The Westin Great Southern Columbus Review

My trip to Columbus came unforeseen. I needed to go to a project near downtown and look at the last minute for a hotel in the area. The Westin Great Southern Columbus was conveniently located near where I needed to be. The exterior of the hotel looked historic and important, which also let me stay here rather than somewhere else.

Booking & Stay Details

Nothing special to note here. I booked straight through the Marriott app as I was in a rush to get to the airport and fly to Columbus. I booked for a total of two nights with a rate of ~$150/night which was for a guest room with 1 Queen Bed. 

Location

The Westin Great Southern Columbus is located in the heart of the city. It’s only three blocks to get to the Ohio Statehouse at Capitol Square. You should visit the Capitol or take a tour of the Statehouse while you are in town. It’s so worth it. The same distance can also take you to the Scioto River where you can take a nice stroll along the river or view the skyline from one of the many bridges. I can highly recommend the Rich Street Bridge for that. There is a lot to see in downtown Columbus and most of it is within walking distance of the hotel. Access to I-71 is just two blocks south from the hotel. If you go further south and pass I-71 you get into the German Village, another district of the city of Columbus.

Parking

The parking situation is weird here at the hotel. They have valet parking. When I arrived, just before midnight, no valet attendant was available anymore. I planned to use their self-parking option anyway. When I checked in, I asked about self-parking and they told me just pull around the corner and it’s the parking lot right behind the hotel. As I didn’t receive any placard for my car, nor had to register the license plate, I double-checked if I needed anything to park in the lot. Maybe I need my room key to open the gates? The agent told me, it’s all good – Just pull in and park in an open spot.

It was night when I pulled in, but I was still able to notice that the parking lot was a public parking lot where you must pay to park. There is even a pay station right next to the entrance. Since they told me to just park, i parked my car and walked back inside and double checked again if I needed anything. It was strange. How would anyone know who checks the parking lot if I am part of the hotel or just park there without paying? At the end it was all fine. I never had any issues. Never a ticket in my window.

Check-In

The hotel itself doesn’t really have a parking lot or driveway you can pull in. It’s just a little curb area next to a turning lane where you can stop to check-in. This is the same spot you drop off and pick up for valet parking. It’s hard if you are on the wrong side of the road to turn around to pull in. It’s better to go one time around the block and head the right direction to pull over. 

It was shortly before midnight when I arrived. I pulled into the little curb area and unloaded my bags. Unfortunately, there is no automatic door at the hotel. In the middle of the entrance is a manual revolving door and regular doors on either side. The right side one can be opened via a button as it is made for handicapped people. I did notice this only the next morning. Therefore, I dragged my bags one by one through the small door. There was a security guard sitting inside, she tried to help. but I already had dragged my bags through the door.

Once through the doors you follow the wide hallway into the grand lobby. It’s a beautiful lobby, with tall ceilings and the front desk is straight ahead as you walk in. Another person just finished the check-in, and I was able to walk straight up and start my check-in process. I asked if they had room upgrades available and she told me that I was already upgraded to an Executive King Suite.

I grabbed my keys and headed to the nostalgic elevators to drop off my bags before returning to park my car and grabbing the rest of my belongings out of my car.

King Executive Suite (Room 517)

To get to the room, I had to walk all the way to the end of the hallway. The hallways here were built wider than average to accommodate the width of ladies’ hoop skirts. While walking to my room, I noticed there is no room 519.

As you enter you have a large walk-in closet to your left. It comes with an in-room safe, iron, ironing board, pajamas, and hangers to hang your clothes. There is a lot of space in this walk-in closet.

As you follow the short entry way around the corner, the entry way opens into the sleeping area. Right along the wall is a well-sized work desk with a chair. On top you will find the coffee maker and a light. A little bit hidden in the corner is the air conditioning unit. It sits between the work desk and a dresser around the corner. The dresser sits in front of one of the windows. Besides three drawers it also houses a small refrigerator on the left half of it. On top is the TV and another lamp. Opposite the dresser and TV is the king-sized bed. It comes with a nightstand on either side of the bed and the lights on top of them have extra power outlets to charge your devices.  The pathway between the bed and the dresses is small. 

