My trip to Chicago, including airfare, my hotel room and other incidentals, were provided by Golden Heritage Foods to participate in a focus group. I was not asked to write any reviews and I received no compensation.
I recently had the pleasure of traveling to Chicago to participate in a focus group for Golden Heritage Foods. They arranged for our stay and conference to be at the newly renovated Westin O’Hare. I landed with an hour to spare before our first lunch meeting and tried to find my way to the airport shuttle. Thankfully, two ladies seemed to be going that way and I followed them. The complementary shuttle runs every fifteen minutes from the hours of 5:00 AM and 10:30 PM. I managed to arrive at the shuttle boarding zone as the driver was pulling off, but he arrived back promptly in fifteen minutes. While not overly chatty, he handed me my luggage and told me he hoped I would enjoy my stay in Chicago.
My check in was quick and efficient. At first they didn’t know if they had a room available with a king sized bed, but within seconds it was confirmed. I was ready to see my room. The color scheme, done in soothing neutrals with contemporary furnishing, caught my eye but the focal point was the bed. It invited me to rest and relax without anyone disturbing me. I appreciated the amenities included in the room, a forty-two inch television that I didn’t get to watch, a work space with wi-fi connection—although in-room wi-fi costs $12.95 a day- and complimentary water and Starbucks coffee.
The bathroom continued the neutral theme, featuring tile and a luxury showerhead in the tub. Another feature I took advantage of was the soft cotton robe hanging in the bathroom, perfect for slipping into after a shower or busy day. They also have a fitness center and pool for anyone who wants to indulge in a quick workout before beginning a busy day.
During our stay we had two lunches and a breakfast served in their Benchmark Cafe, which boasted a newly revamped menu with regional and seasonal favorites and a SuperFoodsRX menu designed to leave us feeling “energized and at our best all day.” I had the All Natural Turkey Bacon BLT and the Hearts of Romaine Caesar Salad with Chicken for lunch, both of which were huge and tasty. The server was prompt and attentive throughout the meal and brought our food quickly after we sat down.
In the evenings we opted to hang out at the Benchmark Lounge where the server, Karen, took the time to recommend local and regional drinks. The second night of our trip, as we gathered in the lounge, a man stopped by and asked us if we were having a good time. He wandered away but returned in a few minutes, announcing he was the owner of the hotel and offered to provide a free round of drinks for everyone. I am sure we all seemed a little shocked and disbelieving at first, but Karen confirmed his identity. By taking the time to stop by and chat with us, asking for suggestions and listening to our concerns, took the hotel from an average stay to a place where I felt welcomed and valued.
You can connect with the Westin O’Hare on facebook, where they are beginning to build an online presence.
Looks like a great hotel, but I don’t get why hotels are still charging for wi-fi.
I’m looking forward to seeing Chicago for the first time this year at BlogHer13. It looks like an amazing place to visit.
That looks like a nice hotel. I’ll keep it in mind when I visit Chicago the next time. 🙂 Great review!
That looks really nice! I’ve been thinking about going to visit my family in Chicago, I’ll have to keep it in mind if I decide to get a hotel.
I really like the nice large work surface area in the room. That’s so helpful, and of course that big squishy bed is a plus too!
What a nice looking room – I love that free Starbucks is included!
looks like a great place for a getaway…. and sounds like you had a blast. Thanks for sharing, will have to keep this in mind for our summer travels
That place looks gorgeous!! I once stayed 24 hours in the o’hare airport….this would have been much nicer! 🙂
I would love to stay here on our next Chicago trip!
This looks like a great place to stay!
looks similar to Westin rooms I’ve stayed in- i LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE their hotels. Gorgeous, and comfortable. If I was ever going to steal something it would be bedding from a Westin. It’s just marvelous. I loved that bed. sigh.
looksl ike you had a blast
I love Westin hotels. The $12.95 a day in room wi-fi makes me consider getting a mobile hotspot for travel like this.
I don’t think I’d want to go back home. The bed looks comfy and the shower head looks amazing!!!! I’ve stayed at one westin in Georgia and LOVED IT !
This looks like a great hotel! That bed looks comfy! A great way to relax!
Such a nice business layout and very professional, clean, and yet still comfortable! What a great place to stay.
Have driven past this hotel a zillion times, but never stayed there. Nice to have a peek inside, will have to recommend to my friends and family!
I love hotels! this looks nice! My sister inlaw has to head that way for a business trip and is staying a few extra days in the area. I wonder if she can stay here! I’ll pass it on to her.
Gosh it looks SO relaxing! I live in lower michigan and haven’t been to chicago in several yeasr we were actually talking about going there this summer. So much fun stuff to do there 🙂
This looks like a fun place to visit. I like the shower, especially the large shower head.
NICE! This would be perfect for us if we ever have a super early flight out of O’Hare. We live about an hour away, so I hate asking anyone for a ride at 3am! This is beautiful and would be a treat!
We will keep this in mind since we are planning a trip to Chicago this summer. It looks upscale which is just what I want!
This hotel looks really nice. I love finding photos that people post of hotels so that I know what it looks like when it isn’t a photo shoot that is set up by the hotel. I love the crisp white bedding and how clean everything looks.
this looks like a beautiful place to stay at!