Four Seasons Hotels
For those of you who have taken this tour and opted to upgrade to the Four Seasons Hotels, I would be interested to know which one you liked more (Chicago or Toronto hotel). Tauck has made some adjustments to the hotel selection for future tours such that you can only elect to stay at the Four Seasons in one of the cities so I am wondering if anybody found one of the hotels to be superior to the other in any regard. The location does not provide significant differentiation and neither does a cursory review of the website.
Thanks in advance.
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Comments
We did this cruise last August. We stayed at The Four Seasons in both Cities. We liked the Toronto property better for its breakfast . It was especially nice. The Chicago property was in a larger high rise building where there was access to a 3 story mall and multiple choices for a lunch at the food court and restaurants. The rooms in both locations were large and very comfortable.
We took this tour last Fall and opted not to stay in the Four Seasons hotels, it cost way more and we could not justify that. We had stayed in the Chicago Four Seasons previously and it was fine but not in a central location. The alternate hotels were fine and in Toronto there was the added excitement of the Toronto film festival going on so we got to share the elevator with an Oscar winner.
The Welcome meal was not in the Four Seasons so that was an advantage to stay in the other hotel. The Four Seasons people had to be bussed back and left early to accommodate that.
I think I posted a review.
The Toronto Four Seasons definitely was better. Very courteous staff, large comfortable room, an Eataly restaurant nearby and nice shopping and residences. Walking distance to the museum. Breakfast was very nice and not a buffet. Chicago was a nice room, disinterested staff and unremarkable breakfast. Not an inviting lobby area either. Checkin was slow to our directors’ frustration. Would not opt for Chicago.
I guess it also depends on which city the tour begins, that could influence your choice. We started in Chicago. We arrived on the start date of the tour and had previously seen all sites. I don’t recall much free time in Toronto to see much.
When we took this tour, we opted for the Four Seasons since we had stayed twice before at the Fairmont property in Toronto. Our room was quite large with an equally large and well-appointed bathroom. Although the Fairmont rooms were smaller, I thought the service there was more attentive.
We also had a large room at the Four Seasons in Chicago with a living room separated from the bedroom by french doors. The views of Lake Michigan were quite nice and dramatic when a lightning storm passed through. I remember the breakfast manager was most gracious when there was a mix-up with our post-tour stay. I can't offer an opinion of the Chicago Fairmont since we only had the farewell dinner there. The buses never arrived at the Four Seasons, so 80+ people had to take a taxi (probably not the hotel's fault). I do think the Fairmont had a better location and closer to the main shopping street—Magnificent Mile I believe it is called.
From an aesthetic viewpoint, I much prefer the architecture of Fairmont properties over a steel high-rise. Nonetheless, enjoy your tour.
Thanks, all; appreciate it!