Homewood Suites Chicago Blog

Fall has arrived in Chicago! We shouldn’t mourn the end of beach days, summer festivals, rooftop bars, or boat rides. Instead we should relish the fact that Michigan Avenue isn’t clogged with shoppers, new restaurants are opening, the Chicago Marathon is being run, and Halloween is just around the corner.

Fall is a wonderful time to visit Chicago and all that we have to offer. If you are coming in the first weekend of October make sure to reserve your hotel room now. Over 45,000 people will be running in the Bank of American Chicago Marathon on Columbus Day weekend. It is a thrill to be surrounded by such amazing athletes from around the world.

Maybe running isn’t your thing? Maybe you tend to love a good movie and some great conversation afterward. If this sounds more up your alley check out the Chicago International Film Festival. This is quite the international showcase as well. With over 180 films from 50 different countries there should be something for everyone from comedies to documentaries. This is the 47^th year of this festival and should be the best yet.

With German immigrants making up the largest demographic of Chicago in Chicago we can’t forget Oktoberfest! There are numerous Oktoberfests that occur in the city during the months of September and October so grab your lederhosen and beer steins and get ready to have a great time.  Check out Oktoberfest Chicago in September to start the season off right.  Or head over to the Chicago Brauhaus for events running through October 30^th that celebrate the season.

Don’t worry we haven’t forgotten about Halloween. There is so much to do in Chicago over that weekend that it will be a separate post in the future! We hope you enjoyed some of the suite activities and hope to see you at the Homewood Suites by Hilton Chicago Downtown this fall!

The Homewood Suites by Hilton Chicago Downtown will participate in the Aids Run & Walk Annual event this year. The event is taking place on Saturday, October 1, 2011 in Grant Park in Downtown Chicago. This is our first year fundraising for AIDS awareness and prevention and the entire team is enthused to be a part of this event. We are excited to be a part of a growing cause and doing more to be involved with our community partners.

We have partnered with the Center on Halsted for the AIDS Run & Walk Chicago. The Center on Halsted is an outreach center located on the north side of Chicago in Boystown. The Center on Hasted has participated in the AIDS Run & Walk Chicago and we are thrilled to be able to partner with such and experienced organization for this event.

The AIDS Foundation of Chicago started the AIDS Run & Walk Chicago in 2001. It is an annual event held in Grant Park. Since its inception the event has raised over $3 million dollars. This year the Aids Foundation has set a goal to raise $500,000. If you would like to help the Aids foundation reach that goal you can either participate or donate.

We have numerous fundraisers going on inside of the hotel and are looking forward to the different experiences. Every Friday members of our team will be wearing the color red in a show of awareness for the cause. In addition, you can purchase select red candy in our Suite Shop with the proceeds going towards our overall donation. Finally, we are selling Friends of Lewis T-Shirts for $15 and we have red bracelets that are available for any domination of a donation.

In addition, to these fundraisers we will also be out at the AIDS Run & Walk Chicago on October 1^st to show our support. We will have several team members of the Homewood Suites by Hilton Chicago Downtown participating in the event. We will also have a tent at the park and Lewis- everyone’s favorite mascot will be there. If you are not familiar with Lewis the Duck, then come and out become a friend of Lewis and support the Aids foundation. Lewis will be taking pictures with people and putting them on Facebook so don’t forget to check our Facebook Page and tag yourself after the event!

If you are interested in participating in the AIDS Run & Walk Chicago we encourage you to join the Homewood Suites by Hilton Chicago Downtown’s Team. The registration fee is $25.00 per person. If you are willing to help the cause without the physical involvement donations are more than appreciated. Visit Homewood Suites team page to sponsor our team or one of our participants.

Thank you in advance for your time and support. Look forward to meeting you on Saturday, October 1 at 8:00 am in Grant Park.

The Homewood Suites by Hilton Chicago Downtown would like to announce the “Suitest Deal in Town” for this summer. We will be offering $1 parking for guest that book our “$1 Suite Parking Deal” package. With this package you will be staying in one of our expansive suites and enjoying $1 valet parking for each night that you are staying at the Homewood Suites Chicago.

With this package you will enjoy all the amenities that our hotel has to offer and the cost savings of $1 valet parking per a night. You can relax over a hot breakfast in our lodge or surf the internet from the comfort of your couch in your spacious suite. Maybe the kids want to play in the pool while you enjoy the amazing view from the 19^th floor! If you are staying during the week you even get dinner included in this suite deal!

With all the extra money that you have from taking advantage of the “Suite $1 Parking Deal” make sure to explore our wonderful city. Any family would love taking in a game within the friendly confines of Wrigley Field. Chicago also has some amazing beaches that will allow you to get your sun and sand in… just make sure to pack the sunscreen! If exploring Chicago’s culture is more your idea of a wonderful afternoon make sure to check out one of our amazing museums.

We hope to see you this summer in the Suitest City: Chicago! Visit our webpage to book the “Suite $1 Parking Deal”

We would like to announce that the Homewood Suites by Hilton Chicago Downtown has won a 2011 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence! We are honored to have received this award and would like to thank all of our guests that have written a TripAdvisor review for the hotel. It is because of your efforts that we have been able to achieve an average review of 4.5 out of 5. We have consistently been ranked as one of the top hotels in Chicago by TripAdvisor and are thrilled to be recognized not only by our guests but also by TripAdvisor. Please check out the TripAdvisor website to read reviews or to write your own review about your time at the Homewood Suites by Hilton Chicago Downtown.

Lewis the Duck is back in time to celebrate Spring Break with you! We know that everyone loves Chicago and all the many restaurants, attractions, shops, and sites that it has to offer. We want you to pick up your very own Lewis the duck and take him on his own adventure. You can find Lewis at the front desk of the Homewood Suites by Hilton Chicago Downtown just ask anyone up there for your very own Lewis the Duck!

Lewis was down south for the winter and is super excited to be back in Chicago! He wants to see what is new in Chicago so hopefully you can show him your favorite spots. Make sure you have your camera ready because he loves to take pictures. Take a picture of Lewis and you or just Lewis and post it on the Homewood Suites by Hilton Chicago Facebook page. Every month we will randomly select one picture as a winner. This person will receive a kindle for their picture. In addition, we will also change our profile picture to the winning picture so you have to make sure to keep on coming back to our Facebook page to see if you won! You can submit as many pictures as you want, so make sure to always have your camera with you!

Some of the places you can take Lewis are: Navy Pier (make sure to hop on the free trolley), the American Girl Store, the Lego Store, the Ledge at Willis Tower, the Field Museum, Millennium Park and much, much more. Check out our Facebook page to see some of the places that Lewis has already gone as an idea of where to visit in Chicago.

Remember to take Lewis home with you as he wants to visit other places around the world! Take your pictures of Lewis in your hometown or while you are in other places. Then post them on Facebook so everyone can enjoy. We are going to have an interactive map so we can see all the places that Lewis has visited!

If you have any questions please contact Vanessa at vkosloski@fhginc.com. Have fun and we want to see tons of pictures of you and Lewis!