Tag: Chicago

Naperville, Illinois, USA ~ Hotel Indigo Naperville Riverwalk

March 2026

Naperville seems like an unusual choice. What took us there?

We do semi-regular road trips to Chicago to pick up wine we’ve ordered from an importer there. Typically, we stay in the city, but we’ve heard nice things about some of Chicago’s suburbs, so we thought we’d branch out a little. One of our friends grew up near Naperville, and she has shared many stories, so we decided it would be worth seeing this southwest Chicagoland city in person. Plus, our friend knows we appreciate places that have authentic and historic downtowns, which Naperville does — and a lovely river, the DuPage, that runs through the southern part of it.

And how did we settle on the Indigo?

Our friend said Hotel Indigo is “the place to stay” in Naperville. It sits right on the Riverwalk and is within walking distance of Naperville’s sites. In addition to being the place, it also appears to be the only place near downtown and the only one not situated on one of the highways that surrounds the city. It was, therefore, an easy choice.

Anything memorable about the hotel?

A few things. The location really was perfect for exploring Naperville. We parked our car in the ramp when we arrived and didn’t touch it until it was time to depart. That felt good. Many of the rooms also look out on the river and the Riverwalk, a 1.75-mile brick path with fountains, bridges, sculptures and the city’s Millennium Carillon. The Indigo seemed to be a popular spot for Napervillians to celebrate. When we arrived, a big group was having a pizza party in the lobby, and we saw another quartet celebrating a bachelorette or birthday party. The hotel’s location and the fact that it isn’t just a cookie-cutter property surely makes it a draw, and we were grateful to get a room on the weekend we visited.

Parking ramp entry
Street entry
Hotel lobby
Millennium Carillon
Covered bridge on the Riverwalk

One slightly quirky thing (that didn’t matter much but we noticed) was the hotel’s entrance. The Indigo spreads over two buildings on either side of Water Street with a skyway that connects the two. The lobby is on the second floor, but to get to it, you either need to enter through the parking garage, which is actually the most distinct entrance, or through one of two non-distinct sets of doors on Water Street. The hotel’s first floor is retail and restaurants, so we understand not wanting to use valuable real estate for a grand hotel entrance, but the streetside entrances seemed a little underwhelming. If we hadn’t arrived via our car (I suppose most everyone does, and that probably says something about Naperville), it would have been a trick figuring out how exactly to get in.

We do want to quickly call out the front desk staff. They were terrific — super pleasant and even more helpful. We felt like they were genuinely happy to have us at the hotel. That makes a big difference for first impressions.

And our room? Were you pleased?

Yes. It wasn’t anything luxurious, but it was kind of fun. We actually moved from the room we originally booked (one with a balcony) because the window seal was broken, so the view was obscured. Again, not a big deal, but we decided it was worth asking if there was another room. The lovely person who checked us in said she had just gotten a cancellation, and she offered to move us to a different category of room. The new room didn’t have a balcony, but she said it was one of her favorites in the hotel because of its windows.

The second room also had a window with a broken seal (the Indigo opened in 2015 and, in places, was starting to show its age), but it mattered little because the room didn’t only have one window but five big ones that stretched across two walls of the quite-sizable room, one of which opened to let in the warm spring air. The front desk staffer was right; the windows were certainly the highlight.

Beyond that, the room had everything we needed with plenty of storage; double sinks; a nice seating area with an L-shaped couch, chair and ottoman; and what felt like a massive bed. Robes would have been appreciated, and the in-room coffee wasn’t great, but those things didn’t get in the way of our enjoyment. If we happen to find ourselves in Naperville again, we’d return to the Indigo. And for anyone going there, our friend was right. It is the place to stay in this Chicago suburb.

