The Check In, Stay In special offers a great way to spend the evening with the special someone (and away from hordes of elbowing tipplers). The Fairmont Chicago Check In, Stay In package includes overnight accommodations in a Fairmont room, a romantic dinner for two served in the privacy of your guest room, and a late checkout of 5 p.m. (now that's the way to kick off the first day of the New Year). Rates start at $339, plus tax and gratuity.
The Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers offers a special room rate for guests of Navy Pier's Crystal Gardens Gala. Overnight accommodations start at $209 for New Year's Eve, but for an extra $100 you can make it a weekend, staying the night before or the night after the big event. A three-night getaway can be reserved for as little as $409.
Navy Pier's Crystal Gardens Gala promises the best view of Chicago's New Year's Eve fireworks. The $115 general admission ticket is three times the fun, buying admission to a pre-party at Crobar and an after-party at Sound-Bar, not to mention the main event itself. The party at the Crystal Gardens includes hors d'oeuvres and desserts, party favors and entertainment by U2 tribute band Vertigo, all under the palm trees of the airy one-acre garden. The $135 VIP tickets buy access to early check-in at 8 p.m., one hour earlier than the general admission tickets for an extra hour of open bar, an extra hour of live music and a Crystal VIP Goodie Bag.
The Amalfi Hotel has teamed up with Phil Stefani's 437 Rush and Howl At The Moon to offer two New Year's Eve packages. The basic package starts at $375 and includes your room, a cocktail reception at the hotel, a multi-course chateaubriand dinner at 437 Rush, champagne toast at the restaurant, sparkling wine & biscotti at bedtime and breakfast in the morning. For an extra $75, you'll get three-hour open bar Howl at the Moon, starting at 10 p.m., and another champagne toast at midnight.
Upscale club-goers looking to do New Year's Eve the VIP way should look no further than Four's New Year's Eve party. The Luxury package starts at $500 per couple and includes open bar from 9 p.m.-1 a.m., bottle of your choice, food buffet, champagne toast, VIP service upstairs and express entry. It also includes a stay at the Hotel Indigo as well as a limo escort to get you there in style.
The Hilton Chicago presents "Green with Envy," its own sophisticated brand of New Year's Eve reveling. The black-tie, green-dress optional event includes a six-course filet-mignon dinner, open bar and champagne toast. The Dan Haynes Orchestra will be swinging until 1:30 a.m. Tickets cost $195 per person, but the $435 couple's package includes a private table for you and your honey. Room rates start at $129 for the night.
Spend New Year's Eve in luxury at the Hotel InterContinental Chicago. The $399 New Year's Eve package includes a four-course dinner for two at Zest, the hotel's tres chic restaurant, and live jazz in The Salon, a 1920s-style lounge where you can sip champagne and soak up the vintage vibe.
The Hard Rock Hotel turns up the heat this year with the hott-with-two-t's Champagne Supernova, sponsored by Another Level and Ice 9. DJs in the hotel's three "rooms of sound" will be playing house, groove, trance and hip-hop music until 5 a.m. For $145, you get access to the open bar from 9:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m., a gift bag, hors d'oeuvres, champagne toast and party favors. A room package is available for couples: $495 includes two tickets to the event plus a deluxe room at the Hard Rock Hotel.
For the seventh year running, Chicago-Scene.com and SCENE magazine will sponsor its New Year's Eve Gala at the Drake Hotel. The $135 general admission ticket buys open bar, hors d'ouevres, champagne toast, balloon drop, dessert and coffee service. Three separate rooms offer three separate experiences: a live band for rockers, DJs spinning dance, house and hip hop for bumpers and grinders, and retro 80's music for the big-haired nostalgia freaks. Plenty of bartenders keep drink lines short, so you won't have to worry about two-fisting it.
A $185-per-person dinner package includes the general admission ticket and a holiday buffet; the $215-per-person package includes the general admission ticket and a three-course sit-down dinner with your choice of entree. Both dinner packages treat diners to live dinner music. Hotel room packages start at $555 for general admission tickets and accommodations for two. An additional $90 gets you access to the buffet, or upgrade to the sit down dinner for an extra $130.
The Palmer House Hilton once again hosts NYE '06, brought to you by Tommy Z and Global Adrenaline. U2 cover band Elevation will rock in the new year, and B96 mixmasters DJ Flipside and Billy the Kid bring on the house and hip-hop music. The $149 ticket includes five hours of open bar, butler-passed hors d'oeuvres and buffet, champagne toast, party favors and confetti storm. The $425 overnight package includes two tickets to the event plus a room at the venerable Palmer House Hilton. VIP tables for $1,000 seat up to eight people in one of three areas.
