I walked into the lobby and was instantly impressed. The check in on a Fri. evening took 2 min. Then right up the glassed elevators to my room on the 12th floor. The room is so relaxing! Nice big cushy bed, lots of pillows. Pretty asian art on the walls. Streamlined flat screen TV. Very modern decor. Also had internet and MP3 connections. View was of the interstate, but what was cool was right down the road is :O'Hare. So I stood at the window and ironed my clothes watching planes landing one after the other. Really entertaining...........I thought anyway.
The bathrooms are smallish, but very clean. A small dressing area is right near the bathroom. Lots of mirrors. If you leave your room looking bad it's your fault!!
Back in the lobby you have a gift shop, Shula's, coffee shop, lounge, and public areas. All very calming. The whole hotel takes on this serene atmosphere.
Ventured over to the Reebok Workout Room. Clean and modern. With a killer view of the city and lovely grounds of the Westin. Also well equiped with TV, stereo, ect;
This hotel is excellent for business or pleasure. The whole Westin experience will leave you very happy!

Stayed here on a weekend (Fri-Sun) prepaid rate. I had prepaid for a Thurs-Sun stay (buy 3 nights get third free) and so when I was delayed by a day, did not expect any discount. Asked for an upgraded room when I arrived, and was given an enormous and very comfortable suite! Very clean, everything worked except for the in-room safe.

The traffic situation to Chicago during the weekend is not too bad. I made the trip in about 40 min. Although the atrium is loud (because of the design, just a few people talking in the lobby at normal voices sets off a cacophonous echoing), I did not hear anything from the bedroom of my suite and slept extremely well.

I don't think this property has any doormen - never saw or needed any. But the front desk people were very helpful and friendly.

Overall a terrific place to stay. The "Heavenly Bed" is truly heavenly. The rooms are immaculate, very modern, and have all the conveniences you would expect from a top-of-the-line hotel. I had a terrific view of the distant Chicago skyline from my window. The hotel is on a several acre man-made lake with a nice foot path that made me wish I had packed my rollerblades. Service was very good, food exceptional, and prices fair. It's close to O'Hare, but a cab to downtown was over $50. The hotel has a shuttle that drops you off at the Itasca train station. Riding the Metra to Union Station is a better deal at $3.90 (one way) and is nearly as fast.

On the con side, guests are assessed an extra fee to use the attached athletic club's workout facility (treadmill/bike/rowing machine, weights, raquetball, basketball). Fortunately, the pool, hot tub and the attached locker room facilities including sauna and steam room are included without additional charge.

Summary: Huge lobby with an open atrium (similar to Embassy Suites). Rooms are good sized and nicely furnished but does not have the luxurious feel of a Westin. Decent but not great value given its remote suburb location.

Pros: Lobby is huge with an open atrium and features restaurants and bars. Rooms are large and nicely furnished with flat screen LCD TV. There is even a separately table across the closet for luggage. Westin and Sheraton always have nice beds. You can also break Starbucks coffee in your own room. The pool is good size though not large. The workout room has lots of equipment in an area the size of a basketball court (but not on the 12th floor as noted in a previous review and has no view). There is also an actual basketball court. The hotel seems is basically very large and should be good for business conferences.

Cons: While the furnishings are nice, they are not luxurious. The colors are very standard grey, black and white monotone. The Itasca location is around 20-30 minutes from the O'Hare airport. If you take a taxi, it is considered a suburb of Chicago so your fare will be 1.5 times the actual metered rate. Going into Chicago by car is not recommended due to traffic. Even though it's very close to a highway intersection, there is nothing around the hotel in terms of dining and shopping within the immediate area. Service attitude was a bit cool, and there is no bell service, at least for us. We moved all of our luggage, including boxes, by ourselves.

Conclusion: I suppose I expect a bit more from the Westin in terms of quality. The facilities are great, particularly for business conferences. I see no reason to stay there if you are a tourist since it's too far away to be convenient.

Price paid: $169 + tax for weekday