Eco hotels with pools in Chicago ranked by sustainability credentials

Yes. All five hotels on this list have indoor pools, which means they stay open through Chicago's winter months. Outdoor pools in Chicago typically close from November through April due to temperatures that regularly drop below 20°F, so an indoor pool is the practical choice for most of the year. Each hotel's pool hours vary, so call ahead if you plan an early morning or late evening swim.

LEED Gold is a rating from the US Green Building Council that a building earned by meeting specific, measurable standards across energy efficiency, water reduction, indoor air quality, and sustainable materials. An independent third-party auditor verifies the data before the certification is awarded. For a hotel, it typically means the building uses significantly less energy and water per square foot than a conventional property of the same size, though the certification applies to the building rather than to day-to-day operations.

Tier 2 hotels on this list have published specific numbers, such as a documented percentage reduction in energy use per occupied room or a confirmed switch to bulk amenity dispensers that eliminates a stated number of plastic bottles. That is different from a hotel that says it is committed to sustainability without any data to support the claim. If a hotel could not provide specific, verifiable metrics, it was excluded from this list regardless of how it markets itself.

A small number of Chicago hotels have rooftop or outdoor pools, but they operate seasonally, generally from late May through September. None of the hotels on this list have outdoor pools as their primary pool facility. If a seasonal outdoor pool matters to you, we have a separate page for hotels with rooftop pools in Chicago that covers that category.

LEED-certified hotels in Chicago tend to carry premium pricing because they are concentrated in the luxury and upper-upscale segments. The Four Seasons, Langham, and JW Marriott are all five-star properties. The Radisson Blu Aqua and Loews Chicago sit in the four-star range and generally offer more moderate pricing relative to the five-star options, though all five properties are above the mid-range for Chicago.

For LEED certifications, search the US Green Building Council's public project database at usgbc.org using the hotel's address. For EarthCheck, the EarthCheck website lists certified properties by country and city. For brand programs like Marriott Serve 360 or Loews Loves Hotels, the brand's annual sustainability report is the primary source, and you can request property-level data directly from the hotel's sustainability coordinator.