The stylish W Hotel City Center is home to the Midnight Kiss, hosted by 103.5 KISS FM, RedEye and All Terrain Productions. DJs will be spinning dance music in two ballrooms, and the mezzanine will be open for prime people watching. Open bar and champagne toast are included in the $135 price tag, but overnight accommodations must be purchased separately. VIP tables are available for up to four people: $1,000 buys bottle and cocktail service in Whiskey Blue, the hotel's ultra-hip lounge.
If you want to stay the night in one of the W Hotel City Center's super-swank rooms, check out the Fab New Year package, starting at $259, which includes a limited edition 2006 calendar, gourmet sweet-dipped fortune cookies, a bottle of champagne, breakfast for two and 2 p.m. late checkout.
103.5 KISS FM, RedEye and All Terrain productions host the Kiss the Sky party at Whiskey Sky in the W Hotel Lakeshore. Fork over $150 for entry to the exclusive party, with light hors d'oeuvres, open bar and a DJ spinning until 2 a.m. It does not, however, include a hotel room, which you'll have to book separately. The Fab New Year package at the W Hotel Lakeshore starts at $279 and includes a limited edition 2006 calendar, gourmet sweet-dipped fortune cookies, a bottle of champagne, breakfast for two and 2 p.m. late checkout.
The Renaissance Hotel is offering a special $129 room rate for the Soiree 2006 Party Under the Palms at the Palm Tree Atrium. Hosted by the Lincoln Park Young Professionals and Premier Chicago Parties, the soiree includes a four-hour open bar, including specialized martini, margarita, sake, wine and chocolate martini bars and more than 30 bartenders ready to pour 'em. Hors d'oeuvres will be provided by ten different restaurants, and tickets start at $100 (not including overnight accommodations). For more information, visit nye-chicago.com.
UR Magazine takes over the Michigan Avenue Marriott for its 2006 Future Forward New Year's Eve celebration. The $100 ticket buys access to the two general admission levels and two ballrooms. The $135 VIP ticket gets you into three more floors of VIP action. More than 50 bartenders will serve the five-hour open bar and gourmet hors d'oeuvres, while DJs pump out dance, techno, hip-hop and progressive beats all night long. Get all the details at www.urchicago.com. Overnight accommodations start at $149 and must be booked directly through the Marriott Hotel.
Allen Entertainment and BeauMonde-Chicago.com host a NYE 2006 party at the Swissotel Chicago. The semi-formal event includes five hours of open bar, three rooms of entertainment, champagne toast, balloon drop, party favors and hors d'oeuvres. The Peter Tye Band will jazz it up in one room, while DJ Frankie spins in another. The VIP Room, in a 42nd floor penthouse, offers spectacular views of Chicago's fireworks. A single ticket will run you $125, and couples can save a couple bucks with the $245 couple rate. Overnight packages include two tickets and a hotel room, starting at $475 for one couple and $720 for two couples. More details are available at www.nyechicago2005.com.
Looking for a quieter night? The Swissotel has some other options. The New Year's Eve package includes dinner at the Palm restaurant, champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries, breakfast for two at Geneva or room service, and late checkout, starting at $399. The New Year's Bed & Breakfast package includes breakfast for two at Geneva or room service and late checkout for just $209.
Q101 will hold its "Hot Steel" New Year's Eve party at the Hyatt Regency Chicago-Downtown. The $99 ticket includes open bar, appetizers and party favors. A live band, Bang!, will play in the Grand Ballroom, with DJ Energy Brad spinning in Riverside Center. Room packages start at $429, which includes two tickets to the party.
You don't have to fight your way through downtown to have a New Year's overnight: Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles has package complete with four-piece rock band Wind Gypsys playing in the lounge and a DJ spinning dance tunes in the Atrium. Starting at $349 per couple, the Decadent Celebration package buys you access to the open bar, champagne toast, party favors and balloon drop, in addition to a midnight snack buffet, overnight accommodation and brunch in the morning.
An additional $100 will upgrade your ticket to the St. Charles Elegance package, which includes the aforementioned decadence plus a five-course dinner for two in the St. Charles ballroom, set to the sophisticated stylings of the Pete Fleming Orchestra. If that isn't enough to keep you busy, spend one more C-note for two tickets to one of Pheasant Run's laughtastic shows. See Randy Kagan at Zanies, or watch Noble Fool Theatricals' annual holiday show, "Roasting Chestnuts: A Christmas (Carol) Gina!" There's even a Kids Klub Party for pint-size partiers, free of charge to overnight guests aged 3-11.
