The Drake Hotel

Chicago, USA

Virgin rating

Deluxe Room
Palm Court
Deluxe Room
Palm Court

The hotel

The Drake Hotel is in the finest location in Chicago, situated at the very tip of the Magnificent Mile Neighbourhood, and located right in front of Oak Street Beach overlooking Lake Michigan. It hasn’t lost any of the glitz or traditions which drew in Chicago’s glitterati for its grand opening on New Year’s Eve in 1920, and in the decades which followed. It still hosts High Tea, with its delicate petit fours and fragrant teas now served in the appropriately decadent Palm Court. You can still dine (and drink) at Coq d’Or, the city’s second venue to get that all-important liquor license after Prohibition ended in 1933. A milestone on The Magnificent Mile, with direct access Lake Michigan’s Oak Street Beach, be prepared for drama, history and luxury.

Amenities

  • Bar
  • Room Service
  • Valet parking
  • Fitness Centre/Gym
  • Close to City Centre
  • Restaurant

Where is it

In a central spot at the end of The Magnificent Mile, and with direct access to Oak Street Beach on Lake Michigan, this hotel is a block from John Hancock Center, famous for its 360 CHICAGO and TILT! attractions. It’s also just a few blocks from the Museum of Contemporary Art and two of the city’s most historic landmarks: The Old Water Tower and Chicago Avenue Pumping Station. Transfer time from O'Hare International Airport: 1 hour.

Hotel information

609 rooms and suites. All with individual climate control, flatscreen HDTV with premium movie channels, WiFi access*, fridge*, marble bathroom, safe and luxury terry bathrobes. Deluxe Rooms have 1 king-size bed or 2 oversized twin beds, sleeping maximum 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children.

Deluxe Lake View Rooms overlook Lake Michigan with 1 king-size bed or 2 oversized win beds, sleeping maximum 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children.

Coq d’Or (piano lounge with cocktails and whiskey bar, open for lunch, dinner and late nights). Café on Oak (open for breakfast). Palm Court (open for afternoon tea and cocktails, with entertainment including live harpists and Salsa dancing). Lavazza Espression (hot drinks, sandwiches and snacks). Room service*. Fitness centre (on-site centre, and access to neighbouring full-service fitness centre*). Arcade shopping. Les Clefs d’Or Concierge. Self parking $49 plua tax, per day and valet parking $70 pus tax, per day (payable locally, subject to change).

*Denotes local charge.

Rating summary

  • Location Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Sleep Quality Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Rooms Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Service Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Value Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Cleanliness Image of the Tripadvisor rating

Traveller rating

  • Excellent (2700)
  • Very good (1366)
  • Average (607)
  • Poor (345)
  • Terrible (206)
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Historic Gem in Downtown Chicago

Apr 25, 2024 Jeremy H

Almost 600 nights stayed with Hilton as a Diamond and first time staying here. First, the staff was extremely professional at every turn, from when I called to request a specific type of room before arrival, to the extremely pleasant front desk staff on arrival, to the valet attendant at departure. This historic property is of course "older" -… Read more
Almost 600 nights stayed with Hilton as a Diamond and first time staying here. First, the staff was extremely professional at every turn, from when I called to request a specific type of room before arrival, to the extremely pleasant front desk staff on arrival, to the valet attendant at departure. This historic property is of course "older" - but despite this it is quite opulent and the rooms are very large an extremely well-appointed. The location is exceptional to both north and south downtown Chicago. Great food and shopping options are within walking distance. For the Hilton properties in downtown Chicago, the self-parking is a good value, meaning the least expensive price despite having to walk a block to the garage. While others might comment on small things that weren't perfect during their stay, I will say that the staff here overall is top-notch and I will definitely stay here from now on during any future visit to Chicago. Thank you, Drake staff, for a wonderful stay! Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Love the Drake

