Dream Date - Dinner for Two at Elate Restaurant

One of Chicago’s most anticipated fundraisers of the year is just around the corner. Hotel Felix’s Elate Restaurant is happy to participate in this year’s giveaways. Starlight Children’s Foundation Midwest will be auctioning off dinner for two at Elate Restaurant on Feb. 5th at the 19^th Annual Dream Date Charity Auction.

Starlight is a nonprofit organization which helps seriously ill children and their families cope with their pain, fear and isolation through entertainment, education, family activities, community outings and other special events.  The fundraising goal of $150,000 has been set for the “Dream Date” event, which will host more than 550 attendees.

Elate Restaurant is proud to participate in this fundraising event to help support Starlight’s diverse line-up of programs and services.  Event details are listed below:

Who: Starlight Children’s Foundation Midwest

What: 19th Annual Dream Date Charity Auction

Where: Enclave (220 W. Chicago Ave.)

When: Friday, Feb. 5th at 6 p.m.

Why: To raise money to help support Starlight’s diverse line-up of programs and services

For tickets, please call 312.251.7827 or visit www.starlight-midwest.org

Hotel Felix announced as finalist in Greater Chicago Food Depository Commerical Real Estate Awards

Every year, the Greater Chicago Food Depository Chicago Commercial Real Estate Awards Dinner recognizes the outstanding architects, designers, developers and brokers responsible for the city’s best real estate developments. This year, the developer of the Hotel Felix, Oxford Capital Group, LLC, has been honored to have been selected as a finalist in the redevelopment category.

The annual event is a benefit of the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Chicago’s food bank, and has raised more than $10 million for the cause in the last 21 years. Award nominations are reviewed by a Blue Ribbon Panel, comprised of representatives from last year’s award winners, representatives from real estate associations and members of the real estate community. The panel selects two to six finalists per category and then finalists are voted on by the Executive Committee.

The dinner is considered “the Oscars of the real estate industry.” This year’s event starts with a reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 11, 2010, at the Hilton Chicago.

The Hotel Felix would like to congratulate all who have contributed to this unique and distinctive project.

Follow us on Twitter and get an unbelievable deal

Did you know Chicago’s eco-friendly Hotel Felix, the first city hotel to be designed to be Silver LEED certified,  has a Twitter account? Check it out, and follow us to learn more about our great amenities, service, and eco-friendly features, and to be the first to know about our latest promotions and deals - like this one.

Right now, we have a special deal just for our Twitter followers. Use the corporate promo code “Twitter” when making reservations and snag a room for just $69 per night, now through Feb. 12.

Go green while you save green with this fantastic deal. Spend just $69 per night for the room at the green Hotel Felix and you’ll have more greenbacks to spend on dinner and drinks at our restaurant, Elate, shopping along the Magnificent Mile, or out exploring Chicago.

Haitian Relief Fund

Dear Associates and Guests,

Earlier this week, the nation of Haiti suffered through a massive earthquake that demolished the capital, Port-au-Prince.  Already the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, the earthquake and aftershocks have destroyed any semblance of normalcy and wiped out existing infrastructure.

If you would like to help our less fortunate neighbors living in Haiti, you can make a donation from your cell phone to the American Red Cross.

To make an immediate donation of $10 to the Haitian Relief Fund of the American Red Cross,

TEXT “Haiti” to 90999.

Your donation will help alleviate the suffering and make you feel a little better too.

All the Best,

Hotel Felix Management

10 Ways to Go Green in 2010

Photo credit: jamieleto via Flickr

Make 2010 the year you go green in a big way. Here are 10 ways to live a greener lifestyle in the coming year and help conserve the Earth’s precious natural resources.

1. Green Lighting
The thousands of traditional light bulbs in a hotel (and even the dozen or so in your home) can waste a lot of electricity, unnecessarily. Switching to low energy-use lighting, such as the compact fluorescent & LED lights used throughout the Hotel Felix, can cut down on your energy usage and your energy costs.

