LondonHouse Chicago: Splurge-Worthy River Views

LondonHouse Chicago is one of the city’s best-known hotels with its perch along the Chicago River. Its excellent location, beautiful river views and comfortable rooms make this property a fantastic place to stay for a trip to the Windy City — although room rates can vary dramatically depending on when you’re traveling.

Opened in 2016, the luxury property is part of the Curio Collection by Hilton. It’s housed in the London Guarantee and Accident Building, built in 1923 and named after the insurance firm that was its primary occupant. Comprising 452 rooms and suites, the hotel offers amenities include a spa, a fitness center and a rooftop bar that’s been named among the best in the country.

I stayed at LondonHouse Chicago for three nights in June 2025 while in town for a travel conference. The hotel offered me a discounted media rate for my stay, but it did not influence my review of the hotel.

Sitting adjacent to the DuSable Bridge, LondonHouse Chicago has a location that’s hard to beat. If you’re in a river-facing vista room, expect to stare out at the Trump International Hotel and Tower, which is directly across the river. Other notable architectural landmarks that you should be able to see include Marina City, with its two corncob-like towers, and the Wrigley Building.

Staying here puts you within walking distance of iconic attractions like the Bean in Millennium Park, as well as luxury retailers in the Magnificent Mile district just across the river. If you’re planning on taking one of the city’s popular architecture boat tours along the river, you’ll likely board just minutes away from the hotel.

Those interested in taking public transportation can find bus stops within the immediate vicinity of the hotel. It’s also just a short walk to the nearest station for the Chicago L, the city’s elevated train network.

It can be hard to tell where LondonHouse Chicago starts and ends, as the property blends its historic 1920s facade with a 22-story glass tower. A ringed colonnade and cupola sit atop the building, adding to its sense of grandeur. The ultra-modern addition is interesting in its own right, too, with subtly angled-out glass panels that mirror the direction of the river.

The hotel’s entrance is through the glass tower, although there’s an exit through the original building, which is to its left and has an interesting curved facade. Those exit doors are locked from the outside, and no one can enter through them unless they catch someone as they’re leaving the building. As a hotel guest, I found that to be a frustrating design choice.

Once inside, you’ll need to take a flight of stairs or a dedicated elevator to get to the hotel lobby for check-in. (The other elevators require a hotel keycard for access). The entrance to Land & Lake Kitchen, one of LondonHouse Chicago’s main dining venues, is by the staircase.

Before heading there, take some time to admire the ground floor, especially the brass elevator doors and an opulent gold-coffered ceiling that looks like something out of “The Great Gatsby.”

The lobby feels just as luxurious as the floor below. Because it’s located in the glass tower, the lobby is filled with light and offers expansive views of the river through floor-to-ceiling windows.

The striking design is centered around the sharp contrast between dark and light colors, particularly with its white ceiling with black trim, as well as the black marble pathway that guides you to the check-in desk.

Geometric design elements, like light fixtures and wall ornamentations, extra-thick crown molding and the use of mirrors help add extra height and depth to the space.

In the lobby, you’ll also find the Bridges Lobby Bar, one of the hotel’s dining venues.

I stayed in a king bed vista room located in the glass tower. Just like in the lobby, it had floor-to-ceiling windows with an incredible view overlooking the river. I loved waking up in the morning and taking in the city below before starting my day.

The light streaming in during the day brightens up the room, which utilizes the same dark-and-light theme found elsewhere in the building. Geometric shapes and long lines help accentuate the space.

I found the room to be quite spacious, with a mounted TV, a work desk, a closet and an accent chair in the corner with a little table.

Each room comes with what the hotel calls its signature “LHLux bed.” I have no clue what that actually means, but I can confirm that they were extremely comfortable to sleep in. As a sometimes clumsy person, I — and my shins — particularly appreciated the corner guards on the bed frame.

You can also tell the hotel takes great pride in its identity, with its monogrammed bedding and towels. I couldn’t decide if it was tacky at first, but they quickly grew on me.

Other in-room amenities include robes, slippers, a safe, a fridge, a coffee machine and an iron. If you’re a Hilton Honors elite, you’ll get two free bottles of water.

The entrance to the room has a foyer area with a good amount of space. I opted to stash my suitcase in a corner there to free up more space in the sleeping area.

Just past the foyer, you’ll find the bathroom, which was separated by a large frosted-glass sliding door and came stocked with Malin+Goetz products.

