
"Make the employees feel special, and they'll make the guests feel special," said Christian Clerc, regional vice-president and general manager of the hotel. The Four Seasons routinely ranks as one of Fortune magazine's best companies to work for. At the Ritz, over 20 percent of the staff has worked in the hotel at least 20 years -- an impressive statistic in the notoriously fickle service-industry.
But no matter how happy you are with your job, giving some guests the VIP treatment can be challenging. Case in point: The Ritz offers free overnight shoeshines. Just leave your kicks in a bag outside your room door and they'll be polished by morning.
As I walked the hotel's halls late at night with Terry, the overnight shoeshine guy, he told me about a recent guest who left his shoes out. All 40 pairs of them.
Like I said, it's not always easy puttin' on the ritz.