Puttin' on the ritz
By Tamara McLean | theage.com.au | 19 September
Would you mind if I rubbed a little tequila into your toes?" asks my gentleman masseur politely as he picks up the bottle of spirits.
"It has amazing detoxifying qualities you will find."
I'm more familiar with the lick-sip-suck crazy-night-out qualities than the soothing characteristics of the famed yellow spirit but this is Chicago and I'm in the hands of an expert therapist at the windy city's swankiest old-money hotel. I'm willing to give anything a go.
After all, this is the Ritz-Carlton on the famous Magnificent Mile, the only US hotel to top the Conde Nast Traveler magazine's reader's choice charts seven years in a row and I want to see what all the fuss is about.
Livius Cazan kneads alcohol into the soles of my feet with a practised calm but firm surety of a man used to massaging the sun-kissed skin of the extremely wealthy.
Every stroke is carefully targeted, every comment is unassuming and every small detail down to my post-massage mandarin juice and precisely placed fluffy slippers are just as you wanted, before you even knew you did.
It doesn't take long to realise it is the hotel's general philosophy to be 10 steps ahead of its guests at all times, providing premeditated but genuine acts of hospitality that don't cease to surprise, especially the average laid-back Aussie.
Take my arrival, for example, when the doorman greets this unannounced guest by name as he rolls my baggage into the grand foyer.
Noting my surprise, he laughs, "I snuck a peek at your luggage tag. I hope you don't mind".
Mind? Are you crazy? No, I've got two days to see how the other half lives and I can already see I'm going to have trouble leaving.
In the atrium, I'm blown away by the old-world grandness of this 33-year-old institution, complete with velvet lobby couches, an afternoon tea lounge and a two-floor high ceiling filled with the soothing din of water from a huge fountain in the foyer.
The rooms, with their heavy striped drapes, low lamps, lemon-stained wall paper, and mahogany writing desk, make me feel like I've crashed my rich uncle's plush pad.
This grand dame is about to get a face lift "to bring her more into the 21st century while retaining her charm," explains marketing manager Susan Maier.
"More bells and whistles are great, but that's not why this place is so loved. It's the people who work here who really make it," and I tend to agree.
It's a cliche but the staff, of which there are more than 500, seem to get high on helping, from the shoe shine guy who happily passes all 435 rooms each night to collect pumps for complimentary overnight cleaning, whistling as he goes, to the liftman who anticipates your need for an elevator, seemingly before you've realised that yourself.
A housekeeper in a crisp grey uniform knocks on the door, ready to turn the bed down, but first says "how are you today?" almost throwing you off-guard.
On the phone, the concierges seem ready to cope with anything you throw at them, never failing to ask "is there anything else I can do for you?" For the first time in a hotel I feel no request would be unreasonable. Staff are prepared to dash out to the mall to grab that special Belgian chocolate you crave or that brand of French panihose you forgot to pack, or they'll even give you "shopping assistance" if you want a bit of company.
They'll go further too, admitting they've even arranged an aeroplane to fly by the hotel with banner saying "will you marry me Karen?" (Karen said yes) and buying up dozens of movie tickets so one guest could watch a film with nobody sitting near him.
"A lot of our guests are very particular," Ms Maier says. "They know what they want and this is the type of place where you ask and you receive."
Puttin' on the ritz, as the song goes, is what this place does best, but it's a luxury that doesn't come cheap. Standard rooms start at $US345 ($A396) a night and my suite on the premier 30th floor, with a separate lounge, dressing room and views over Lake Michigan, goes for a cool $US940 ($A1,080).
The decadence makes the splurge worthwhile though, when the hospitality seems to bathe this rough-diamond city in a warm glowing light - with the help of a tequila rub, of course.
If you go:
The Ritz-Carlton is a Four Seasons hotel located on Chicago's North Michigan Avenue.
Room rates start at $US345 ($A396) a night for a standard room, or $US405 ($A465) including full breakfast for two. Splurge on a Premier Four Seasons Executive Suite for $US940 ($A1,0809) a night, or a premier one-bedroom suite for $US1,555 ($A1,787) a night. The Punta Mita tequila massage costs $US135 ($A155) for 85 minutes.
For a more modern luxury experience, try the Four Seasons Chicago just around the corner. This hotel has the spectacular lake views and grand ambience of the Ritz but a recent refurbishment has propelled it into the 21st century with sophisticated streamlined decor and mod cons like flat screen televisions. Rates start at $US395 ($A454) a night for a standard room or $US480 ($A552) a night for a Girls Just Want to Have Fun package including a martini, makeover and a personalised shopping trip.
For more information visit: www.fourseasons.com or call, from Australia, (0011) 1-312-266-1000.
The writer was a guest of the Ritz-Carlton Chicago and Chicago Office of Tourism.
AAP
First published by TheAge.com.au on September 19 2008
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