Starwood Preferred Guest - W Times Square - A Sell-Out In Under 3 Months

http://www.starwood.com/whotels/about/news_release_detail.html?contentId=53030

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">W Hotels, the hottest brand in the Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) family, announced today that the brand's newest hotel, W New York-Times Square, will reach 100% occupancy on Tuesday, April 16th. This sell-out occurs just three months after the hotel opened its doors during the toughest economic climate in lodging history.

According to Darnall, W New York-Times Square is forecasting 80 percent plus occupancy in the month of April, and transient and group business from the hotel's neighbors including MTV and VH1 has been especially robust.
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Maybe the $25 rate was not a mistake, but rather brilliant marketing strategy.

Most definetely. I'll be back, too.

I can't say enough about the service at the W. I had a last minute change of plans and was unable to get into NYC on time this weekend from HNL. I had booked a $25 rate for Fri-Sun and was supposed to meet my girlfriend there. So I called to add her to the reservation so she could check in for us. This somehow raised the rate to $219. After calling the W they said that they could not see the rate change on their system but would honor the $25 if I faxed in a copy of the confirmation. I did so, and the rate dropped to $50. Now I know this is still a great rate, and I felt a built guilty in asking for anything lower, but I knew that the hotel had said they would honor the $25 rate which would really help defray the costs of travelling from HNL-NYC. As I was calling very late (HNL being 6 hours behind) I was connected to central reservations when I called the hotel asking for the hotel's reservations desk. It seems that they couldn't change the rate and I would have to wait until the following morning (Friday) to deal with the hotel directly. After beginning to write an urgent message to William, I called back one last time and spoke to somebody who eagerly changed the rate back to $25 saying that the $50 rate occurred due to a typo (as did the original $25 rate I guess http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif). I am grateful that they honored the rate despite the fact that the hotel was sold out this weekend. The great thing is that I didn't even have to bother William, whom I am sure has one too many e-mails to read as it is.

Starwood has been great to me in the short time I've been with the chain. I'm really looking forward to making Platinum later this year. Plus, I'd definately stay at the W TS on a "normal" rate. Thanks Starwood!

I wish I had known they would be that accommodating, as I wasn't able to make the weekend I had originally planned. I just cancelled, feeling it would have been more than a splash of chutzpah on my part to ask to switch the rate to a different weekend http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif .
C'est la vie...