I just returned from a holiday stay in NYC at the W Tuscany and was planning on adding some comments to a recent thread, so here it goes.

I would second many of Fenger's comments in an earlier post. The W Court and Tuscany are both great properties, we chose the Tuscany b/c I've always heard the chance of getting a larger room is better even if there are no suites for upgrade.

I also like that it is set back in one building on a cross street (39th) as opposed to being on the avenue like the Court. If you are on a low floor at the Court on the avenue you'll probably hear the cabs honking and trucks roaring along. We had a 9th floor corner room at the Tuscany, room 900, and it was very nice with little traffic noise. The building between the Court and Tuscany is only about 5 stories, so we had windows on two sides and a great view northward of the Chrysler building. We had some nice sunny days, so i was happy with how bright the room was, even though it has northern exposure.

Nice furnishings, carpet, bed, etc, all just as i would expect at a W property. The bathroom was only "ok" though, it was a white/grey marble in 4x4 inch tiles. It looked like it predated the W, the craftsmanship of the tile work was not what I would expect at a W. Nice enough fixtures, but the bathroom didnt feel luxurious to us.

The Tuscany lobby is small, but it just adds to the intimate feel of the hotel. The Court lobby and bar are much larger, we just walked the 30 feet over there when we wanted a larger bar.

The service in the Tuscany was impeccable. I've seen comments about the uppity attitude of W staff at properties and quite honestly I've never felt this at any W, but certainly you will not feel it here. What a refreshing change from the big NYC hotel experience, they all knew us by name, chatted us up when we entered the lobby and were helpful with every request. It may have had something to do with the fact that we'd just gotten engaged and they knew that, but that was fine, as was the bottle of champagne they left in the room when we went out for a walk in the snow Sunday night. I put a note in our reservation record that we were getting engaged over the weekend and the front desk clerk smiled at me when we checked in to let me know she knew this. You might want to note you're there for a birthday. We were treated equally well next door at the Court when we ventured over there for drinks.

As for location, I used to live in this neighborhood so maybe that explains why i like it so much. A short walk to Grand Central and you can get anywhere in Manhattan or beyond in a snap. You can also go to the 33rd st subway station and be down in Soho in minutes. While the Tuscany isnt in the middle of most of the tourist attractions, it's either easy to get their via the subway or a short walk. Times square is a short walk across town, maybe 15-20 mintues, or a $5 ride cab. Besides, it's actually nice not being in the middle of it all.

We walked over to Times Sq to check out the Westin, it reminds me a lot of the Westin Diplomat in Hollywood Fl. That's a complement, but when we're looking for a quiet, romantic time in NY I think we'll be returning to the W Tuscany or Court.

I've stayed at several of the starwood properties in NY and the Tuscany is my new favorite. Essex House treated me poorly and gave me a horrible room and the T/S Sheratons are unimpressive, mobbed with people and ignore SPG status (and now that I've searched this forum I see that these are common experiences for these hotels!). As for the W T/S, it has a great bar and I like to stop in there for drinks, but I guess I'd rather be somewhere other than T/S if I want a W-like lodging experience.