Royal Sonesta Chicago Downtown

my wife and I couldn't be happier that our initial venue cancelled because we couldn't imagine a better venue to celebrate our big day.

edding, there were a lot of moving parts. A lot of details. And the staff was friendly and capable of navigating through all of that. The things that fell through the cracks were not a big deal. From a planning standpoint, having the ceremony on the penthouse terrace with the cocktail hour and reception on the same floor was so helpful. Saved a lot of logistical planning, everything flowed smoothly, and we got to maximize our time on that amazing rooftop. Also, after the rehearsal dinner held elsewhere the night before the wedding, we hosted a cocktail hour in the hotel's bar for all guests to attend. That was also awesome. Highly recommend. If we could do it all over again, we would choose the Royal Sonesta again and again and again.

us feel at ease when we were stressed and provided great solutions to the challenges we faced due to COVID. The rest of the hotel staff was outstanding! The check in team was so helpful when making sure that we had everything we needed and helped to get guests in our wedding block checked in as soon as the rooms were available. I cannot thank the Sonesta team for making our dreams come true!

ons and questions and our event manager, Emily, was an expert at not only handling every ask but doing so with so much grace and enthusiasm. Everyone felt so taken care of! The recent renovations are also really beautiful, and paired with an excellent location, it made for the best hub for a lot of our out-of-town guests looking to explore Chicago. I would definitely have another event here! The hotel rooms were spacious with excellent views of the river--both day and night. We stayed in a suite on a higher floor so we were able to take a peek at the London House roof top next door. The event team also did wonders to accommodate guests' reservations and room requests. The only thing preventing me from providing a full 5 stars was that we didn't know ahead of time that valet parking was not available due to construction/change management, and it was a last-minute scramble for a lot of our guests and vendors. However, we were able to find parking in a garage nearby. I don't think this is a permanent issue, however, and for event purposes, I'd just make sure to be extra proactive about parking questions in case!

have looked stunning. We started touring venues in October of 2020 and by the time we toured Royal Sonesta we were 10 venue tours deep and kind of had our hearts set on a different location. Honestly a “hotel ballroom wedding” didn’t really match the vision we had for our big day. However, within minutes, the initial tour and the vibe we got from Rick changed everything. First of all- the place isn’t your standard ballroom and I couldn’t picture a more beautiful place in the city that TRULY shows off Chicago. The outdoor terrace is stunning with amazing views that continue to be seen throughout the entire floor due to the outrageously tall ceiling and the amount of windows. The city lights when the sun went down was decor enough to be honest. We pictured a very minimal, timeless, classic wedding that didn’t need $30k in floral decor and THIS. WAS. IT. Secondly, this was the first tour that a venue actually WANTED us to have a wedding with them. Rick was laughing at me because I was in a constant state of “this is too good to be true” and he had to remind me more than I would like to admit that it wasn’t. We have been married for 2 months now and honestly I’m still waiting for a “SURPRISE this wedding was actually a million dollars!” Working with a hotel and everything being provided VS working with a venue that is only providing the space made this place seem like a fairytale. They went over package plans but we had such a different vision that the conversation ended up going “tell me your dream wedding and your dream budget and I’ll make something work” and let me tell you- they did just that. We weren’t very traditional in how we pictured our reception- we envisioned a continuous, non-stop celebration of our marriage. With that, we didn’t want a “seated” dinner but instead, wanted guests to indulge in a variety of hors d’oeuvres, food stations, and cocktails throughout the ENTIRE night. We wanted a mixture of high top cocktail tables, seated dinner tables, lounge seating, etc. We wanted guests to grab food/drinks whenever and however often they pleased. Food=incredible btw. We had never been to a cocktail style reception before, only my annual work holiday party and some Pinterest photos for inspo but the Royal Sonesta team (Rick and Emily) took our ideas and easily knew how to make the night more perfect than we could have imagined. Our event coordinator, Emily, is a prime example of someone who is not only just great at their job but truly KNOWS WHAT SHE IS DOING. She was incredibly easy to have a conversation with- via email or telephone. Super attentive. Very nice. And someone who I easily trusted to make our day incredible. She designed and decorated the place perfectly- we had some DIY items- wedding programs, gift table decor, welcome signs, etc. that we just casually left with her and she put everything where she knew it should be- I had zero input besides the main layout plan we had created and I was blown away by her and the preferred florist’s (Anthony Gowder- absolutely amazing btw) creativity. Things are going to go wrong on your wedding day. Period. But no matter the issue, you can count on Royal Sonesta, Emily, and Rick to make your wedding day the best day of your life.

