Starwood Preferred Guest - Westin or Hilton TS - better chance of upgrade?

I have a weekend with my parents in NYC in 2 weeks! The threads on FT give decent reviews of both hotels, though lots of ppl prefer the W. (it is $$$ tho)

I have a room at the Westin Times Square and I'm SPG "Preferred Business" member, not sure what that means but I lost my gold status.

I also have a room at the Hilton Times Square and I'm Honors Gold.

Any recommendation on which one has better chance of an upgrade/nice room, for a lowly gold or preferred business?

NYC TS hotels are always full. Upgrades to anyone but toptier members really seldomly happens.

Your best chances would be at the Hilton. I never heard of a real room upgrade for a SPG Preferred Business member - it might have happened, but since it's a lower tier than SPG Gold (which hardly gets any upgrades) I would find it very amazing if they would upgrade you. Also, it's widely known that Hilton treats Gold's better than SPG (or any other program for that matter).

Rene

The Hilton doesn't really have multiple room categories, so there's really nothing to be upgraded to. All of the rooms are pretty nice. As a Diamond member they usually put me on one of the top floors, but really, all of the rooms at the Hilton T2 look exactly the same, as best as I can tell.

The Westin T2 is a slightly nicer property. I really like the fact that the windows open a bit so I can always get some fresh air if I want to. Both properties are very quiet and filter out almost all street noise, but the Westin is a bit better. Westin also has a better gym, but unless you're a platinum you have to pay to use it. Hilton gym is free. Westin beds are a bit more comfy and the room service is a bit better, too.

You probably won't get upgraded at the Westin, either, but all the rooms are pretty nice so that doesn't matter much. As an SPG Platinum they usually give me one of the corner rooms, which are nice because they have the big picture windows on two sides and hence the view is tremendous. Platinums also get access to the club room that serves breakfast and evening snacks, but aside from that there aren't many upgrades to be had.

Awesome replies - thanks for the help!!! This is why I love FT...

I think I'll just go for the Hilton...