The Westin Princeton at Forrestal Village

The Westin is by far THEE best hotel in the Princeton, Hamilton, Lawrenceville, Ewing, Trenton, Plainsboro, East and West Windsor area. Hands down, no comparison. First impressions of this hotel were that the staff was incredibly kind and caring. You know how sometimes you get one employee that is really nice and knowledgeable and you just know you got great service.... but then get another employee that seems absolutely incompetent? Well, that will NOT happen here! As someone who manages a local mom and pop shop that has bee in business almost 40 years, I can say with full certainty that you will be treated with respect no matter who you are while staying at the Westin. The staff at the front desk are literally amazing. You never feel rushed checking in or out, or when asking questions etc. Also feel it is important to point out that they never make you feel silly for asking questions/having a request. I absolutely love the front desk staff! I really wish I knew all of their names. Jamie, Keisha, Ronaldo, Wesley, and two other gentlemen that are always at the desk (and I am so sorry I do not know your name) are just TOP NOTCH! The building is incredibly well maintained. Each room is exceptionally clean. I have noticed that housekeeping staff spends a noticeable amount of time cleaning each room when guests check out. The Ballroom is beautiful, and is classy enough to host a wedding, yet casual enough for a party in addition to the conference center they also have. My family and I absolutely love the pools. They are clean and well maintained. The gym is also very nice. One of our favorite things about the Westin has come to be Parallel 40. The food is OUTSTANDING!!!! It is fresh, made to order, and when I say out of this world.... OUT OF THIS WORLD! The drinks made at the bar are also delicious. HUGE SHOUT OUT to Victor the bartender!!!! I have stayed at the Westin a total of 24 nights from July 2024-March 2025, and can say that Victor has always presented himself with such class and dignity. He truly knows both the food and drink menu inside and out, and he makes literally the most tasty drinks I have ever been served. He is also ALWAYS extra kind to my 10 year old daughter, and offers her special non-alcoholic drinks that he makes. Victor is truly the cherry on top when it comes to The Westin, solidifying my conclusion that this hotel is legit #1. Fatima, the server at Parallel is one of the sweetest ladies I have ever met and a fantastic server. Just wanted to add her in too because of how warm and kind she is!!! I have not one complaint about this hotel out of all 24 nights I have stayed here in less than a year. Kudos to you, Westin Employees, for being SO STELLAR in all that you do for your guests!!!!

Honestly, I don’t know why I bother with Hilton, Hampton, Hilton Garden Inn, Courtyard and others when I can stay at a Westin! This particular hotel in Princeton is next-level in customer service. Ronaldo, Angel, Mitel, the bartenders, and room service were all super helpful to the point of insisting on grabbing my trash when I brought an arm full in to throw away! They make sure you are happy at that front desk too. It reminds me of four-star hotels back in the day. There was no valet outside but the front desk guys offered to assist with everything. The hotel smelled great. The room was spotless. I have a very high bar and this room got an A++ in everything; cleanliness, bedding, amenities, coffee…all of it! You don’t find hotels like this unless you go very high-end but this was four-star at a reasonable rate! The room service food was delicious too. We will be staying here every time we travel through New Jersey!

I frequent this hotel for business, with business travel the hotel is the hotel, but what makes the difference is the service. The standout is Ricardo in the bar, he always brings a smile, has a ton of energy, and truly cares. As a repeat guest he greets me by name and is always welcoming…no matter the day a warm welcome from Ricardo gives a positive end. While I am here often, he gives this same service to all and EVERYONE knows him by name. He makes a positive impact and honestly a reason why I always make the choice for this hotel. As an Ambassador Elite I have plenty of choices, but every time I choose Ricardo! While the front desk team is good, Ricardo is the only one I know by name…I choose this hotel not because of cost or even company preference (they would prefer I stay at other less expensive options)…I choose this hotel because of the service and Ricardo he will make your day!

Whole hotel seemed rundown. Room, pool, everything. Clearly there's been minimal investment in this place for a while. I got the sense that the hotel is doing the bare minimum and isn't caring much about making their guests happy. Room was very small. Dusty all over. Wall beside bed was grimy. Small floor area between bed and wall was filled with dust. Window sill was very dusty. TV wasn't modern... old Dish TV setup. It had no way to play things from Netflix, which has been common at Marriott hotels for a few years now. The shower water pressure was low, and there was no way to divert the water between the wand and shower head... they both had to be on at once. Nowhere reasonable to hang things outside of the bathroom. Didn't need to tap a key card to enter the side door at night or take the elevator to the 4th floor. Nobody watching the doors. That's bad security. Staff must have no idea who's in the building. Floor around pool didn't look like it had been swept in days. Straws and random stuff littering the floor. Indoor pool had leaves in it at 9am. Must not have been cleaned the night before. Mold on the ceiling, trim around the pool was all beat up and uneven. Restaurant service was a disaster. Nice people, but it seemed like they were either completely overwhelmed or they had no experience running a restaurant. To their credit, it was busy -- nearly all tables were full. But that can't be unusual for 9am on a Saturday morning. They should know what to expect based upon hotel occupancy. Someone else's dirty cup was left on the table when we arrived. Wasn't offered menus - had to get them ourselves. Food took a very long time to arrive -- my wife had to start walking my 2 and 5 year old around the hotel to kill time. Witnessed the next table over get their bill *again*, even after they gave their vouchers to pay. They had to explain *twice* that they had already paid!! Witnessed two tables receive a wrong order. One of my pieces of toast had a hilarious hole in the middle. Why would they serve that? Although we were offered free breakfast vouchers for both days, we decided to go elsewhere for breakfast the second day. No EV chargers in the parking lot. It's extremely convenient to have them for your guests with electric cars. Saves us A LOT of time. Executive Lounge was only open on weekdays. Why? The hotel was busy, and clearly the restaurant couldn't handle the high demand. Sounds like very bad a cost cutting move.

Please do not ever come to this hotel. They messed up our reservation and the reservation of our entire wedding party. None of the staff at the front desk were helpful at all. We spent over an hour trying to get a room without any success. I am still waiting as I write this review with an absolute exhausted family.