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The Westin Chicago River North
Rating Details »
Neighborhood: Near North Side
320 N Dearborn St
(at Carroll Ave)
Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 744-1900
320 N Dearborn St
(at Carroll Ave)
Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 744-1900
Biggest Year End Sale Book by 11-10
Visit http://www.starwoodhot... to enjoy more vacation…
Announced 2 days agoMore »
- Nearest Transit:
-
Clark/Lake (Pink, Brown, Green, Blue, Purple Express, Orange)
Lake (Red)
- Price Range:
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$$$
29 reviews for The Westin Chicago River North
Took a quick trip to Chicago and decided to stay at an old favorite the Westin Chicago River North. I'm Platinum Elite, in the Starwood Preferred Guest, frequent guest program and based on my past stays, this property is very consistent in it's treatment of guests, especially Elite members.
Location has good access to the loop, just a ten to 15 minute walk to Macy's on State Street or Michigan Avenue shopping. The hotel is very convenient to public transportation. You can use either of the L Stations on Lake or the Grand Street station on the Red line. Each of these three station are 5 to 10 minute walk (based on if you have luggage and weather) from the hotel.
When I arrived at the hotel, I was the only person checking in. There is a separate Gold/Platinum check-in Line, since I was the only person, there was no need to use it. Check-in was pleasant, I was recognized as a Platinum member and returning guest. If you are the type of person who loses hotel folios or needs to submit one with an expense report be sure to ask that a folio be emailed to you at check-out.
Assigned a suite on the 20th floor just down the hall from Executive Club. The room faces the marina towers. The room is maintained but the entry way has a slightly "dated" feeling. There is a wet-bar to the left of the entry, once you enter the a parlor room. The granite makes it feel heavy and dark, which is why I think it's dated. There is a closet of the entry for added storage. The parlor portion of the room has the previously used Westin decor scheme, but again, everything is well maintained, rooms are spotless. I got a tip that they will be refreshing rooms, which will be welcomed. There is a flat panel with HD channels and each room comes with complementary access to a mac computer.
The room is well lit considering it's location and there is ample lighting. The desk is located by the window and has plenty of work space and sockets for phones, cameras, PDAs, etc. In my honest opinion, the only negative is there is no bathroom in the parlor.
At the far end of the parlor, is the entry to the bedroom. These are some of the largest hotel bedrooms I've ever stayed in, it's very spacious. The room consist of a large closet, heavenly bed, plasma TV, ipod docking station and river view seating.
Opposite the entry is the bathroom. Consistent with the room size, the bathroom is huge. HUGE! Three 3 people could easily use this bathroom at once. Single sink with good counter space, large soaking tub and separate shower. Lots of towels. The marble does date the room and because it's dark makes the bathroom feel dark as well. The negative, there is only one since and the there was not a full compliment of Westin brand toiletries in the room. There was bar soap, condition and shampoo. No lotion, shower gel or mouthwash. I carry my own, but it's food for thought.
This property has a Westin Executive Club. It's a nice lounge with good views of the Loop and Near Westside. The morning of my stay, there was a Continental spread and the evening presentation consisted of two hot foods (dumplings and something else) and various fruits and cheeses. Not the best, but not bad. In my stays, I don't ever recall the lounge being crowded or busy.
The Fitness Center [AKA Westin Workout] is located on the lower levels of the hotel tower. It's one of the few Gyms with an attendant who verifies your room and status. For a large urban hotel, the space is small but adequate. The hotel does not have a pool.
There is a business Center on the first level, just before the elevators. Note, there is a sign that indicates you can print a boarding pass, however, the PC's are not programmed for carriers which have a second screen to print a pass. If you encounter a problem, ask the concierge for assistance.
The hotel is wired for with High Speed Wired & Wireless Internet Access. As with most Starwood branded properties, wifi is free in the lobby. If your assigned a room on the Executive Club Level, you're provided with a mac in your room.
The hotels lobby is Wide open lobby. In the many stays I've had at this property, I've met friends in the lobby and I don't ever recall there being more than 5 people there. It's a nice space with good light and access to the river. Embers restaurant is just off the lobby.
FINAL IMPRESSION
The staff is professional, courteous and very helpful. Everyone I encountered was pleasant from the door man to the lounge attendant. The hotel is clean and well maintained.
The location is great so no car is needed.
I would return and recommend this hotel for business and leisure travelers. Leisure travelers and those traveling with children need to remember there is no pool. The staff, platinum recognition and lounge, give it an edge on other properties. In winter I like being on Michigan avenue, but all the shoppers can be stressful so the WRN is a good place to set up base.
