Keith009

I've just written a review of the W New York-Union Square (with pics!) as part of my trip report:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showp...5&postcount=32

I hope it is of assistance.

Cheers.

chardo

Fantastic review, and Spot On!! This is exactly why this is our stay of choice in the city!

Crooow

Bumping this post, just to see if there is any additional info on the penthouse rooms. I've got a stay coming up next month, and it's not entirely clear to me (from the "special offer" page), what I'm getting in a penthouse room that's worth the money.

Anyone have any experience (good or bad) with these?

Thanks

Kagehitokiri

FYI virtuoso offers confirmed upgrades

from W website re "penthouse" benefits >
- coffee or a selection of teas delivered through in-room dining
- Wired high-speed Internet access
- local and domestic long distance phone calls
- MultiPot all-in-one device charging unit
- munchie box
- pressing of up to three garments per stay
- Twilight turndown service
- "VIP amenities" (?)

Ashtangi

Not sure if this is the most appropriate place for this - but my wife and I will be visiting NYC for the first time in September.

Based on the reviews I'm liking the W Union Square, but we're also considering the W Times Square.

Is the Union Square location alright for first time visitors to NYC? We're only going to be there for 2 nights, and will want to hit some of the major sites - Times Square, Central Park, the Upper East Side, Rockefeller, etc.

Any help is appreciated! Thanks

bgriff

For general first-time sightseeing, the Times Square location is probably more convenient.

Union Square is closer to the "downtown" scene, and is great for someone who knows New York already and wants to focus on the latest "cool" shopping, nightlife, restaurants, and so forth, which tend to be clustered downtown.

Times Square is closer to most of the things you list that you want to see--it's in Times Square, obviously, and very close to all Broadway shows, and is a quick walk from Rockefeller Center. Central Park is also a short walk away. I'm not sure what exactly you want to see on the Upper East Side (the museums, I'm guessing), but that's more or less equally convenient from either W location. And though most of the trendier shopping is downtown, midtown (nearer the W Times Square) is home to most of the major department stores and a lot of flagship stores for various chains and designers.

The only sightseeing-type tourist attractions that are downtown are the site of the World Trade Center and the Statue of Liberty, both of which would be a subway or taxi ride away from either W, so Union Square doesn't have a much advantage there.

If you do stay in the W Times Square, restaurants can be a bit of a challenge as there are lots of tourist-trap type places in that area, and even places with decent food are often overpriced since they cater mostly to tourists and businesspeople. However, you can find some gems located nearby, particularly if you wander a bit farther out of Times Square, and of course you could always make plans for a dinner that's in a different part of the city.

BlissWorld

Not so Blue Fin at the W Times Square (available for room service) is hands down one of the best restaurants in town

ldsant

Personally I would stay at the W Union Square - the "atmosphere" is so much nicer. Nothing in NYC is that far away imo. Subways, taxis, WALKING all get you to where you want to be a whole lot easier.

The hotel at Times Square is OK but the one at Union Square seems a bit nicer imo. What are you looking to do in NYC anyway? That will help with some more suggestions.

Ashtangi

Wow. Thanks for the incredibly useful information. Very much appreciated.

Because it's our first time we're going to be doing most of the touristy things - at least as many as we can do within 2 days:

Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, MoMA, Fifth Avenue, Times Square, Central Park, Greenwich Village. We may also do a cruise and/or bus tour just to get a quick overview of Manhattan. We won't be seeing any Broadway shows.

We'd narrowed it down to the W Union Square, W Times Square and Westin Times Square. It seems that the W Union Square has the most positive reviews, but obviously I had a few concerns about the location for first-timers.

Sam P. Goodman

For most of what you want to do, I agree that Times Square is going to be more convenient, but as mentioned by others, NY is very easy to get around (I like to walk a lot too). I've stayed at both properties. TS on my first visit, US on my last. Liked US better for the hotel and the location, but would probably recommend TS for most first timers looking to do the tourist run. I don't think you can go wrong with either, but TS may save you some travel time if you're trying to do a lot in a short period of time. Have fun.

Ken in Phx

IMO, the W Union Square is a great hotel with excellent service. Subway station not a far walk. Overall would be an awesome choice.

Ken in Phx

blort

From somebody who lives a few blocks above Union Square, you should be thrilled, not worried, about the location.

You have access to two key subway lines -- the 4/5/6 and the N/R/W -- a stone's throw from the hotel. You're also still in a highly central location, but without the maddening tourist groups, neon signs and scam artists that you find in Times Square. You get to walk out onto a great park (Union Square) and two others, Madison Square and Washington Square, are only about a 10-minute walk away.

Now, your specifics:

Empire State Building - you can walk there, it's about one mile north. Plan on each block (street) taking one minute of walking time, and each avenue taking three minutes. Thus, 17th and Park (W Union Square) to 34th and 5th is about a 20 minute walk.

Rockefeller Center, MoMA, Fifth Avenue - take the 6 subway to 51st. You can then walk a couple avenues west to all three.

Times Square - take the NRW subway to 42nd / Times Square.

Central Park - take the NRW subway to 5th Ave and 59th. This will put you at the southeast corner of the park. You can also just walk north from Rock Center / MoMA / 5th Avenue (about ten minutes, 59th is the southern edge of the park).

Greenwich Village - walk. I mentioned Washington Square Park earlier. That puts you right in the thick of Greenwich Village.

Since you're going for two days, you'll have to prioritize. I would spend one day focused on Rock Center, MoMA, 5th Ave and Central Park. If you go to the Top of the Rock, you can skip the Empire State Building (and the associated lines, which can be well over an hour).

You can spend the second day going south. Check out Greenwich Village, SoHo, WTC, etc. If you really want to see Times Square (and I suppose I'll agree that it's something a first-time visitor should see), you can easily ride the subway there and back.

Do make sure you spend some effort securing good dinner reservations. Spend some quality time at nymag.com. Not sure what your budget is for dining out, but it doesn't need to be anything terribly extravagant to have two phenomenal dinners. There are also some great wine bars around Union Square if you want to go out after dinner.

countmookle

Do rates at the W Union Square ever drop significantly as a check-in date approaches?

I'm trying to book a six-night stay beginning Friday. Using the Z6H promo, it's $406/night - despite the fact that there appears to be a ton of availability. (Recession, anyone?) A three-night stay is $330/night, but I don't want to split my stay.

By contrast, a six-night stay at the W New York is $286/night, at the W The Court is $293/night, and at the W Tuscany is $313/night. (Three nights at the W The Court is a mere $232/night.)

Any ideas as to how I might find a better rate? I'd prefer to stay in Union Square, but I'm not going to pay a ~$115/night premium, especially with the Platinum recognition I'm likely to get at the Court/Tuscany.

salanki

Union Square always seems more expensive, I would do the court as your upgrade probability is good. I'm writing this from my Fantastic Suite (which is actually really nice) in the court.

countmookle

Yeah, the rate difference is kind of crazy. If I could just get a decent rate for the last three nights, I'd go for it...

Otherwise trying to decide between Westin Times Square and the Court.