Apr 21, 2024 aeddr Keokuk, Iowa

I’ve stayed here a lot over the years. The stay has always been comfortable. This last time my stay was good but it wasn’t great. The room got too warm regardless of adjusting the thermostat in my room. I woke up hot and couldn’t get back to sleep. I love that they give out complimentary bottled water. Also the staff is very attentive and helpful.
Image of the Tripadvisor rating A Value for Location, Not the Hotel

Apr 12, 2024 skiergirl07 Chicago, Illinois

It’s one of the better locations from a Chicago touristy perspective (or in my case a cheaper alternative to a conference hotel). But the reality is that this is an OLD building. So be prepared for things like a luke-warm shower (ouch - two days in a row, the second day was bordering on chilly), sketchy electrical sockets, low lighting, etc. … Read more
It’s one of the better locations from a Chicago touristy perspective (or in my case a cheaper alternative to a conference hotel). But the reality is that this is an OLD building. So be prepared for things like a luke-warm shower (ouch - two days in a row, the second day was bordering on chilly), sketchy electrical sockets, low lighting, etc. Again, the price is great, but you get what you pay for - and you’re really paying for location. The thing that took the cake for me was the texts. DO NOT OPT IN TO THE TEXTS! Somehow I had two different people (who claimed to be human, I don’t believe it) texting me the same things. And every time I would ask to be removed, they would apologize and remove me … and then I would get another text. And then I would say “STOP” and they would respond “thank you for opting back in to text messages”. I almost blocked the number (and will shortly) but the comedy was too much. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Old school Chicago hotel

Apr 6, 2024 904lurab

I have to start out the review by saying I may be different than your typical traveler. My husband, son and I go to the Drake yearly. We do this because it's an old school Chicago hotel. We love the lobby and we like to bike the lakefront. I always book directly through Hilton and stay in a family room My thought process is if you book through… Read more
I have to start out the review by saying I may be different than your typical traveler. My husband, son and I go to the Drake yearly. We do this because it's an old school Chicago hotel. We love the lobby and we like to bike the lakefront. I always book directly through Hilton and stay in a family room My thought process is if you book through Hilton you get the best rooms in the house because you're not using an off site travel site like travel, velocity, expedia, etc. However it didn't work out this way. I felt like they gave us the worst family suite in the house which was 208 and it looked out over air conditioner units. I did call them however because the second floor is quite loud and they did move me up to the third floor so the start of the trip was not my typical experience here is the second thing. I'm staying in a family suite and we're purposely staying here. We only live 40 minutes outside of Chicago. I like to load up with nice snacks from whole foods, bring a nice bottle of wine and really enjoy the room as soon as I get into the room. I look no refrigerator so I call and they say that will be $30. I think this is a little excessive for a family room, but when I review the website it's on there so that was a little change. Also I like room service when I stay in a hotel downtown. I like the tray and service You can't get that at the Drake it's more like a paper bag with two cups of coffee delivered to your room but the service you get from the employees and how beautiful the lobby is how comfortable the bed is is really nice. I'm just missing a few of those things between the refrigerator being having to ask for the third floor room and not having room service. I'm not sure if we'll keep this as our yearly family destination. I'm kind of on the fence with maybe we should look at different hotels but I do love it's old school feel Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating History and comfort

Mar 23, 2024 276AJar

The rooms are very spacious. Wonderful service from staff who are genuinely happy to help tourists and guests enjoy Chicago. I recommend the Lakeview rooms, gorgeous view of Lake Michigan and a park right next to the hotel. Easy walking access to a lot of shops and restaurants. Also, their Tea Time is a wonderful and unique experience that… Read more
The rooms are very spacious. Wonderful service from staff who are genuinely happy to help tourists and guests enjoy Chicago. I recommend the Lakeview rooms, gorgeous view of Lake Michigan and a park right next to the hotel. Easy walking access to a lot of shops and restaurants. Also, their Tea Time is a wonderful and unique experience that transports you to a different time. Read less