Solid property and I recommend.
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I like this place. They totally beared with me during a ridiclous credit card mix-up, and were accommodating and NICE about it.
Nice lounge, sushi place there is eh, but it's fast if you need something quick.
Meeting rooms are well-appointed, albeit too cold...but the hotel food was good.
Close walk to everything-nice.
I knock a star for the smell in the bathrooms. UGH. It wasn't just in my room. A friend of mine who happened to be attending the same conference had this issue too. Nothing really made it subside.
So all in all, a positive experience. I'd stay here again as long as the bathroom smelled better.
My friends were staying here and the level of hospitality in the lobby would keep me from ever staying here.
Our group of five needed a van-sized cab and we asked the door man of he could call for one, he told us to walk down the street to flag one down ourselves! (we did not look like we just rolled in off the street either)
Another evening, our group of seven (two of them were patrons of the hotel) wanted to eat together and order three different pizzas from around town. We called the Westin front desk ahead of time and asked if we could eat our pizzas in the lobby and order drinks from the bar and we were given the go ahead. Once our pizzas arrived and we were all well into eating, I got up to order a few more beverages for our mom and grandmother (hot waters) the bartender then told me we had to go up to our room and eat that we couldn't eat there because they offer pizza there from their restaurant. (We had been all of 10 feet in front of him the whole time and had ordered mixed drinks from him already) Now this was a family gathering and we were very respectful and not causing anyone any problem by being there but NOW this guy told us to leave! We ended up having to call a manager over and after she explained to us that they don't allow this in the lounge she said she would allow it this time. (by now we were nearly finished eating!)
I can't say how the rooms were but the service alone was not hospitable in any way.
Oh, Westin. How I want to love you. Really. But you don't make it easy. You don't have connecting rooms (even though that's what we originally booked). Ok, we can deal. But your heavenly beds weren't that heavenly (dare I even say it sloped a little?) and your housekeeper forgot (refused to?) clean the fridge that housed the drinks that was messy before we arrived (and never did get cleaned). And the power outlet or two that didn't work. And the spotty wifi in the room (that still cost $10).
So why even 3 stars? Because the rooms are otherwise good and spacious (nice TV, nice showers too), the location is great, the staff was quite friendly and helpful and the downstairs restaurant exceedingly friendly to small-ish kids. And the room rate was fine. So, it's not a bust. You'll enjoy a stay here. You just won't say "wow" when you leave.
Stayed here when went for a graduation party at the house of blues last summer. Location is ideal, only a couple of blocks from Michigan Avenue and a great view of the river.
The hotel is great, nice lounge, fun decorations. The room is tastefully done. It has all the expected amenities, flat screen TV, bath robes, and the amazing beds. Westin by far has the best beds, even better than the JW's I have stayed it. Pricing is reasonable, went in the beginning of Chicago summer, and this place was $150 ish a night.
Highly recommend.
Walking about a Chicago winter you quickly learn - jeans do not keep out the cold, girls can still walk around in boots without slipping on the ice, -1 is not a freaking temperature, and exposed skin will freeze and fall off.
Other then that Chicago ain't bad in the winter on a clear sunny day.
Staying at the Westin also makes it so much more pleasant. Especially at the Club level.
The door man is bundled warmly and the front desk are very helpful and the concierge was nice enough to recommend a 'walk about' route.
The Club level room is palatial with a sitting area and an abundance of hot water for a bath after your 'walk about'.
I gotta find out where the doorman gets his hat.
I would stay here again for a Chicago winter.
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I go to Chicago a fair amount on business and have stayed at the Westin several times. Its a comfortable place and a convenient location (House of Blues is right next door), but there are some annoyances. I actually booked my next stay at a different hotel. I'd certainly stay at the Westin again but at the moment it's not my first choice.
First, some good stuff. The staff is great -- very friendly and professional. If you need a cab, the doorman is good and aggressive at getting you set up. The lobby and room decor are great, the bed very comfortable, the rooms spacious, and the shower double-headed.
So far so good.
The problems start with the TV. I fired my TV at home years ago, so this a TV on the road is quite a novelty, so I'd like it to work and have some channels. Despite it being a nice big LCD, they apparently don't have much in the way of cable. Yes HBO, but no Comedy Central, and some stations don't have sound. Kinda defeats the purpose.
