Standing 27 stories high and offering 751 contemporary guestrooms, 23 suites, and 37,000 sq ft of award winning meeting space; the hotel is ideal for prominent gatherings, business meetings, dinner dances and weddings. To keep with their long standing promise of a “transformative hotel experience” and to “leave you feeling better than when you arrived”, the Westin has had to ensure the upmost comfort throughout every room of the hotel. To help deliver this required comfort the hotel contracts with Anchor Mechanical, an experienced Chicagoland HVAC/Plumbing contractor, and local KMC Controls authorized partner, to provide and install KMC products. Building management understood that being able to precisely control their HVAC system would help create the comfortable and healthy environment that building occupants came to expect.

For their original installation in 1994 the hotel elected a KMC proprietary system. The project consisted of a sub-net LAN of approximately 30 KMD-5501 and KMD-5502 controllers; controlling everything from the air handling units, to chiller and boiler plants, to the exhaust fans and other central system components. Over the next 14 years the system worked flawlessly. “Ever since our first installation we have never had a problem with our KMC system,” explained the hotel’s Director of Operations, Bob Thomas.

To further showcase their desire to remain in touch with new trends and their customers, the Westin Michigan Avenue decided to move forward with an aggressive renovation plan in the spring of 2008. “Management wanted to build on their culture of sustainability and to make their hotel more comfortable, environmentally friendly, and energy efficient,” commented Anchor Mechanical’s Service Technician, Steve Rosner.

The existing KMC system was upgraded to include a new KMC LAN controller and approximately 10 new Tier II KMD-5800 series controllers. A TotalControl graphical user interface was installed to provide on site graphics for the building’s Chief Engineer, as well as, off site web-based access for Bob Thomas and/or Anchor Mechanical’s service team. “The system allows us to monitor and quickly respond to any building issues that may occur whether we are at the hotel or not. We can make any necessary adjustments right through the internet. It’s simply amazing,” commented Mr. Thomas. He went on to say, “Anchor Mechanical and KMC are very much alike. When you need them, they’re there. What more could you ask for? A great combination of two companies.”

Since the renovations, the Westin Michigan Avenue Chicago has received both a Bronze (GS-33) Certification by The Green Seal Environmental Standard for Lodging Properties as well as a Green Energy Certification by the IHLA Stay Green (Illinois Hotel Lodging Association).

How suite it is!