We've just confirmed arrangements with the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, host of the 2009 BlogHer conference, to give away a three-night, executive-perk stay at the Chicago Sheraton for the nights of July 23-25. Those nights include the night before the BlogHer conference begins, plus the two nights of the conference, and the room they've reserved for our winner is on the hotel's Executive Club Level, with no strings attached - no rack rate, no taxes, no access fees, just a free three-night stay at one of Chicago's top hotels.

In addition to the standard amenities in every room at this hotel (chief among them are great views of either the Chicago River, Lake Michigan or the city skyline from every room), the Executive Club Level offers access to a bi-level lounge which features not just "breathtaking views" but daily complimentary breakfasts, evening hors d'oeurves, and snacks and beverages throughout the day, plus free high-speed internet access, PC and Mac workstations, office supplies, and massage chairs. (The lefthand photo above was taken in the Club Level lounge.) Club Level guests also have access to an executive health club, free in-room high-speed internet (standard room residents pay a daily fee), 60 minutes of free local calls (did you know hotels charge for that now?), "plush robes," turndown service, free mouthwash, etc. etc. Bring your own cucumber slices for your eyelids and you're all set!

I'm pretty sure I've never stayed at a hotel that offered PC and Mac workstations in a bi-level lounge with breathtaking views. At least not one where I had access to it. But when we booked our own room for the conference - which we paid for in full, mind you - we went with the Club Level, because it comes with a lot of extra amenities and the rate isn't much higher than the regular room rate. Rates fluctuate, but they were running around $250 a night plus taxes when we booked ours. That puts this prize's value at over $800.

As an added plus, we've worked with the Sheraton to ensure that they have a plan in the event that the prize winner has prepaid for their room. If you booked a room through a travel site like Expedia or Travelocity that offered you a discounted rate for prepayment, and have already paid, you can turn in this comped three-night reservation for a refund on your prepaid room, less the fees the travel site charged to the Sheraton when booking the room (anywhere from $20 to $50). And of course, if you've made a reservation but haven't yet paid, you can take this room and cancel the other one, and can even have this reservation transferred to the BlogHer conference room block, if you'd rather be in that part of the hotel. That means that whether you had plans to stay somewhere cheaper (and with less convenient access to the conference), have already paid in full for your room, or haven't yet set up your lodging for the conference, this giveaway could save you $700-$800 on your trip to BlogHer!

Incidentally, you could enter this Sheraton giveaway even without attending BlogHer, if you were interested in having a fabulous hotel room in Chicago for July 23-25, while BlogHer is going on, and hiding out in your plush robe or seeing the sights in the city of broad shoulders. A great opportunity for a blogger living in the Chicago area who'd like a weekend on the town!

It's simple to enter this random drawing giveaway. You have two chances to win this great prize package:

1. Blog about this giveaway on your own blog, linking to this post and telling your readers how they can enter to win. Then send your post link to us at zrecseditors (at) gmail (dot) com, with "BlogHer hotel stay" in the subject line, so we can include you in the drawing.


2. For a second entry, tweet the following from your Twitter account: "Win three nights at the Sheraton Chicago during #BlogHer in a random drawing by ZRecs and #PRIZEY http://tinyurl.com/blogherhotel". The tweet must be formatted as instructed, and will be tracked automatically by your use of the #PRIZEY hashtag. You must complete the first entry method to be eligible to enter using Twitter.

We'll accept entries for this giveaway until 11:59 p.m. (CT) on May 1. We also have Official Rules on PRIZEY if you need to consult them. One detail we will mention here is that thanks to the unique laws of the state of Rhode Island (requiring a $150 filing fee to run any sweepstakes with a prize over $500), this giveaway is open to residents of any U.S. state except Rhode Island.

If you've been wishing you bought a ticket to the BlogHer '09 conference, you probably already know it has sold out. But there are still a few days left to enter our BlogHer 2009 full conference pass giveaway. Click here to find out how to enter by April 1.