Ferris real deal
touch to make all guests happy.
Everything is made so easy, with many things in the room controlled by a tablet, meaning you can alter the lighting and room temperature, choose a channel to watch on your 55in TV or request an item to be brought to your room all at the touch of a button.
I also had an incredibly handy built-in bedside charging station, compatible for all devices.
I’m usually a shower man, but I had to change tack during my stay – as even a simple bath felt like an event in itself.
How often do you get to soak in a sunken tub, while watching a built-in TV in front of you?
I also tried to find my inner Zen using spa mode, which activates mood music and lighting to create ultimate relaxation.
The hotel works on what it calls “Peninsula Time” – meaning I could arrange to have my room ready as early as 6am on arrival and check out as late as 10pm on departure.
There’s a fitness centre with Technogym equipment on the 20th floor, too, which I perhaps over-keenly used at 6am one day when jetlag threw me out of kilter, but it was an excuse to be ready for the pool opening an hour later.
Settled nicely into my room after a sensory overload of all it had to
offer, I made my way for a drink at the hotel’s luxurious Z Bar via an elevator that played music to set the scene before I even reached my destination.
The doors opened and revealed breathtaking rooftop terrace views, and I was soon taking pictures of the Windy City with my camera in one hand, and in the other raising a glass of the tastiest cocktail I’ve ever tried – its speciality, “Z”, made of Chicago’s own Koval Distillery dry gin, Japanese cucumber, mint and Italicus Rosolio Di Bergamotto.
Downstairs is The Lobby, a stunning space with 20ft floor-to-ceiling windows. It serves up a contemporary American breakfast menu including incredible stuffed French toast.
Arriving in front of me looking the size of a brick, the thick cut of brioche oozed diplomat cream, macerated berries, fresh berries and pistachio cream as I gleefully went at it with a fork.
European-style restaurant Pierrot Gourmet is next door, serving up the delicious “PG breakfast”’ – a choice of bacon, chicken sausage or ham with eggs, potatoes and toast of your choice.
It was so tasty that I had it two days straight.
OUT AND ABOUT
The location of the hotel is as good as it gets: a right turn away from that Magnificent Mile, the epicentre of the city’s commercial district. I constantly craned my neck admiring sights like the historic Water Tower, the neo-gothic Tribune Tower and the Wrigley Building.
Being within walking distance of the Riverwalk on the south bank of the Chicago River was really something – it’s a 1.25 mile trail from Lake Michigan to Lake Street presenting the perfect spot to burn off breakfast calories.
But the most memorable way I witnessed the city’s skyline was aboard Chicago’s First Lady via Chicago Architecture Center’s River Cruise, while learning plenty about the different architectural styles.
For an entirely different perspective, I also tried out The Skydeck, located at Willis Tower, formerly Sears Tower.
At 103 floors up, the view is pretty special – on a clear day, you can see four states, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan. I then willed myself to test my mettle and step out on to The Ledge.
Those glass boxes extend 4.3ft out from the building and it’s a great photo opportunity.
While others did handstands and laid flat on their backs, I opted to simply sit down and hope the staff member took the photo as quickly as humanly possible.
It is included in the Citypass (citypass.com/chicago around £110), which is a cost-effective way to explore five major attractions.
RAISE A GLASS TO THE CITY
As a fan of the black stuff, I had to visit one of Chicago’s newest additions – the Guinness Open Gate Brewery which opened in September in a repurposed 1910 rail depot. Located on the West Loop, it was described to me as a “small but mighty” operation compared to what you’ll see in Dublin. But it has unique features, like the first ever Guinness bakery and a 10,000lb harp sculpture that “floats” over the main bar. Chicago has it all. As Ferris also said: “The question isn’t, ‘What are we going to do?’ The question is, ‘What aren’t we going to do?’”
‘‘ The first thing that struck me was the panoramic ‘mile’ view