Got back earlier this evening and thought I would reflect upon our stay at the Westin Lombard while it's still fresh. Good: Lobby staff very friendly and courteous, beds were extremely comfortable, bathroom was above average with nice toiletries and adjustable height shower head was also great, pool/hot tub/gym was above average, lobby area very large and waterfall wall covering was a nice touch, great location near two malls, Target, and AMC Theater Bad: No fridge or microwave only mini-bar and room safe, 37" LCD TV didn't have program guide or HDMI ports, in-room WIFI additional $10 (although lobby access is free), in-room Starbucks coffee satisfaction decreased due to not enough cream/sugar Other: This last comment is subjective and you can decide for yourself if it's positive or negative. This hotel is huge with five high-speed elevators, loads of meeting/ballrooms, two restaurants, and an attached parking deck. While staying on a Thurs night, there was some sort of teenaged tour, meeting, or trip and the lobby the next morning was flooded with kids, so much, that getting from the elevator to the parking lot was worse than an obstacle course even though the lobby or foyer is quite large. The entire facility has the feel of a large convention center or business meeting place versus a quaint place to stay with your loved one. Personally, we prefer the Boutique or smaller style places that have more of a personal feel versus cattle call. For this reason alone, we still prefer the Hyatt Place in the Lombard area over the Westin. Although, I would now be interested to see what changes Westin has made to the previous Hotel Nikko in the River North area. Weird Observation: While sitting in the lobby this the morning checking email, they began to play an obscure song by Hooverphonic that was totally cool. :) Bottom Line: If you like big hotels or need a place for a large group , this is a great place to stay. If you prefer a smaller facility with less crowds, beware. I can now see why this location almost always shows up available on Hotwire as I would expect only a large convention could fill it.