I have to have Internet access too. No wireless in the rooms, but that's would be passable except that the past two times I went, the Ethernet cord had a broken tip & kept slipping out. To their credit they fixed it when I pointed it out, but housekeeping should be trained to check these things and proactively make sure it's OK. Oh, and here's a tip, Westin: snagless Cat 5 cable has been around forever. Give it a try.
Room service is good if you get the right thing -- they have a baked red fish that's excellent. But the cheeseburger is truly awful. You can get sushi delivered -- very cool -- but the one time I ate downstairs at the sushi bar, it was questionable (I did a separate review on that).
The breakfast buffet has some tasty items but is far too small, and there's a disappointing lack of fresh waffles or omelettes.
The workout room is a bit small but not bad unless there's a crowd, but there's no pool or hot tub, which I'd love.
There have been some other little annoyances, like a drippy faucet, and the fact that road noise leaks through the window enough to bug me. Overall, it's not a bad place to stay on business, but I'm hoping to find better.
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Wow never realized this was right next door and so nice! Stayed here one night a few months ago and enjoyed the stay quite a bit.
The room was spacious and clean and we had a lovely view of the river! I really liked this Westin compared to most others!
One thing the Westin does is leave their lights very dim - so if you're a bright lights and shiny atmosphere person, this might not turn up so well.
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This place is fabulous and the reason why is because you'll be poor after your stay. You know the old attage about saving a penny every day? You probably need to save like $5 a day to afford this place.
Yes, very posh very nice but the location is not everything because you can walk about 4 blocks and get to the Marriott. The hotel is a little off its rocker when it thinks you WANT to get your eyes ripped out of your head just to stay there, but it's probably one of those places that the boss gets to stay at with the family while we toil in the mines. At least this place didn't stick me with ridiculous charges. I earned those badboys.
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Lovely modern hotel. If you are lucky enough to find Lisa at the concierge desk, take any recommendation she offers.
Loss of one star for no spa or pool.
But overall, a wonderful property with great service.
Luckily for me, work pays for my hotel and the Westin River North has been great so far.
The interior is, in a word, classy. I've heard that the hotel was an Asian themed hotel in a prior life, and you can definitely see it in the decor. The house restaurant has sushi available for room service, haven't tried it but I've heard it's pretty tasty. I did look at the prices and it didn't look any more expensive than a regular sushi place.
The rooms are great. Bathrooms are huge and sleek, dual-shower heads and big towels.
The beds are...well Westin Heavenly Beds. Super comfortable and takes about 10 seconds to fall asleep.
Good views of the river and right across from House of Blues doesn't hurt either. Location isn't bad, close enough to walk to places like Rockit and there's a 7-11 close by for snacking needs.
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I booked my room from Priceline and I was surprised on how big the room was. It even had a living room. I only paid $80/night in 2002.
It was a great hotel and the staff were really nice.
Kudos to Westin!
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Another fine Westin property. I especially enjoyed drinks at the bar where the bartenders surely found my group to be a bit boisterous...my girls from South Carolina and Georgia can be a bit out of hand. I stayed here 3 years in a row during the RSNA conference that takes over Chicago right after Thanksgiving.
The bar is reminiscent of the previous property style of the Nikko, Japanese and serene. A decent sushi bar when you don't want to head out into the cold Chicago winterness.
The rooms are nice, I would definitely ask to be on the river side for a nice view. I love when it snows and to watch it cover the city in a soft white blanket from your cozy hotel room...that is the best!
This hotel is within walking distance of several fine restaurants, shopping, and the theatre district. Great location, since its not on Michigan Avenue, it doesn't have the crowds making noise outside your windows. Harry Caray's right across the street, House of Blues and a decent Thai place on Clark.
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I stayed at the Westin for a weekend, and couldn't have been happier. I was located in a corner room overlooking the river, which I highly recommend you request, and was very impressed with the quality of my stay. They have a nice bar for early or late night cocktails (or day), and the on site restaurant which serves up a tasty breakfast.
Well within walking distance from all the action, and across the street from the House of Blues, its a good pick while in Chicago.
this is a really nice place. my friend stayed here when she was working in Chicago and I went to stay with her. The rooms are nice the beds are comfy and she had a Mac in room so we took some crazy pics. She has status so we raided the club floor-nice.
Me = fan of SPG
I stayed here 2 weeks ago when I got stranded at ORD after my flight to Milwaukee got cancelled due to a storm. I booked a room while waiting for my luggage at the airport at midnight (Thu. to Fri). I was annoyed when the reservation agent on the SPG phone line didn't understand that I wanted to stay 1 night and not check out on Saturday. Not hard to grasp. Checking into the hotel proved to still be a challenge as it still wasn't clear that I would be checking out 6 hours later.
