Beginning this summer, visiting Chicago
with your children will be an even more memorable experience. On June 18,
2004, Swissotel Chicago launched a specially designed children’s room in
conjunction with the opening of Shedd Aquarium’s Sea Star Quest exhibit.
Called Designed for Kids, the specialty room is specifically designed to
allow children to have the comforts and fun of home while staying at
Swissotel Chicago. The room is in development with Shedd Aquarium to bring
the element of education through a fun exploration of marine mammal life
with books, movies and puzzles. Children’s imaginations will come to life
with plush aquarium stuffed animals and throw pillows, coloring books and
crayons and a large selection of DVD’s and games, all available for
purchase at Shedd Aquarium gift stores. The room is also equipped with
child focused bedding, children sized table and chairs, nightlight and
Nintendo.

The Children’s Room, Designed for Kids, will be connected to an Executive
Suite allowing parents to also enjoy the comforts of home while staying at
Swissotel Chicago. When families purchase a stay in The Children’s Room
they will receive four complimentary tickets to Shedd Aquarium to
experience Sea Star Quest and Wild Reef: Sharks at Shedd. Moreover,
children eat free in Geneva Restaurant, Room Service and The Lobby Lounge
when ordering from the Designed for Kids menu. The Designed for Kids room
with connecting Executive Suite begins at a rate of $499.00. For
reservations call 1-888-73-SWISS or log-onto
http://www.swissotel-chicago.com/ .

The Shedd Aquarium’s Sea Star Quest, will not only allow guests to be able
to see these fascinating animals; they will be able to touch them, too.
Kids (and adults) can give a live sea star a high-five, touch a sea
urchin’s tube feet, and meet sea cucumbers, feather stars and other
“pentamerous echinoderms”—spiny-skinned animals with a five-part body
design—at touch pools and child-height displays. There will be a giant
sea cucumber crawl- through activity area where children can explore the
animal’s body parts, as well as rubbing tables, where kids can cover
different types of fossilized echinoderms with paper and rub over them
with crayons, creating a take-home souvenir.

One of the most diverse echinoderm collections in the world, the
3,000-square-foot Sea Star Quest exhibit will showcase more than 30
species, including nearly 100 animals, in 20 different habitats. Although
many people do not realize it, echinoderms including sea stars, sea
urchins and sand dollars are actually animals, and have been around for
more than 500 million years. Echinoderms are unique to marine life because
of their external spines, asymmetrical bodies and the ability to
regenerate missing body parts. For more information about Shedd Aquarium
and Sea Star Quest, please contact Melissa Holland at
[email protected] .
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