If your kids are anything like mine, they are obsessed with hotel pools. They could swim in a hotel pool for hours. Fine by me! 🙂 As the long winter in Chicago approaches, it’s the perfect time to present the official Chicago Good Life indoor hotel pool guide!

Have you heard of Swimply and Resort Pass? Swimply is like an Airbnb for pools, allowing you to book private pool spaces by the hour. Search by town and filter by indoor pool, hot tub, etc, to see what’s available near you!

Meanwhile, Resort Pass is all about the daycation. You can browse by city and amenities to find hotels near you that offer day passes and discounted rates. For instance, a day pool pass at Intercontinental is $40 per adult and $25 for kids, totaling $130 for a family of four. But this grants access to their indoor heated pool, poolside seating, sauna, Wifi, fitness center, and discounts at hotel restaurants! Such a great idea!

I would definitely recommend calling the hotel before you book anything to make sure their pool is open (I learned this the hard way when a pool was closed for maintenance).

Now, here’s a roundup of Chicagoland’s indoor heated hotel pools sorted by city and burbs:

Chicago Hotels

• Aloft Chicago Mag Mile – small pool
• Embassy Suites by Hilton, Chicago Downtown – pretty small, budget friendly.
• Four Seasons Hotel Chicago – RESORT PASS! Splurge, but Resort Pass would be great for the day.
• Hyatt Centric Chicago Magnificent Mile – never stayed here, but I have heard good things!
• InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile – RESORT PASS! – pool gets pretty deep (good for older kids)
• JW Marriott Chicago – RESORT PASS! (small but the facilities are really nice).
• Loews Chicago Hotel – great family hotel.
• Palmer House, a Hilton Hotel – RESORT PASS!
• Park Hyatt – Mag Mile – One of my favorites and we always use our Hyatt points in combination with Chase Sapphire rewards to stay! Hot tub is great too.
• Radisson Blu – Great family junior suites, pool is big and has a hot tub. It’s shared with residents in the building (which was fine for us!)
• St. Regis – The best pool, 3 foot 5 inches the entire length of the pool, has pool noodles and other inflatables. It’s definitely a splurge, BUT it’s apart of Marriott. If you are a Marriott Rewards member, you can use points (we also transfer Chase Sapphire rewards and combine with Marriott Rewards). No hot tub though.
• Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk – older hotel that needs some updating, but you can get a good deal on a room.
• The Langham Chicago – pricey, definitely a splurge. Absolutely beautiful spa amenities.
• The Royal Sonesta Chicago River North – never stayed here, but it’s on my list!
• Waldorf Astoria – more of a lap pool, but it’s always pretty empty. Hot tub and facilities are really nice.

Suburban Hotels:

• Aloft Chicago O’Hare (Rosemont)
• Chicago Marriott (Naperville)
• DoubleTree by Hilton Chicago – North Shore Conference Center (Skokie)
• Hampton Inn & Suites Chicago (Aurora)
• Hilton Chicago/Northbrook – RESORT PASS!
• Hyatt Lodge (Oak Brook) – Day Passes available

If you are looking for some road trip essentials like travel pool toys and things to keep kids entertained on trips, you can see my shopping guide here!

Let me know if you try out any of these indoor pools or if I’ve forgotten to mention your favorite! If you’re looking for family-friendly Winter Break in Chicago ideas, check this out!

Happy Swimming! 

Christine