2. Alternative Power
The Hotel Felix is currently conducting a study to determine how much energy could be harvested from wind power. Using alternative energy sources is a bit more difficult at home, but still possible. If you live in a very sunny area, the money you would save by using solar power could offset the investment costs. And as gas prices continue to rise, alternative sources of fuel like those employed by bio-diesel and hydro-electric hybrid cars are becoming more attractive.

3. Buy Locally Produced Items
The further an item travels from producer to consumer, the larger its carbon footprint. Cut down on the amount of fuel used to transport good by buying locally produced items whenever possible.

Photo credit: _e.t. via Flickr

4. Buy Sustainable and Organic Products
Sustainable products are made in a way that doesn’t deplete the natural resources used to create them. Organic products are made without potentially harmful chemicals. By purchasing items that are sustainable and organic, you help protect the environment and conserve limited natural resources. At the Hotel Felix, we only serve locally produced, organic Metropolis coffee and teas in our lobby.

5. Limit Waste
Buy only what you will use, and use only what you need. It’s easy to over-consume in our world, where so much is available, and often at a very small price. But consuming needlessly creates extra waste. Cut down on your consumption and there will be less trash to dispose of.  To cut down on paper waste, the Hotel Felix runs a paperless front desk and offers a limited supply of daily newspapers.

6. Compost Organic Waste
Food scraps and other organic waste won’t decompose when buried in a landfill. But when composted outdoors, they will break down quickly and turn into a nice fertilizer. Composting organic waste will help deposit nutrients back into the soil and reduce the amount of space needed for landfills.

7. Recycle
The Hotel Felix puts a strong emphasis on recycling. A “Recycle Room” is dedicated to sorting recyclable materials from the rest of the trash, all cups and wipes in the fitness center are recyclable, and recycling bins are located at the front desk and all offices. Recycling at home is vital to reducing the amount of waste that gets dumped in landfills each year. If recycling isn’t offered in your area, invest in a few heavy-duty bins and, at the very least, recycle paper, glass, and plastic.

8. Build with Sustainable or Recycled Materials
Carpets in the guest rooms and the floor in the fitness center of the Hotel Felix are made of recycled materials. Using recycled materials whenever possible reduces the need for new products to be created (reducing carbon emissions release during that process) and keeps salvageable materials from going into the landfill. Using recycled materials in your home projects can also help save you money.

9. Reduce Water and Electricity Usage
We’ve all heard the advice that we should turn off the water when brushing our teeth, take shorter showers, and turn off and unplug electrical appliances when not in use, but how many people actually do it? Making a conscious effort to take these steps can save you money and make a large impact on the amount of resources wasted annually. At the Hotel Felix, we’ve installed motion sensor heating, ventilation and air conditioning throughout building so that these functions aren’t used when they don’t need to be. We’ve also installed a water waste reduction valve and employ an enhanced energy management system throughout the building.

10. Use Nontoxic Cleaning Products
Runoff from toxic cleaning chemicals can get into the water system and pollute our lakes and rivers. Help the Earth by using nontoxic cleaning products whenever possible. Only eco-friendly chemicals (no bleach) are used for cleaning rooms and linens at the Hotel Felix. Eco-friendly products are used in the Hotel Felix spa, and throughout the hotel we only use products that are low VOC and Green Seal certified.

Hotel Felix to Harvest Chicago’s “Windy City” Power

The Hotel Felix, the first hotel in Chicago designed to be Silver LEED certified, is proud of its many green features and initiatives. Compact fluorescent and LED lights are used throughout the building, guest room carpets are made of recycled materials, eco-friendly cleaning products are used throughout the hotel, local organic coffees and teas are served in the lobby, and our front desk has gone paperless to reduce waste.

