The Westin experience.
Posted by aldctjoc

Ok, let's get the bad out of the way, since my overall experience there was not just good but great:


  • Good God, the parking cost. I did valet this year, but I think I may be done with that.
  • The hotel bar closed at midnight! C'mon! 
  • Breakfast was not included. 
  • Toilet had a small crack. Didn't leak, strictly cosmetic, but it did look bad.
  • Why does the bathroom have no ventilation fan? 
  • TV system was slow and has one of the slowest, least informative channel guides I've ever dealt with (but this is tiny; the most TV I watched was during unpacking and packing bags, and the one night I was hammered and couldn't sleep). 
  • The view was of the neighboring building's rooftops. 
  • Closet? What closet? That little clothes-hanging niche (no door) feels about as big as one of my kitchen cabinets. A week's worth of my clothes on hangers actually stuffed it full.
  • The keycard activated elevator could be frustrating. 
  • The stairs were strictly security/evacuation stairwells that opened to the outside instead of the lobbies. 

But the good made me want to do that hotel again without hesitation:

  • GREAT staff. Hold bags before check-in, no problem. Advice on parking when their parts of the garage were full, very forthcoming. All other things, quick and friendly. Loved all the valet's attitudes and service ethic. Even given the amount I spent on parking, I at least got awesome service out of it. And the cleaning staff playing around pretending to "shoot" at us with the nozzle of a vacuum cleaner one day was fun because when even the custodial staff has good morale and huge, genuine smiles, the place is being run well
  • SO CLOSE! Being able to run up to my room between events was just a Godsend. Made all the difference in my exhaustion levels.
  • Bed was so, sooooo good. I love having that many pillows. 
  • Breakfast may not have been free - in fact, it was damn expensive - but for a buffet, it was actually a damn good buffet! Fresh, hot... not as good as Le Peep or Patachou, but still damn good.
  • Clean. This is important. They kept even the public area bathrooms clean during heavy use. I don't recall seeing a trash can overflowing. Or trash laying around tables or the floor. They were on it cleaning-wise.
  • Free fridge! Not an empty minibar, the fridge was just there, without asking. 
  • Space: Some hotel rooms feel cramped. Not this one. Not as big as the King Special I had out in Seattle for a work conference (that room actually had a couch), but still, bigger than my own bedroom at home!
  • No BS on the bill. Straightforward, no confusion, no delay in getting it handled and printed out on check-out, no surprises. This is a big deal. 

Posted by soulcatcher78

I would like to add "quiet" to the list of reasons I enjoy the Westin. We were there Wednesday through Saturday night and I only had one instance of "who the hell is that" after 11 and I was up when it happened so not that big a deal.

I can't say this for all of the other hotels I've stayed at for Gen Con.

Proximity to the ICC is the big selling point for the spousal unit.  If she wants to take a break it's RIGHT THERE.  I guess the same could be said of the connected Marriott but we haven't stayed there before.

Next year will be the Westin again, already booked and paying for it so I don't have to pray to the Registration Gods (who are fickle, just saying) and hope for a good place in the queue.

Posted by aldctjoc soulcatcher78

soulcatcher78 wrote:... I only had one instance of "who the hell is that" after 11 and I was up when it happened so not that big a deal.

I'm sorry, I was drunk, and some bastard tilted the hotel to the left when I got off the elevator... ;)

(Kidding...)

Posted by helenbb

We love the Westin too! Unfortunately, it is so popular that it is difficult to get. But crossing my fingers that it works out for us every GenCon!

Posted by suburbaknght

One more shot for the Westin: we had a problem with our housing reservation (since resolved.  Q-Rooms, despite my doubts, really came through on this).  Westin could have charged us $1,200/night for our first night or even tossed us out on our ear.  Instead they worked with us to make sure we had a place to stay, didn't overcharge us, and worked with Q-Rooms even after the con to get everything resolved.  Color me impressed.

Posted by truelink

What I liked about the Westin: they had enough randomly placed tables and chairs on the second story to put together a giant gaming table for twelve near the ICC entrance.

Posted by wonderandawe

My experience with the Westin was good, but not great.  My Fiance was less impressed, but he has stayed at the Westin in India and had overblown expectations of what the Indianapolis Westin would be like.  

The Elevator Key card issue was annoying.  The Breakfast bar was disappointing.  You paid 15 bucks for what you get for free at other hotels.   My biggest complaint was the lack of counterspace.   All we got was a sink and a little glass shelf to put our toothbrushes, toothpaste, deordorant.  The closet was joke.   I wish we had a couch instead of a chair, but that is just a nitpick.   

I loved the fact the Westin was quiet.   The beds were comfy.  The shower head was amazing.  

Posted by chickd19

I never have many issues with the Westin. Key cards are always an issue, the traffic seemed a little much for the elevators. The TV kept losing signal, which I mentioned in the survey. I wish they would get rid of the old stocked fridge and put in a slightly larger mini fridge and replace the current mini fridge with a microwave.

This topic is locked. New posts cannot be added.