tter than our original venue. The team at the Royal Sonesta helped us replan our wedding in four months and had it go perfectly day of. The food was amazing, the waitstaff and bartenders were amazing, Emily the coordinator was amazing, everything was perfect. It was the perfect place to get married with the most spectacular views! (Also it is where Bruce Waynes penthouse in the Batman Dark Knight movies were filmed, an excellent conversation piece). I can't thank them enough for saving our wedding and all they did to have it be the day of our dreams. Their staff will make sure your special day is phenomenal!

s a backdrop to the bridesmaids' morning of hair and makeup. The penthouse had new chandeliers that made the ceremony even more exqusitie, and the terrace was stunning that wowed the guests. I cannot thank the Royal Sonesta staff enough. Eric at the front desk, Marsha and Karen during the day of, Erin in the early stages, and Rick making sure every last detail was right. We provided a lot of feedback on the food, and the chef Ted was willing to work with us to make it perfect. I wish I could live the day all over again.

my dreams. The ballroom and terrace was spectacular. All of our guests loved the views and complimented the tasty food. Thank you Erin and Royal Sonesta Chicago Riverfront for a perfect day!

ryone keeps telling us out how beautiful our wedding was. We were lucky enough with weather to have our ceremony outside on the terrace with the most breathtaking views of the skyline and river. The reception was in the ballroom with all floor to ceiling windows with the same gorgeous views. The food was absolutely delicious and the wine and liquor selections were wonderful – it’s safe to say everyone had a great time!! Everyone was fantastic to work with throughout the process, special thanks to Tony, Erin, and Wendy who were wonderful throughout the whole planning process! We really appreciated that Wendy was present at our rehearsal and for the entire reception until the end! They also made sure to hold an elevator for guests coming to the wedding, which I was a little worried about, but they made sure the guests had no issues getting up to the penthouse. We’re so happy with our experience!!

r main coordinator leaving the company so I know they were understaffed for much of the summer when we had our wedding. This did result in some additional planning but as I mentioned it all worked out in the end. If you get a change to work with Erin Ruff, she is the best and super responsive. Her and the team even showed up on the wedding day to our respective suites to ensure everything went as planned. Going into the wedding our biggest concern was the elevator process as other reviews might have mentioned but this really wasn't even an issue. They do a great job moving people along, and I know the elevators are being updated so things are only going to get better with that. We have zero regrets with having our wedding here, our guests were amazed at being able to experience 3 separate event spaces (Terrace for cocktail hour, Ballroom for dinner, and Penthouse Ballroom for dancing) all in one wedding and seeing their excitement made everything worth it. As mentioned earlier big credit to the actual event staff and bartenders because everything went smoothly even with all of our movement between floors. Thank you to Erin, Wendy and the rest of the team for hosting us!

re the source of perfect ambiance and inspiration during the reception dinner. Everything was beautiful and magical, including the foods, decorations, and service--especially all of the help that Erin and Wendy gave us! We will never forget the perfect start to our marriage!

end! We would highly recommend checking out the Wyndham for any special event — they’ll help make it even more special!

cution calmly, quickly and professionally. Andrew Smith made sure we had a fabulous suite and our guests had wonderful rooms. The night of the party, the entire team, including AV and Dining, were wonderful. They even found an inventive way to showcase my table gifts. The food was fantastic; all AV in both rooms was perfectly smooth. I can't say enough about how wonderful everyone was. It allowed me to relax and really enjoy my special time.

ackages for wedding cake is amazing! What really sets the Wyndham apart is the service they provide. While our guests remember the beautiful view and the wonderful food, my husband and I remember being treated like the most important VIP's in the hotel. That specialized service is what I remember most about our Best Day Ever!

day of. From checking in via e-mail during the planning process, answering my thousands of questions (and quickly too), to bringing us a gift the morning of, setting up some of our decor, and finding some tape for a last minute broken shoe emergency...she was the best! Even though we were stressed, she definitely made things easier. We had so many compliments on how beautiful the ceremony space looked and how much everyone loved having their welcome bags delivered to them in their rooms. Erin and her team truly go above and beyond to make the day special and memorable. We would highly recommend booking at the Wyndham and having Erin help you along the way. We genuinely appreciated everything she and her team did for us. It was an unforgettable day!

ator. Our coordinator Brianna left a couple of months before our wedding, and Wendy took over. I cannot stress enough how horrible we both felt when we showed up for the rehearsal and Wendy was no where to be found. Bathrooms were locked and guests were complaining. The day of our wedding, absolutely NO ONE knew how to get to the freight elevator. Not Wendy, nor the building managers. How is this even possible?!? After many hours, our florist was finally permitted to use the main elevators to start setting up in the penthouse, but due to limited time, she wasn't able to finish. All in all, i'd choose Wyndham Grand again, but only if i were given different staff. Brianna was amazing, Wendy, not so much.

