I could not recommend a wedding venue more than the Hotel Palomar. From the minute that we met Allison and her team, my husband and I were treated like actual royalty. The team’s attention to detail was incredible and shined through even in our first meeting. Not only did we receive a detailed tour of the ballroom, hotel, and guest rooms but we left with a goodie bag of cookies with a handwritten note from the Executive Chef congratulating us on our engagement!

The food is unbelievable and is sure to wow your guests. The menu choices are very expansive which meant we got to choose items that aren’t often seen at other weddings. Hot tip: the red wine braised short ribs were life-changing.

The bar was also spectacular - good quality liquor choices and well made drinks by the bartenders.

But the service, my goodness this might be the best part. I am the sort of person with endless questions and Allison was incredibly patient and responsive throughout the entire planning process. Also, during the entire wedding weekend the in-room dining and housekeeping teams took outstanding care of everyone in our room block.

There was legitimately nothing that I would change about our wedding day because of the incredible care and hard work put in by the Hotel Palomar team! Choosing to host your wedding at the Palomar should be a no-brainer.

Allison S. and the team at the Royal Sonesta River North (FKA The Kimpton Hotel Palomar) were the glue that held our wedding together. Unfortunately, due to COVID we had to reschedule our wedding twice. (The third time was the charm!) Allison and the team made the wedding planning process seamless and demonstrated compassion and understanding.

Allison was the absolute best! She stuck with us through postponements, answered hundreds of questions, and coordinated many meetings/phone calls. She was patient, efficient, hard-working and knowledgeable about the wedding planning process/industry. There were many times throughout the planning process where we didn’t know if we could have 10, 30, 50 or 150 guests at our wedding. Allison was always there to share everything she knew about the very fluid changes that were happening in the COVID landscape between event spaces and the city. We could not have had a successful wedding without all of Allison’s work behind the scenes as well as help leading up to and on the day of our wedding!

Additionally, all of the bartenders, waitstaff, and additional team members at the Sonesta were amazing. Everyone was incredibly friendly and hospitable. Our friends still rave about how fun they helped make the night! The food served at our wedding was also phenomenal! We elected to offer our guests the option of a chicken, fish, or vegetarian dish. We heard great things about all three meals. The passed appetizers at cocktail hour and late night snack (pretzels) were also terrific.

All in all, the Royal Sonesta River North was an incredible place to host our wedding. The staff, delicious food, and beautiful ballroom helped bring our vision/dream wedding to life. We would recommend the Sonesta to anyone! If you’re considering this venue, do not hesitate!

We started planning for our wedding 4 months prior to the wedding date. It was very challenging and we had no idea how to organize everything in such a short time. We saw few vendors before we ended up walking into the Kimpton. The moment we entered the hotel and met Alexa we knew that this is the place we want to have our wedding at. The hotel is very nice and the ballroom was just perfect for our 120 guests. The staff was phenomenal and we had unlimited help whenever we asked for it. Alexa helped us with all the tiny details and she was very thorough. Prior to our big day she made sure to cover all the details that we didn't even knew existed. Every singly guest who was at our wedding commented on how beautiful the venue was and how awesome the staff was.
I really can't thank these people enough and i would definitely recommend this place.

We had a great experience at the Palomar- we held our reception there after a ceremony in a different location. Our main contact was Alexa, and she was awesome about answering our many, many questions during the planning process as well as meeting with us multiple times to plan and make sure everything was set. Our reception (a pretty small one at about 25 people total) was in the private space at Sable on the ground floor, and they did a great job setting up and incorporating all of our custom decor and providing some great food, even setting up a speaker system themselves so that we could play our own music. We also have to give a shout out to the service staff- they all did an incredible job and were one of the best parts of the night.

We’re also fans of the hotel itself- we had a very big and well-appointed suite included with our reception, and they set aside a specially priced room block for our guests with no occupancy obligation. Overall we were very happy with our experience there, and we’d definitely recommend giving them a call if you’re looking for a venue in River North.

Lindsey at Hotel Palomar is fantastic! We booked a block through Hotel Palomar for our April wedding and she is one of the most responsive vendors we have worked with.

She was very accommodating with the block and was great about answering all our questions (since we've never done a hotel block before). Hotel Palomar is a BEAUTIFUL hotel and the rooms are cozy and welcoming.

Also, it is in one of the best areas of the city so it is a great place to send your friends and family. They have so many options in walking distance from their hotel.

Thank you to Lindsey for making the process an easy and stress-free part of the wedding planning process.

