Afternoon Tea at Four Seasons Hotel Chicago (in Pictures)

The Four Seasons Chicago is a luxury hotel located in the midst of Chicago’s upscale shopping district known as the Magnificent Mile at 900 North Michigan. Afternoon Tea is now offered only seasonally in November and December. So I would highly recommend contacting the hotel to confirm dates and times.

The images here are from my earlier visit to the Four Seasons.  Since then, menu items have almost certainly changed, but I’m sure you’ll be able to get a feel for their afternoon tea experience nonetheless.

Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago Exterior Scene

Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago (image courtesy of Four Seasons Hotel)

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Afternoon Tea at Four Seasons Hotel, Shanghai, China

Four Seasons Hotel Lobby ©Four Seasons Hotels

It was Saturday afternoon in Shanghai and outside it was cold and stormy, but inside it was warm, peaceful and serene in the lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel.  As I entered the hotel, I could hear live background music in the distance and, as I approached the Lobby Lounge, a trio of young Chinese musicians (piano, violin and cello) was playing, “See the Pyramids Along the Nile/You Belong to Me, amid cushy chairs surrounded by faux palm trees.  It was quite a contrast as you could see the wind blowing and the rain falling just outside through the large glass windows.

The Four Seasons Hotel, Shanghai is a 37 story high rise building located in fashionable west Shanghai, just off Nanjing Road,  near many of the city’s major attractions and close to the Metro (subway) that I relied upon heavily during my trip. Since this is a city of 20,000,000, traffic can be an issue, but the Metro will express you to just about anywhere in the city in no time flat. Continue reading

High Tea at The Four Seasons Hotel, Chicago

High Tea at The Lounge in The Four Seasons, Chicago - image ©Four Seasons Hotels

High Tea at The Lounge in The Four Seasons, Chicago – image ©Four Seasons Hotels

An unusually warm December afternoon found me in Chicago at one of the city’s premier luxury hotels, The Four Seasons, just off the Magnificent Mile. The hotel is in a high rise building above an upscale retail mall called The 900 Shops.

The hotel’s entire lobby is richly decorated in fine-plush furnishings but, The Lounge – where tea is served – certainly stands out in its striking beauty and decor.  Unlike several hotel venues that serve afternoon tea in a large airy room, this space is small and intimate.  Ironically, the room was full but it was also very private and quiet. The acoustic engineers must have worked overtime on this space. The Lounge’s dark wood, plush carpeting, and fine tapestries all speak of the luxury you are about to experience taking afternoon tea at The Four Seasons Chicago. Continue reading