The rest of the room features a sitting area with a sofa and a sofa chair with a cocktail table. Opposite the sofa is another dresser which comes with the second TV in the room standing on top of it.  Another small desk in the corner, next to a light stand, holds an ice bucket and some glasses. From this part of the room, you have access to the huge bathroom. 

Yes, the bathroom space is huge overall, but the shower with the glass sliding door feels narrow. Inside the shower is a rain shower head and a shower wand.

Opposite the shower is the toilet and a vanity with a single sink and a wall mounted mirror with edge lighting.  In between the shower and vanity is a lot of space. Almost too much. This space should have been allocated to increase the room size a little bit more rather than having such a big bathroom.

The room has three windows. Two on one wall and the third on the other wall. The two windows on the same wall face part of the room and you don’t get any view at all. The third one faces out towards the parking lot where I parked my car. You don’t get to see the city skyline or anything. Views are not worth mentioning here.

Public Areas & Amenities

Lobby

The lobby is absolutely amazing. It’s this huge, large and tall space in the center of the building. The ceiling with the skylights and chandeliers looks absolutely amazing. There are lots of spots to sit down and hang out. The lobby and second floor invite for a stroll to learn more about the history of the building. The Grand Ballroom and some meeting spaces are located on the second floor which you can access via the stairs in the lobby or by elevator. The stained-glass windows in the ballroom are the original ones that debuted in 1897.

There used to be a radio station on the seventh floor which left the hotel in 1984. A long time ago there used to be a working fountain in the middle of the lobby where people would throw change to make a wish. The Westin Great Southern Columbus is the oldest surviving hotel in the city and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

An ATM is in the lobby and a jewelry store can be accessed from the lobby as well. The entrance for that shop is next to the elevator. There is so much history about this building. Better you explore it for yourself. There are two information boards on the outside of the building along E Main Street.

Fitness Center

The fitness center is in the basement of the building. The easiest way is to take one of the two elevators to get to the basement. In the basement, the fitness center takes up a lot of the space accessible for guests. As you exit, it is to your left and you need your room key to get in. The door then opens automatically. Inside is a well-equipped fitness center. It has everything for a good workout. 

There is no swimming pool on site nor a business center.

Dining

The on-site restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and features a bar as well. It’s conveniently located in the lobby, and you can access it through the lobby or from the street itself. 

When you first enter, you enter the bar area of the restaurant. The dining area is just off to the side and the waiter will take you to your table. The dining area features large windows facing the sidewalk, which gives you a beautiful view and brings a lot of light into the room. The bar area itself is a little darker and has fewer windows. 

Breakfast

I was able to enjoy breakfast once during my stay here as their breakfast doesn’t open until later in the morning, when I am already at work. The menu only offers a few choices, but it was a decent breakfast. To be honest, I expected a bit more. It was still good. Service was ok and could have been a little bit more attentive to the guests as there weren’t that many in the dining area. 

Conclusion

I enjoyed my stay here. There was a hiccup. I ordered some items via the Marriott Bonvoy app to be delivered to my room. Once you select them, you start a chat with the property. The only thing I ever received was an automatic reply, telling me that the hotel is sorry that the response took so long. That made no sense, as this was done automatically anyway. I never receive the requested items. Not even after 24 hours and then it was time for me to check out. It was nothing urgent, I needed, so not a big deal.

However, I love the building. It’s old and historic. You can find out more about the building on many plaques and information signs inside and outside of the building. It’s worth it to just stroll through the lobby and the second floor. The hotel just underwent a major renovation which updated the interior of the rooms to bring them up to date. The rooms still fit well within this old building but there was some charm lost during the renovation. I am usually a fan of everything new and flashy but this place is old and historic and I like it this way and don’t mind if the rooms look dated, they are old.