Why you should visit The Drake Hotel.
The Drake Hotel isn’t merely a place to stay, it’s where Chicago’s elegance has checked in for over a century.
Perched at the northern tip of the Magnificent Mile, overlooking both Lake Michigan and Oak Street Beach, The Drake radiates an old-world grandeur that feels cinematic in every sense. Step through its bronze revolving doors and you’re immediately transported to an era when glamour was the standard, not the exception. Crystal chandeliers glimmer over marble floors, bellmen in tailored uniforms move with quiet grace, and the soft hum of the Palm Court’s afternoon tea lingers in the air. From Frank Sinatra to Princess Diana, generations of icons have passed through these halls, leaving behind whispers of laughter, romance, and midnight champagne toasts. To visit The Drake is to walk the line between history and high society, where class still has character and every detail is steeped in timeless sophistication.
What you didn’t know about The Drake Hotel.
Few travelers realize how deeply intertwined the Drake Hotel is with Chicago’s cultural evolution.
When it opened in 1920, it was one of the city’s first luxury hotels designed specifically to rival the great establishments of New York and London. The hotel’s architects, Benjamin Marshall and Charles Fox, infused Italian Renaissance elegance into a structure that felt simultaneously regal and welcoming. During Prohibition, the hotel’s Coq d’Or bar became one of Chicago’s most celebrated speakeasies, reopening just days after the repeal of the 18th Amendment in 1933. But beneath the glitz lies fascinating folklore, stories of secret tunnels connecting to the nearby lakefront, and of “The Woman in Red,” a spirit said to haunt the tenth floor. Even today, The Drake’s Lakeview Room serves as a time capsule of Jazz Age opulence, where guests sip cocktails beneath frescoed ceilings as the city glows through floor-to-ceiling windows.
How to fold The Drake Hotel into your trip.
For the ultimate Drake Hotel experience, arrive just before sunset, when the marble lobby catches the last honeyed light spilling through the Michigan Avenue doors.
Settle in for afternoon tea at the Palm Court, a Chicago institution where harp music drifts through the atrium and tiers of pastries gleam beneath domed glass. From there, take a stroll along Oak Street Beach or enjoy a cocktail at the Coq d’Or, where vintage leather booths and brass accents create an atmosphere worthy of the Rat Pack. If you’re not staying overnight, visit The Cape Cod Room, once a haunt of Hollywood royalty, or simply step outside to admire the view of the skyline meeting the lake’s horizon. The Drake isn’t just another stop on the Magnificent Mile; it’s where Chicago’s golden age still lives, refined but never forgotten, waiting to pour you one last perfect drink beneath its storied chandeliers.
Hear it from the Foresyte community.
The Mile doesn’t even feel like shopping half the time. It’s people-watching, skyline-gazing, and low-key strutting like you’re in a music video.
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