and a huge outdoor terrace space that makes for a gorgeous ceremony space. Because of some unexpected personal issues we were forced to cancel the wedding and are absolutely bummed we won’t get to celebrate our big day there. If anyone is still on the hunt for a beautiful Chicago venue the September 7th, 2019 date is open! It’s too beautiful of a venue to go to waste.

signs!). We recently went for the tasting event for our September 2019 wedding, and were very impressed with the food, service, and of course, breathtaking views. We are so very excited to celebrate our special day at the Wyndham, and are grateful to have Erin and Brianna to rely on in the planning process!

accommodating to our non-traditional requests and went out of their way to make sure we were happy. My wife and I would definitely recommend the Wyndham to anyone looking for a great experience! They helped us turn all of our ideas into a budget-friendly reality that still felt special. In particular, they made us feel really special by adding personal touches in the smallest areas, such as using our wedding hashtag on our menu tasting, and incorporating our overall theme into an awesome graphic shown in the elevators. They really went out of their way to show us how much they cared. The food was beyond amazing, and they were able to accommodate my dietary restrictions very easily. Many of our guests complimented every aspect of the venue and food long after the reception ended! We knew there was nothing to worry about because Brianna was so amazing and on top of everything. Our wedding was absolutely perfect and we would not change a single thing, thanks to the amazing staff at the Wyndham.

liver welcome bags to guest rooms, so they had to refund us. 4. They oversold the rooms and my brother had to wait for his room to get cleaned (when he checked in at 7pm) 5. When my brother got to his “clean room” the bed wasn’t made and it was still dirty. 6. The elevators were SO slow, they’re in the process of working on them. 7. We got several complaints from our guests that the courses were served and taken away so quickly, it didn’t give people an opportunity to eat their food! 8. The bar was outside of the reception room, which I knew. I asked for it to be inside the room but I was convinced otherwise. The issue is that EVERYONE WAS OUTSIDE OF THE ROOM THE WHOLE NIGHT. 9. They didn’t supply anything essential (easels, table numbers, etc.) table numbers were offered but were so dinged up. You’d think for what we spent they could supply decent essentials. 10. We didn’t get all of the items we wanted back. On the other hand, the view was breathtaking. Hence the 2 stars.

at the Wyndham grand. Everything about the experience exceeded our expectations. Catering sales manager Erin Ruff took care of everything from start to finish. She personally took us on the initial tour of this amazing venue, organized a food and wine tasting event that was almost as much fun as the actual event and personally stayed well into the evening on the night of the event to make sure everything went off without a hitch. She made last-minute adjustments to accommodate some changes we didn't anticipate, without batting an eye. She is a total pro and extremely personable and kind on top of that. I can't imagine there is a better venue in the city. The inside and outside views from the penthouse and Terrace were incredible. All of our guests were highly impressed. The food and bar service was perfect. Audiovisual and other special requests were completely taken care of without issue. We would highly recommend others needing such a venue to strongly consider this space (and particularly the people) at the Wyndham Grand

ght of yet. Once we moved forward and signed the contract, Erin was very responsive via e-mail--she made the process so much easier for us as we are from out-of-state. The morning of the wedding, Erin came up to our room with her assistant and steamed my wedding gowns. She even thought to bring food and water bowls for our dog :) Her thoughtfulness and kind gestures were very much appreciated during a hectic morning. She was attentive to our needs, and that of our guests the whole weekend. More about the venue: the penthouse ballroom is absolutely stunning at night! We used the balcony for our ceremony and the ballroom for the reception, and the staff at the Wyndham worked seamlessly to ensure everything ran smoothly. The food was incredible! Our guests loved the appetizers and the dessert table, and the salmon entree received rave reviews. If we had to get married again, we wouldn't change a thing. Thank you so much Erin!

Otherwise, there are other hotels in Chicago with more responsive staff, nicer guest rooms, nicer bridal suites, a groom's room (the Wyndham didn't even have one), and more competitive pricing. Should you decide to have your reception at the Wyndham, be sure to read the terms in the contract regarding the minimum and beware if their price quotes in the proposal. The pricing calculations they provided to us before we signed the contract was misleading and we were caught by surprise when the final invoices were sent. The city views from the reception room surely made up for the headaches we experienced in working with them, but in the end, we left with a less than ideal experience.