The Westin Chicago River North

Nice bed, quiet, good breakfast though a bit expensive

hotel personnel were friendly and helpful. However the hidden cost of the parking fee... $48/day was a very unhappy surprise. I would have liked to know this info BEFORE booking! The constant running of the toilet and its inability to flush should not be a characteristic of a hotel of this caliber. After reviewing the info on the hotel as "heavenly", the towels as well left a LOT to be desired. Their number, minimal, and their advertised softness , non-existent. The robes, advertised as heavenly, were non-existent ...as in we DIDN'T have any!!!!

Overall, the Westin Riverfront is a good hotel. It is in a great location. The bed is comfortable with okay pillows and a great shower. Like most starwoods hotels, the service is excellent.My complaints are: You have to pay $10 to use the gym. I just think this should be included. [...] Lastly, the hotel hasn't been updated in a long time.

1. Poor host coverage at restaurant. Had to find a waiter who seated us and then we had to serve drinks to ourselves (coffiee and juice) before a server came over. This was at the restaurant in the hotel. 2. House keeping did not visit our room all day and we had to call for new towels and to have room service dishware removed at 11 pm. 3. Floor ice maker did not work. Rm 502 Disappointed in these but consierge, valets, bar servers, and doormen were exceptional.

The Westin Chicago River North has large, comfortable rooms, but they do not keep out the sound from the hallway or surrounding rooms. Our second night we were kept awake all night long by a loud wedding party; around 4:00 a.m. the manager of the hotel finally threatened to make the party members leave the property if they did not quiet down. When we complained the next day to the front desk, they offered to move us to another room, but said they had two more wedding parties checking in that day, and could not guarantee that we would not be subjected to more of the same type of noise if we moved. Location of the hotel is wonderful, close to all types of restaurants, attractions, and public transportation. I would think twice before staying at this Westin property again, they didn't seem too concerned that we were unsatisfied guests.

We were so excited for our stay in Chicago, probably too excited. Upon arriving at the hotel we accidently tried to check into our rooms at the concierge instead of at the front desk. The employee then proceeded to point to the front desk while her fellow female employee was laughing at us while she was on the telephone. Nonetheless we did manage to check into our rooms which was very nice but was told by the front desk attendant we'll give you a king sized bed but you'll have no view. As I questioned her for an upgrade she looked to her right and quickly stated "We're sold out" [...] No big deal, my wife and I just wanted to put our bags down as we had dinner reservations with friends from Chicago and the surrounding area. So we spent our nights staring at the bright House of Blues sign. No one ever asked how was our stay, no one gave us any reason to come back, in fact the checkout process was done by the coldest employee I have ever met in any customer service field. I was shocked that the gentleman who was being serviced next to me in line was asked questions such as How was your trip? how was your stay? Is there anything more I could do for you? Did you see "The Bean?" It was as if this employee really cared about the guest.As for me I told my desk attendant my flight isn't for another 8 hours where may i leave my bags and, of course, he pointed to nowhere in particular and said "Over There" while staring at his computer screen. We have stayed at many hotels this year alone at the Hyatt in Maui, the Wyndham in St. Thomas, both the Hilton and the Marriott in NYC, a cruise line to the bahamas,and even the Renaissance Hotel and we have never been profiled like this on any of our vactions. My wife and I couldnt believe that two minority professionals were treated this way repeatdly on our stay. Followed to the elevator at night? The only time the doors were opened for us was when we were picked up to go to the airport? Sorry for the long write-up but I'm not ever coming back.

My husband and I are from Chicago and have stayed at the different Westin locations many of times since moving away from the city. We usually like the Westin River North because the rooms are nice and it generally has a good environment but this time things seemed to have really changed. The last time we were there was about 10 months ago, and I would say many things have changed. First, we were suppose to have a room with a king size bed, and instead, they gave us 2 double beds. I had to talk to reception to get things changed. [...] The staff there was not that pleasant to work with. Then, after complaining enough they offer to give us an accessible King room. This meant of was capable for handicapped people. However, this roomed seemed dirty. Our feet suck to the floor in the bathroom, and the room had a terrible smell. When we woke up the first night, it smelled like a combination of a bar the next day after too much alcohol had been spilled on the floor and a dirty ashtray. The room continued to have a funny smell in the bathroom which was very musty. I am not sure what this was from but it could have been from all the water that sprayed across the floor from the shower. In addition, it seemed like a completely different atmosphere from our previous stays. I would also say the service was not that great. There weren't even any doormen around on Sunday. The place seemed like a ghost town. Overall, I think the Westin River North needs a bit of a clean-up. It was a strange stay, and I think it will be awhile before we stay there again.

My girlfriend and I decided to take a romantic trip to Chicago for Valentine's Day. [...]The room was a mixed reaction. The beds were some of the most comfortable that we've ever crashed on. There was a lack of electical outlets, the bathroom looked as though a bad contractor threw it together in one night. Light switches were not even flush to the wall. The "heavenly" showerhead is actually 2, and not very practical for anyone shorter than 6ft. The minibar was outrageously expensive, as everything was maked up 400 to 500% over normal store prices. Not our idea of a luxury hotel. The manager was nice enough to allow us two continental breakfast vouchers at the in house restaurant, Ember, for the two of us and the rest of our stay. Said breakfast was good, service was ok, but we were thankful for the vouchers as the buffet breakfast we just had, with tax, was $49. Though not usually open for evening meals, Ember had a great VDay special: 4 course dinner for $42 with amazing food and excellent service. Could possibly be the only thing that saved our vacation.Their Hana Lounge was ok, great service, nice atmosphere but a little pricier.Location was decent, as it is directly across the street from The House of Blues, Harry Carey's and only a block or two from a CVS (where you can pick up unlimited bus/train passes) or Starbucks. Only a couple blocks from the loop, you can make anywhere in the city.

My overall experience was just OK. Nothing grand that's for sure. The bed wasn't all that heavenly. They charge for Wi-Fi. Most hotels that I stay at you can get Wi-Fi for free. My husband brought his computer from home to do work and had to pay for the Wi-Fi. There were flies in the bathroom too.

Doorman frequently absent and doors were dirty. Toilet ran for 4 days, despite numerous requests to have it fixed-I had to take the top off myself every day to get it to stop. Called to leave a wake-up call, and no one every answered. Had to go down to the desk at midnight to take care of it. Keys repeatedly did not work, and my wife was refused access to our room for over an hour, even with proper identification. Clearly not a Westin experience I would care to repeat.