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Chicago, Illinois, USA ~ The Langham

April 2024

The Langham had been on our list for a long time – in fact, since it opened in 2013 in an iconic Ludwig Mies van der Rohe tower on the Chicago River. The sleek black building in the modernist international style — the former regional headquarters of IBM — has always been a favorite of ours among the dozens of standout skyscrapers in downtown Chicago, and we were excited when we learned that part of it was converted to a hotel. But other travel plans, the pandemic, and life in general kept us away until now when we had a weekend to make a quick run to the Windy City to pick up some wine from a favorite importer.

We shouldn’t have waited so long.

The treat at the end of the tunnel

Arriving to downtown by car, we dropped into Lower Wacker Drive and traversed the bowels of the city, emerging via an exit just a few blocks from The Langham. Although we had been near the building dozens of times, this was our first opportunity to get up close and personal. After leaving our car with the valet, we walked through the ground floor sitting area – pausing to greet a portrait of van der Rohe – and then took the elevator to the second-floor lobby and reception desk.

The peacefulness and somewhat intimate feel of the first floor was replaced with a bustling and lively scene when we emerged into the soaring and light-filled space on the second floor. In addition to encountering a wedding party that had gathered for photos, we saw families heading left to what appeared to be a salon hosting high tea and another group on its way to the bar on the opposite side.

A coherent design story

The Langham Chicago is one of 17 Langham hotels in Asia, Europe, the Pacific, and North America, with more on the way. The Langham London opened in 1865 and was the largest building in London at the time and Europe’s first “grand hotel.” After World War II, it was bought by the BBC but returned to operations as a hotel in 1991 and is the namesake of the Langham Hospitality Group.

The Langham Chicago occupies the lower 13 floors of the van der Rohe tower, which was completed in 1971 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. As of now, The Langham is the only hotel in a van der Rohe building. A professed pillar of the Langham Hospitality Group is design with each hotel “manifesting a unique story through its architecture, design, and one-of-a-kind local art.” We were excited to see how the black tower, built as a corporate headquarters, would be interpreted as a hotel, and the common areas proved to be a great preface to the rest of the story. The skeleton of the building – anodized aluminum and bronze-tinted glass – featured prominently, but the modernist lines were softened and even complemented by curvy patterns in the stone floor, a playful suspended sculpture of blown glass, and plush couches and chairs. With two floors of light bouncing off all of the reflective surfaces, the lobby nearly glowed.

Anticipated refinement with a few surprises

After a friendly and efficient check-in and a promise to return soon for a drink and dinner recommendation, we stepped back in the elevator for a lift up to the tenth floor and our room. The guest room hallways were expansive yet cozy with dark wood paneling, intermittent mirrors, low lighting, and a beautiful runner rug. It felt like yet a third interpretation of the building’s spaces after the intimate ground floor sitting area and the soaring second-floor lobby.

Our room — #1015 – was beautiful. A tiled entry foyer separated the main space from the door; off to one side was the bathroom and a bit further down on the opposite side was a dressing room, closet, and vanity. A wall of floor-to-ceiling windows with expansive views of nearby skyscrapers and the river let in lots of natural light, and the classic mid-century furnishings and white upholstery and linens felt refined. We loved the piece of furniture that housed the mini-bar and coffee station; it opened up in all kinds of interesting ways and looked a little steam punk. (The Langham calls the custom-designed piece a “cellarette.”) It was a fun addition to an otherwise fairly serious room design.

We also couldn’t get enough of the magic glass that separated the soaking bathtub in the stone and tile bathroom from the bedroom. With the flip of a switch, it changed from opaque to translucent. And the dressing area and vanity was a special indulgence. One of us felt the need to do a bit of primping – even though we had nowhere fancy to go – simply to use the space.

Magic glass separating the soaking tub from the bedroom

A start but not nearly enough

Our time at the Langham went by in a flash. We managed a stop at the hotel bar for a cocktail but didn’t have time to fully explore the hotel’s amenities. The tearoom was lovely and the pool, like the lobby, was also built by removing floor slabs to allow for a view out of two floors of windows. Chicago is such a terrific city, and The Langham matches up. We’ll be back, and next time we’ll stay longer.

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