We recently completed our wedding weekend at the Kimpton Hotel Palomar and everything was exceptional! Allison was very organized, handled all details of the weekend, and was terrific to work with. No request was too much for her. All of the hotel personnel were so terrific everyone felt like family by the end of the weekend (including the wedding guests.) From Emma Jane, who coordinated the actual wedding and day after brunch, to Gonzalo, who took care of everyone the entire weekend, and Sarah at the front desk, who handled a myriad of miscellaneous requests promptly, we could not be more pleased! The nightly hotel wine hour was a great opportunity for the wedding guests to mingle. All of the food and cocktails provided by Sable for various events was fantastic – big thanks to Amber and Kyle. I could go on and on but you get the idea – Hotel Palomar is a superb venue in all respects!

Lindsey was our main point of contact at Palomar. She was super helpful and responsive during the whole process. The Palomar was the only hotel that we reached out to that offered a tour and they made great suggestions for our first look spot and even reserved part of the restaurant as a back-up location. The hotel was wonderful, the rooms were amazing, and the staff was all so happy and helpful! The suites were huge (and a good price!) so we had plenty of room to get ready, and Lindsey made sure we had plenty of chairs for the salon technicians. Lindsey's thoughtfulness extended beyond the wedding as we had a bottle of bubbly waiting for us in the room when we got back from the reception. Lastly, all of our family member who stayed there loved their rooms and the service too!

I did a LOT of research for our wedding reception venue. The minute I met Alyssa, Director of Catering at Hotel Palomar, my search was over! Alyssa was a total Godsend for our wedding planning. And that was just the beginning of our flawless experience with Hotel Palomar. Every step in the planning process Alyssa and the team at Palomar were there to make things easy, fun, and memorable. They were also very accommodating to all of our requests.
Many of our guests were coming from out of town so we wanted them to experience what downtown Chicago is all about. The location of Hotel Palomar couldn’t be better in the heart of River North with a plethora of restaurants, bars, and shopping within walking distance. The ballroom is also amazing. It has floor to ceiling windows on three sides of the room so you get amazing city views, which was key for us. No stuffy conference room feel. There is also a balcony off the ballroom so your guests can get a breath of fresh air or take a break from dancing without leaving the party. Finally, the upgraded features that come standard with your reception package such as satin table linens and beautiful gold plate chargers make the need to decorate the space minimal. Bonus, the staff will set the tables with your décor. One less thing to worry about!
I think our favorite part of wedding planning was our tasting at Sable - Trying all the amazing appetizers and entrée options and creating our signature cocktail was so much FUN! The food is phenomenal. Definitely not your typical “wedding food”. I can’t tell you how many guests commented on how much they loved our meal. The bartenders bring the party! They were so much fun!
All of our guests continue to tell us how much they loved every aspect of our wedding and we couldn’t agree more. The team at Hotel Palomar truly made our dream day a reality.

If you're looking for a venue that will exceed your expectations-- Hotel Palomar is for you! Alyssa was an absolute pleasure to work with. Think wedding planner without paying for a wedding planner, am I right?! They are so accommodating and really work to make your vision fit your budget.

I don't even know where to begin to describe how amazing the Palomar was for our wedding. We had 100 guests which was absolutely perfect (I probably wouldn't go much higher than about 120).

I probably sent around 100 emails to Alyssa over the course of the year, and she always responded within a day, usually within minutes. She knows what she's doing and ensures her staff pull off a flawless event. If you're a micromanaging planner like I am you will really appreciate responsiveness.

We picked the Palomar because it was an all-in-one deal which meant the planning would not be stressful. And it wasn't. I still can't believe how little effort we had to exert in putting it all together considering we didn't have a wedding planner. It was basically like picking from a menu of a few options, which were plenty varied but limited enough that you were not overwhelmed with anxiety about making the wrong choice. Having all of our guests, ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception in the same space, having the catering and AV and even chairs taken care of, just made everything so easy. We kept asking ourselves (and Alyssa) what are we missing, this seems too easy.

And the food was simply incredible, which let's be honest is why you are looking at the Palomar in the first place (hint: get the steak. They'll cook it perfectly)

Two minor observations: Yes, the carpet isn't the greatest, but trust me when I say you won't notice it when everything is put in place. The eye will be drawn to the gorgeous chandeliers and the table settings which were perfect. The default chairs however, are simply not attractive, and we're glad we had Alyssa order us some chiavari. It really made a big difference.

I could go on and on cause we're still in a euphoric state with how awesome everything was, but really do consider the Palomar. You won't regret it.