Empire Room of Palmer House
From 1933 through the early 1970s, the Empire Room was a supper club that presented major entertainers including Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, and Ella Fitzgerald.

Mark Twain Slept Here—And So Can You

As it closes in on its 140th anniversary this fall, the Palmer House Hilton is celebrating history by ushering guests into the hotel’s swank and storied past as the fabled hangout of dignitaries from Mark Twain to Frank Sinatra. The History Package begins under the Greek gods gamboling on the lobby’s gloriously frescoed ceiling. From there, a hotel history buff will lead guests through areas including the Red Lacquer Room (where an octet of chandeliers dripping with Austrian crystal and blood red garnets provide just the right lighting for the room’s gold gilding and carved friezes), the Pastry Kitchen (where Bertha Palmer—she of the reported 19-inch-waist—invented the brownie), and the storied Empire Room. Rates begin at $209 and include a standard room and the tour.
GO Palmer House Hilton, 17 E. Monroe St.; 312-726-7500, palmerhousehiltonhotel.com

Top Deals This Week

  • We can save you more than $100 on a two-night stay at Wisconsin’s Timber Ridge Lodge & Waterpark. Book a suite at the regular rate of $229 between June 18th and 20th and your second night’s stay is only $99. You also get four passes to the on-site, 50,000-square-foot waterpark, good for the entire stay. Call 800-558-3417 and mention promo code CHIMAG to get the $229/$99 rate.
    GO Timber Ridge Lodge & Waterpark, 7020 Grand Geneva Way, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin; 866-636-4502, timberridgeresort.com
  • Eco-tourism in Naperville? Why yes, there is. Since it opened just over two years ago, the Hotel Arista has become the sole four diamond, LEED Certified hotel in Illinois. Which means: The hotel is certifiably posh according to the five-diamond scale established by the AAA, and it is certifiably green according to the U.S. Green Building Council. For climate-friendly romance, the $319 “Just the Two of Us” package includes a one-night stay, one-hour couples’ massage, in-room bottle of Champagne with chocolate covered strawberries, and—should you decide to get out of bed come the morning—breakfast.
    GO Hotel Arista, 2139 CityGate Ln., Naperville; 630-579-4100, hotelarista.com
  • Eagle Ridge Spa & Resort is offering golfers unlimited rounds—after 1 p.m. on Sunday, June 27th. Book a Sunday-to-Monday overnight stay and your $149 room rate will also include: Unlimited golf rounds at the resort’s North, South, or East courses after 1 p.m.; Monday morning breakfast in the Woodlands Restaurant; and 20 percent off on any Stonedrift Spa service on Monday.
    GO Eagle Ridge Resort, 444 Eagle Ridge Dr., Galena; 800-892-2269, eagleridge.com
  • Guests at the Doubletree Chicago can do dinner and movie on the cheap. Book a room (starting at $199) through September 10th, and the Mag Mile hotel will throw in four passes to Navy Pier’s IMAX Theatre, $10 overnight parking at the hotel, and a $20 food and beverage credit at the hotel.
    GO Doubletree Chicago, 300 E. Ohio St.; 866-778-8536, doubletreemagmile.com