VALEO at JW Marriott-Chicago, Chicago

The JW Marriot stands in the heart of downtown Chicago, just a quick walk away from Millennium Park, high-end shopping along The Magnificent Mile, and museums. The hotel feels luxurious from the moment guests step through the front doors into a lobby adorned with glittering chandeliers, white marble pillars and floors, and gilded accents. An onsite restaurant, The Florentine, serves upscale Italian-American cuisine and pours more than a dozen wines by the quartino (about one third of a bottle). The editors of Condé Nast Traveler named it one of the world’s best new hotels in 2011—quite a transformation for a neoclassical building that served as a bank in the early 1900s.

Valeo, JW Marriott’s onsite spa, offers custom facials, therapeutic massages, and other results-oriented services designed to stretch the muscles and the rubber bands that keep our elbows from coming unhinged. The 20,000-square-foot space also contains a yoga studio, fitness center, and pool.