We would just like to extend a “Happy Fat Tuesday!” to all. Indulge today!  Let us know what your plans are for Mardi Gras.

Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you out there! For couples celebrating together, be sure to enjoy each other’s company and surprise your valentine with a sweet treat. For all our singles out there take the day to pamper yourself. Most of all enjoy this day of love!

Here are some fun facts about Valentine’s Day:

• 73% of people who buy flowers for Valentine’s Day are men, while only 27% are women.
• More than 35 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate will be sold for Valentine’s Day.
• The red rose was the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love.
• Approximately 110 million roses, mostly red, will be sold and delivered within the three-day Valentine’s Day time period.
• Teachers will receive the most Valentine’s Day cards, followed by children, mothers, wives, sweethearts and pets.
• In addition to the United States, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, France, Australia, Denmark and Italy.

For more fun facts check out She Knows. Happy Valentine’s Day everyone, we hope you enjoy your celebrations!

We all know that our smart phones are our life source while traveling, but often times we are unable to plug in our phone and let the battery charge back up. Here are a few tips to live by while traveling:

1. ONLY USE YOUR PHONE WHEN NECESSARY! Yes, this one is a challenge but it will help use less battery power. If you need to use your phone make sure you are using only the necessary apps. If you have to check your email, turn off Angry Birds– you can’t do both at once.
2. Your phone will use extra juice when searching for a signal. When you are in an area where you know there is no service such as an airplane or subway, switch your phone onto airplane mode, or better yet, turn it off.
3. Check the brightness of your phone. To stretch out the battery life turn down the brightness without putting too much strain on your eyes.
4. Bad vibrations. Another quick fix to preserve the battery life is to turn off the vibrate function on your phone.
5. Disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. This function can drain your battery very quickly, if it isn’t a necessity, turn it off.
6. Give your phone a nap. If you are headed into a business meeting or out to eat with close friends turn your phone off. This will help save the battery and help you resist the urge of checking for updates and offending others.

These simple tips can help save the battery life on your phone while traveling when you do not have the time or opportunity to charge your phone.

Guess who we spotted last weekend at Hotel Felix? Here are some clues: Lethal Weapon, Angels in the Outfield, The Color Purple.

You guessed it; actor, producer, humanitarian, Danny Glover! Mr. Glover spent his weekend here in the Windy City and chose none other than this Eco Friendly dig. A big thank you to Danny Glover for choosing us during this recent stay in Chicago.

Snow-mageddon, Snow-pocalypse, Snotorious B.I.G or Sno.m.g. Whichever name you prefer, on this historic day last year Chicago was hit was one of the largest storms to date. The storm left a blanket of snow over the city leaving many people stranded. Although not record breaking, the storm left 20.2 inches of snow in its path.

The storm settled in as the third worst snow fall behind 1999, which came in second with 21.6 inches, and 1967, which had an astounding 23 inches covering the city. Hotel Felix offered an oasis from the “Thunder Snow” with a discounted price for those with no place to go. Take a trip down memory lane with this photo gallery of Snow-pocalypse from the Chicago Tribune. What are your memories or experiences from the blizzard of 2011?

We’re proud to share two articles that recently featured Hotel Felix. Green Building and Design showcased Hotel Felix in their January 2012 magazine as the “premier eco-friendly boutique hotel in downtown Chicago”. One of our favorite lines from the article came from our very own general manager, George Jordan, “Choose Felix, Choose Earth”.

For Little Bits of Green, “Hotel Felix is our Happy Place” – we couldn’t agree more! The writers at Little Bits of Green thoroughly appreciate our green efforts. They loved our use of organic materials and renewable resources as well as our fun green touches like our all-natural H2O Plus bath amenities.

Thank you to both Green Building and Design and Little Bits of Green for featuring Hotel Felix! We hope to see you again soon.

The Patriots and the Giants face off at  Super Bowl XLVI next week. If you were lucky enough to score tickets to the big game but haven’t booked a room yet, you won’t find one in Indy. All rooms in the Indianapolis area have long since been booked solid, but with Chicago a mere three-hour drive away, we have the perfect solution for you. The Hotel Felix East Meets East Super Bowl package.

For Super Bowl weekend, February 3-5, purchase our special East Meets East package starting at $119/night. The package includes:

• - Team t-shirt
• - Late checkout until 2 p.m.
• - Tailgate-for-Two boxed lunch (for the trip to Indianapolis)
• - $25 Gas card
• - Printed directions from Hotel Felix to Lucas Oil Arena

Call 877-848-4040 to book now or make your reservation online.

Giants vs. 49ers

Ravens vs. Patriots

Who will make it to the championship? Either way, the Indianapolis hotels are already booked for the Super Bowl. Challenge flag! Chicago is only three hours from Indy and we’re announcing a special Super Bowl package. More information coming soon… stay tuned!

The first major blizzard of the winter is currently taking Chicago by storm. Why fight the snow? We’re offering a special $75 rate tonight only. Let us be your refuge from the storm – you can cozy up in front of our lobby fireplace and enjoy a hearty meal at Elate, the upscale restaurant adjacent to Hotel Felix, all from the comfort of the indoors. Join us to watch the snow fall through our floor to ceiling windows and take advantage of this extremely limited rate. For information on how to book please drop us a note on Facebook or send us a tweet.

Interested in reducing your carbon footprint or living a green(er) lifestyle? Here are some resolutions to help you in the New Year:

1. Avoid waste and recycle, recycle, recycle.  According to The Daily Green, the energy saved from recycling a single aluminum can will operate a television for three hours (and it is super easy)!
2. Give up plastic bags. While shopping, use reusable bags — cotton and nylon are a great alternatives.
3. Shop local. There are many benefits from eating and shopping locally. The food is fresher and will keep longer than chain grocery stores’ food, it contains fewer chemicals used to prolong the life, and of course, you would be helping your local economy.
4. No more bottled water! The price of bottled water is up to 10,000 times the cost of tap water (click here for some astounding facts about bottled water). You can buy a tap water filter ranging from $10- $40 and save yourself hundreds of dollars in the long run.
5. Start a compost pile. It improves soil quality physically, chemically and biologically. It also reduces the estimated 1.3 pounds of food scraps that Americans throw away daily!
6. Surrender the paper towels. Try microfiber towels, they pick up dirt, grim, and are reusable. You will save yourself money and reduce waste, a win-win.

For more ideas on how to be eco-friendly this upcoming year, check out The Daily Green.