I thoroughly enjoyed the shower’s strong water pressure. There was even a loofah, which I don’t see often in hotel rooms as an offered amenity without asking, and it (of course) came with a LondonHouse Chicago tag on it.

You can book LondonHouse Chicago using Hilton Honors points, but make sure you’re getting good value out of your points when doing so. I ran a search in July 2025, and rates for a standard room with a king bed outside of the winter months seemed to go for 70,000 to 75,000 points a night. If you’re willing to brave the Chicago winter (roughly between November and March), that number can drop to as low as 45,000 points a night.

While Chicago winters are brutal and cold, there are still tons of fun things to do in the city that time of year, such as the nearby Christkindlmarket, the city’s popular German-style holiday market that’s open in November and December.

However, you’ll also want to check cash rates to confirm you’re getting at least 0.6 cent per point, NerdWallet’s estimated value for Hilton Honors points. In my same search, it seemed like cash rates on nights that went for 45,000 points were roughly $160. (A king bed vista room like the one I stayed in came out to 84,000 points or $214 for the same night.)

Given that redemption value, it might be better to pay cash. But if the nightly rate is, say, $500 or more and the points cost is 70,000, using points could get you better value. Room rates seemed to fluctuate a lot when I ran my search, with cash prices typically going for $200 to $600. Some dates, though, were priced at north of $1,000.

For points stays, you can also get your fifth night free if you hold Hilton elite status. You can get status just from holding a Hilton credit card, even one that has no annual fee.

The property has multiple food and beverage venues, ranging from casual to fine dining. I didn’t get a chance to eat at any of the venues, since I had a packed schedule, so I can’t speak to the quality of the food offerings.

In the lobby, you’ll find the Bridges Lobby Bar, open for lunch and dinner. It also offers a daily afternoon tea service that changes by the season. For something more formal, Ocean Prime is on the other side of the elevator bank serving up seafood and steaks.

On the ground floor, there’s Land & Lake Kitchen, an all-day dining option that serves classic American fare, including all-day breakfast. (Your other option for breakfast would be in-room dining.)

Head up the elevator to the 21st floor, home to the aptly named LH on 21. The indoor restaurant and bar features a menu of globally inspired dishes and signature cocktails. That’s where you’ll take the stairs to head up to LH Rooftop, the rooftop bar popular for its incredible views of the city.

While it was beautiful — don’t miss the lush greenery and floral design elements adorning the roof — I found the atmosphere to be overcrowded and, quite frankly, chaotic. There wasn’t a lot of space to move around, making it a somewhat unpleasant experience. I snaked my way through the crowd to the edge, where I snapped some photos before heading out. Admittedly, I went up early Saturday evening, so it might not be as crowded during the week.

As a hotel guest, I was able to access the 21st floor using my keycard at the elevators, thus bypassing the often long line of people waiting to go up from the ground floor.

If you’re looking for something quick, there’s also a Smashburger on the ground floor of the building. However, it’s not accessible from within the hotel; you’ll need to exit the hotel and enter the restaurant from the street.

The main amenities at LondonHouse Chicago are the 24-hour fitness center and its spa facility, LH Spa by Windy City Massage.

I didn’t see anyone in the fitness center on the fourth floor when I went, and there was a variety of fitness equipment available, including treadmills, ellipticals, Peloton bikes, a stair climber, a rowing machine, weight machines and free weights.

The spa is located on the same floor, but when I dropped by, the receptionist had stepped away from the desk. According to the online menu, pricing for treatments is what you’d expect from a spa in a high-end hotel.

If you’re flying into one of Chicago’s two major airports, you have a few options.

The most economical (and longest) option would be taking the Chicago L from either airport into downtown Chicago, also known as the Loop. From Chicago O’Hare International Airport, you can take the Blue Line to the Clark/Lake stop. Passengers arriving at Chicago Midway International Airport can take the Orange Line to the State/Lake stop. Both involve walking around 10 to 15 minutes from the station to the hotel. Expect the trip to take about an hour in total.

If you choose to drive, whether a rental car, rideshare or taxi, expect that ride to take 30 to 40 minutes with minimal traffic. If there’s traffic, that ride could take an hour or more. Those who bring their own cars can drop them off with the hotel valet at a nightly rate of $80.

Chicago visitors who want to be in the center of the action will love staying at LondonHouse Chicago. It offers a fantastic location near some of Chicago’s most popular attractions, and the striking river and architectural views can’t be beat.

For those seeking the best deals, you’ll need to be flexible with your dates. Room rates are cheapest in the winter months — whether using cash or points — but you can still find great prices throughout the year.