Dust off your platform shoes and head over to the Embassy Suites O'Hare New Year's Eve bash, where the Elton John and Billy Joel tribute band Piano Man will belt out familiar hits. The $399-per-couple price tag includes a two-room suite, four-course filet and shrimp extravaganza in the ballroom, open bar, champagne toast, party favors and balloon drop. Late checkout at 2 p.m. gives you plenty of time to grab a cooked-to-order breakfast and take advantage of the indoor pool, whirlpool and sauna.
Q101's New Years Eve Party at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare will be a non-stop dance party with open bar, party favors and balloon drop at midnight. Budget-minded partiers can breathe easy and buy tickets for just $75 per person. An overnight package is also available for just $229, which includes a dinner buffet before the party, two tickets and a deluxe guestroom.
The House of Blues Hotel offers a handful of New Year's Eve packages for wallets of all sizes. Local cover band Maggie Speaks plays at Kaz Bar, where $35 buys you tickets to the show and a champagne toast. The $383 overnight package also includes two drink tickets, a hotel room and parking.
The $550 NYE package includes two tickets to see Train at the House of Blues and a hotel room. Add $100 dollars for dinner at Back Porch, the House of Blues restaurant, or try the $750 package, which includes the concert, the hotel room and dinner for two in the members-only Foundation Room.
Stay at the Hilton Garden Inn Evanston and enjoy First Night Evanston, the largest New Year's Eve Festival of the Arts. First Night Evanston will showcase 250 artists, with 40 family-friendly performances and music and fireworks. The New Year's Eve package includes admission buttons for First Night Evanston and full breakfast for up to two adults and two children in the Great American Grill. This family-friendly package starts at $149.
Choose from three different New Year's Eve packages at the Marriott Lincolnshire. The $460 New Year's Eve Ballroom package includes deluxe accommodations, dinner, open bar, orchestra and dancing in the Grand Ballroom and Champagne Brunch in the King's Wharf Restaurant. Theater fans can book the Dinner/Theater Package for $390. In addition to deluxe accommodations, guests will get two tickets to the musical Oliver, dinner for two in the King's Wharf Restaurant before the show and New Year's Day brunch for two. The $340 Dinner Party package includes deluxe accommodations, dinner for two in the King's Wharf Restaurant, live entertainment and dancing in the Main Brace Lounge, party favors, champagne toast, and cash bar, with brunch for two the next morning in the King's Wharf Restaurant.
Take the family to the Holiday Inn Chicago-Skokie for its New Year's Eve package. The $159 rate, for up to two adults and two children, includes a deluxe double Holidome room, party favors, split of champagne, New Year's Day brunch and 3 p.m. late checkout so you'll have plenty of time to splash in the pool.
Ring in the new year at the Wyndham with prices starting at $159 plus tax for a standard room. Purchase a New Year's Eve package for $209 plus tax; it includes overnight accommodations for two and entry to the party at Jax's Bar, complete with DJs, complimentary hors d'oeuvres and a champagne toast. Cash bar, and guests must be 21+.
Spend the big night at the Hilton in Lisle, with prices starting at $349 per couple. The New Year's Eve package includes overnight accommodations, four-course mixed grill dinner, six-hour open bar, including a special martini bar and midnight champagne toast. Entertainment includes a live band and a DJ.
The Hyatt Lisle is hosting a New Year's Eve Majestic Ballroom party, with dinner buffet, six-hour open bar, live band and DJ, psychic readings, party favors, balloon drop and champagne toast. Tickets to the party are $99 per person, and a $339 overnight package includes two tickets to the party and a guestroom.
Rock New Year's Eve in the suburbs at Best Western Chicago West in ElK Grove Village. The $159 package includes champagne and strawberries in your room plus admission to the party at the hotel's Gladhound Pub. Nosh on complementary hors d'oeuvres while DJ Vic plays the hits. A limited number of suites are available for just $189.
The Hyatt Regency Woodfield New Year's Party Package includes overnight accommodations, dinner buffet, two dance floors with DJ, dancing and karaoke, open bar until 1 a.m., balloon drop and champagne toast, all for an affordable $269. For $100 more, upgrade to the Ballroom package, which includes a cocktail reception, four-course meal with wine and live band in addition to the two dance floors, open bar, balloon drop and champagne toast. The $369 Ballroom Package also includes New Year's Day brunch to help you recover from the festivities.
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