Put that together with the fact that the bathroom wallpaper was coming off the wall near the toilet and you've removed one star.
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The RESTAURANT & LOUNGE at the Westin
The lounge area of the Westin has a refreshing combination of sophistication yet informalness. You can sit in the lounge and order cocktails from the bar or food from either the main restaurant or the sushi bar. This is perfect if you are in a group that can't decide what they want to eat.
The Pamatini martini is excellent. Their banana "cheesecake" dessert is not a cheesecake at all and is excellent. I have enjoyed all their food.
I definitely recommend their lounge for an after-work hangout or weekend dinner.
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This Westin isn't particularly nice, but the last time I was here I asked to be let into the gym after-hours and they had a security guard unlock the door for me. Now that's quality service!
Great location. SUPER comfy beds. It's the Heavenly Bed! Might even be better than my own... and I say this b/c I actually MISSED being in bed at the Westin Chicago River North last night, which was the first night sleeping in my own... unless I can score me my own Heavenly Bed... *searching http://Google.com*
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Rooms are typically nice at this location but what I love about this place is the superior service it offers. Here's a great parking tip: if you need a quick parking spot for lunch or whatever and you're not staying at the hotel valet it anyway. Tell the guy you're not staying at the hotel and you'll only be an hour so you don't want the car parked in the garage. He'll park it on the curb and watch it for you AND he doesn't ask for a particular price to do this. He'll say to you "whatever you think is appropriate" when asked how much for parking the car.
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The Westin River North was the Nikko a few years ago. It was a very classy Japanese-run hotel. It is still a very fine property as the Westin, though the Japanese overtones are less prevalent. The hotel has a dark contemporary design, especially the understated lobby area. The rooms are very comfortable, and thankfully the contemporary design values limit the frilly and flowery touches. There is a Japanese garden along the south wall of the hotel, along a promenade hugging the Chicago River.
Good hotel, but for the price I was unimpressed. They claim to have "heavenly beds" but they really weren't much better than any other hotel. I had lunch at the restaurant downstairs and my $13 turkey wrap was pretty mediocre as well. The internet was easy to use and reliable, though thats really standard now so it really doesn't win much points in my book. The rooms were pretty large, but again, pretty standard for the price. If i'm back in town I'd probably try another place to stay next time.
This is an EXCELLENT hotel. The rooms are so nice, clean,and spacious. The beds are so comfy that you're not gonna want to get out of them! The view in all the rooms is very nice. Don't forget to try the room service -- they have excellent deserts!
A great location for a hotel! Very centrally located and its a Westin so of course its a fabulous hotel! I would recommend it to anyone visiting Chicago!
Great place to stay and many business near by.
So last year my bf and I stayed one night for valentines day in downtown Chicago. My first impression of the hotel was that it was beautiful, they had a big huge lobby and lounge area with a bar..very sheek...We got up to our bedroom and the first thing i noticed was that it was wonderfully clean and tidy! The Bedding was the best I've slept in a long time....the best nights sleep we both agreed! I got a peek at the next door room's dessert tray and it was gorgeous...but we had champagne and strawberries previously so there was no room for it unfortunately! The only downfall to our stay was in the morning, the room service lady walked in on my boyfriend stark naked and scared the goosebumps out of him...not to mention she saw his unit! Other than that it was a wonderful stay and i would definitely go back again. I left a star out because my boyfriend still shivers at the sight of a maid! Definitely check it out...the price was well worth the sleep experience alone!
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my husband and i recently stayed here on a weekend and had a perfectly splendid stay. i'm not sure the circumstances of aquiring the room but it was not the standard. if you can, ask for an upgraded room with a view. the blackout shades really work which was indeed important when you stay out as late as we did. very quiet and serene.
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I normally avoid "business" hotels, but, if you want a gorgeously comfy room with a lovely modern decor, stay here. (The lobby and bar are kind of boring, but the rooms are beautiful.) It's downtown, just off Michigan Ave., so it's close to great Magnificent Mile shopping and loads of restaurants. I recommend the very short walk to the Sofitel Hotel on Chestnut for Sunday brunch. It will make your trip.
Okay, so I heard all this talk about the new Westin Hotel restaurant, so I decided to go check it out one day. And the food was amazing!! The potions were so big and the chicken here was the best! All the food here was fresh and right out of the oven!! The service was really good too. However, the meal was a bit expensive-- I would suggest saving this place for a nice night out!
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