There are a few more upcoming green projects that the Hotel Felix is excited about as well. Like many of Chicago’s downtown buildings, both Hotel Felix and its sister property, Hotel Cass, are located in strong wind corridors. As part of a renewable energy study being conducted by both hotels in cooperation with  GSY Energy Inc., Hotel Felix and Hotel Cass have installed technology to measure the amount of wind power potential for each site. It’s estimated that the two hotels combined could produce more than 100,000 kilowatt hours of electricity from wind annually.

Findings of the wind study are expected to be released in spring of 2010. If Hotel Felix can harness the power of Chicago’s wind and transform it into clean energy, it will be just one more way we’re working to help protect the planet and conserve our precious natural resources.

Bachelorette Jillian Harris Visits (and Loves) The Hotel Felix

Jillian Harris Visits Chicago's Hotel Felix

ABC’s Bachelorette Jillian Harris recently visited the Hotel Felix’s Spa Asha for a relaxing treatment.  Her thoughts?”My time at the spa truly was incredible! From all my travels in the last year or so - I have visited my share of spas and my time at Felix was top notch,” said Jillian Harris.  “All I know is that when I left my face was glowing for days [from the facial]. Same goes for the massage, the therapist was truly one of the best I have ever had.”

Jillian’s parents also stayed at the Hotel Felix while they were in town and raved about the visit.

“My parents stay at the Felix was incredible - staff was so friendly and personable and of course the décor was right up my alley,” said Jillian, who works in the restaurant and hospitality design industry.

It’s also rumored that Jillian has set a wedding date with Ed Swiderski, although the date isn’t announced publicly.

New Year’s Eve Revelry

Seems this New Years Eve will be a big one. People are tired of “doom and gloom” and are looking forward to saying “Adieu” to 2009. 2010 has got to be better and Chicago hotels are all giving great deals. Hotel Felix has a couple of packages available that include dinner at Elate and champagne toast to celebrate. The weekend seems to be strong this year and occupancies are running high… so why not stay with us at Felix from December 31 - Jan. 3. We’ve also offering some fantastic deals on our website, look for “TICKER” rate. http://www.hotelfelixchicago.com

Green Meets Red (Roadster)

2010 Tesla Roadster

We test drove the new Tesla Roadster yesterday. This all electric vehicle gets better mileage than a Prius and is faster than a Porchse. Coming soon, our new Tesla Tesdrive Package and Extravagently Green New Year’s Eve. This car is amazing… and it’s green too, or red, or orange, or silver. Paired with the eco friendly Silver LEED’s certified Hotel Felix, Tesla and Felix are meant to be together. Green really does meet red.

Wind in the Windy City

The eco-friendly Hotel Felix and its sister property, Hotel Cass, a Holiday Inn Express are now taking steps to reduce the carbon footprints of each facility. While Hotel Felix was built to meet LEED silver certification, the Hotel Cass is now also pursuing ways to be a greener citizen in the hospitality world.

“In an effort to further reduce each hotel’s impact on the environment both the Hotel Felix and Hotel Cass, in partnership with GSY Energy, Inc., have begun the process of conducting an onsite renewable energy study,” said George Jordan, Area General Manager for the two boutique properties owned by OBG Oxford Hospitality Investment Partners. “The study will include a review of each buildings base-line use of electrical power and an assessment of what resources exists to create onsite renewable energy.”

He further explained that both locations are in a strong wind corridors and have therefore installed equipment to measure the actual power potential of each site. It is estimated that combined, both properties will be able to produce in excess of 100,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually from wind, further reducing the carbon footprint of each site. The study will be conducted over a minimum of a 6-9 month period with initial findings expected in spring 2010.

Corporations and individual travelers are becoming more conscious of the eco-friendly means of travel and hospitality. One study of 1,555 business travelers conducted by Deloitte in 2008 reports that the top five environmental initiatives guests watch for at hotels are recycling, energy efficient lighting, energy efficient windows, a linen and towel/reuse program and an environmentally friendly cleaning program. Hotel Felix offers all of these elements.