Marking Chicago’s lakeshore skyline with its towering tower, the Radisson Blu Aqua caters to discriminating business travelers with new amenities. When there’s snow covering the cityscape — very likely given this winter’s staying power — the hotel provides complimentary snowshoes so guests can head out onto the sidewalk, or venture onto nearby Northerly Island to view local birds and wildlife.

Back at the hotel, warming up is easy with a complimentary cocktail class at Filini. The newly launched monthly cocktail series, led by the restaurant’s head bartender Roger Bailey, guides guests through the steps for preparing their own seasonal cocktail. As an added bonus, participants also learn the finer points of shaking (or stirring, if that’s their preference), and receive recipes to take home.