W Union Square.
Gramercy Park Neighborhood
New York
I had picked the W Union Square as the concept of the hotel had always appealed to me. The hotel is in an older building and is in the convenient Union Square neighborhood. The Union Square neighborhood was a nice place to spend a few days in Manhattan. It’s central to almost everything. It has more personality to it than the boring Grand Central neighborhood and has substantially less tourists than Times Square. I wasn’t able to get a great rate for this property, opting to spend on convenience for a short stay over a great price. I attempted to apply Suite Night Awards and they failed to clear (over a winter weekend no less).
On arrival to LaGuardia, it was twenty minutes in with the Carmel car which took 12 minutes to arrive after we had called. Carmel sent us a text confirmation as well. Our route was straight down the FDR freeway then off at 13th ave.
Some photos of hotel and area from throughout our stay. The hotel has a presiding location over the Union Square park.
It was a typical New York experience where as when everyone’s special, no one is special. We pretty much got what we paid for in terms of room assignments. On check in, our platinum status was recognized but no upgrades at all available as we are “totally full”.
The lobby has a flex space also known as “The Living Room” that doubles as a lounge, or a place to consume drinks from the Irvington restaurant that is attached to the hotel. Irvington restaurant had a contemporary feel to it.
Our assigned “Spectacular Room”
#1415 was nice but not outstanding. It was spacious by NYC standards and had a very nice high 11 ft ceiling which gave it an airy feel to it.
The desk formed part of the counter for the TV.
Small snacks were also available in room.
The bathroom had the usual amenities with upscale Bliss toiletries
There were no fantastic park views from the room today. Although we were on a high floor, it was better than an alley view or a brick wall.
The bed was nice and comfortable and the room, being on a high floor, was about as quiet as you could hope for in the middle of NYC.
As part of the platinum benefits, we opted for the SPG Platinum breakfast benefit. This is a bit of an odd set up as there is only an option to take the breakfast served in your room only. This is a bit strange as the attached Irvington restaurant is open for breakfast and has hotel room charging privileges. It’s not a big deal eating in your room but the rooms are pretty small to begin with and the trays weren’t always cleared promptly. Our breakfast tray was still sitting on the floor outside our room at 2 AM one evening when we came back.
I had to sign for the breakfast bill after it was delivered which was $86.33 USD (per day) by the time the taxes, fees and service charges were all added in. The fee was wholly covered by the SPG program. Breakfast consisted of 6 pastries, 2 juices, jams and a coffee bodum. It wasn’t enough to fill you for the day but certainly enough to get you more than started.
There are several 24 hour convenience stores within a 2 block area of the hotel.
Overall, the W Union Square was a reasonable place to stay during our visit to New York. I loved the residential neighborhood feel to the area and the proximity to everything. I didn’t like the lackluster breakfast option and the so so stay experience. Our next time through New York, we may stay somewhere else. Although, if I was frank, I don't know if other properties would realistically be much better.