I like W's I agree they have been service and higher rates than CY's (although $30 isn't much for Chicago ...)

But having the experience in life of knowing people who work in call centers, knowing people who are Harvard MBA's working in global consulting firms, knowing senior execs and board members, and knowing trust funders ... as well as talking to people staying there, its pretty clear to me that a responsible financial advisor would advise the typical guest at many -- but not all -- W's to stick with the Kia. And ... that's part of the service inconsistency issue. For example, while staying at a W recently and asking for a late checkout while walking back into the hotel, I received the standard "I'm sorry sir but we're fully committed" even when they obviously weren't, didn't really check, and didn't seem to care about elite status (it was listed as a resort so the guarantee didn't apply) . In contrast, the GM had emailed me earlier to ask about my stay (I hadn't raised any issues -- he was checking in because I was Ambassador) so I emailed him back and he immediately approved the late checkout.

Like all properties, they are highly dependent on whether they have an engaged GM.