Very disappointing venue for business event
I chose the Westin River North Chicago for my client event (fully day conference with catering and cocktail reception) as, in my experient, there are generally few better hotels than a Westin in which to hold a conference. However, I'm sorry to say that this was the exception to the rule. From the beginning the event staff only seemed interested in securing my business and then failed to follow through - to the extent that they allowed me to book my event (knowing I was flying in from the UK) without informing me that there were no bedrooms available for me on the first night. They did nothing to assist me with finding alternative accomodation and even when I contacted the General Manager, nothing beyond a "I'm reaching out to you" email was ever done.
The event itself was a success, but I was made to feel that every request I made beyond what had been agreed in the contract was involved a major effort on behalf of the staff - to the point of them being rude. The person in charge of my event seemed ill-trained and equipped to deal with an important meeting.
After the event they forgot to bill me for additional AV costs, despite sending endless copies of a final master bill which was paid. When they did remember, they insisted that it be paid within two days, which was impossible...so they deducted the charge directly from my credit card without informing me resulting in the bill being paid twice. I have no doubt that they will refund the amount immediately but I really feel that this shouldn't have happened.
Interestingly I have received and completed client surveys from both Starwood and the hotel itself and made all the above points clear - no one has ever contacted me and it's doubtful that I will ever use a Westin as first choice again...pity