When we checked in "COZY" is how the receptionist described our room. We got into chicago mid morning, and luckily for us our room was ready. I booked this room on hotwire.com. The hotel is located in the loop which is what i wanted. Some of the rooms actually face the track of the "L", a co-worker suggested asking about this at check in, because he had trouble sleeping. Also rooms 1014-1017 face the elevators, i think we had room 1014. Anyway back to the coziness of this room. The room,i was told was just under 200 square feet, 192 to be exact!!! In all reality it was enough for two people for one night. There was a king sized bed, a little night stand, a small desk and a flat screen TV hanging off the wall. There was a nice clock/radio with ipod dock, which we didn't use. On the desk there was a cordless phone, another one on the nightstand, and internet connections, at a charge. The receptionist did mention this at check in, internet in the room would cost us, but in the lobby there was free wi-fi. Some of the channels on the TV appeared to be in Hi-Def and some didn't. The bathroom as to be expected was extremely small, but it was enough. The shower had great water pressure actually, something most hotels lack. There was a window that opened up into the center of the building, you had a view of the rooms across the way. Not real exciting. The lobby was very interestingly decorated, dim and lots of colored lights, i felt like i was walking into a club instead of a hotel. Despite the fact that the room was small it still meet all the expectations, it had a bed, tv, and a good shower, and it was clean.

This is a lovely hotel that is the embodiment of the W brand - chic, hip, trendy, but yet corporate. I am not chic, hip or trendy but I generally try to stay at Starwood hotels and this one was just 4 blocks from the office I was visiting.

My room was huge and well appointed. Unlike other reviewers' experience, my bathroom was very large and I had plenty of space.

However, the entire experience was marred by the fact that my room (17th floor) must have literally been adjacent to the railroad tracks, because every 3-5 minutes a train rolled by, making a noise that was indescribably painful. I did not sleep 3 winks. In the morning, I called the hotel and they moved me.

Moral of the story: If you stay there, be sure to tell them you want a room away from the tracks.

I stayed at the W for one night recently, after not having stayed there for about six years. The rooms are admittedly small, but the hotel was clean and quiet, and well-located for my office building (Sears/Willis tower). The price was reasonable. If I were coming to Chicago for leisure and paying on my own, I would probably stay near the Magnificent Mile as the hotels are better located (more things to do in the evening). After 6pm, nothing is open near this hotel.

The "business center" was incredibly expensive and not used (because of the high prices).

Overall, no major complaints.

Recently stayed at the W for the Chicago Marathon weekend. I was concerned given a number of the poor reviews that the hotel got on the TA website. I normally do not write reviews but felt compelled to do so this time so I could put my two cents in about the hotel.
I found the hotel to be classy establishment. The room was immaculately cleaned every day by housekeeping. The flat panel tv was a nice touch and the bed very comfortable. One does notice the El outside but it did not bother me at night.
I enjoyed the chic lobby and we had drinks Friday night at the bar upstairs. The bar in the lobby was bustling on Friday and there was a good energy to the hotel that night.
I was pleasantly surprised by the helpful staff at the desks and at the doors.
I would definitely come back to the W. The location is great.