Interesting. I just returned from a two night stay at the W Seattle. During our time there, I repeatedly remarked on how it feels like the the soul of the hotel is gone. During the Starwood years, I stayed there very regularly, so often that they gave me a permanent discounted rate and I was almost always upgraded to a WOW Suite. Back then, the hotel felt like it had personality. The elevators and hallways were dimly lit with that purpleish trademark W lighting hue. These days, they're brightly lit with regular white lighting, similar to what you'd expect to see at a Holiday Inn. They used to play subtle funky music in the elevators, which paired well with the dim lighting. These days, the elevator music sounds like, well, elevator music. The energy in the lobby and the bar used to be upbeat and happy. These days, it feels like any other downtown hotel, except with W branding. The staff used to seem enthusiastic. These days, most act like they're just going through the motions – attitudes range from indifferent to outright rude. Smiles are rare. Answers to even basic guest requests are met with what seems like default nos. I booked a city view corner king on a high floor, which I received, but when I asked about an upgrade during check-in, I was told they were "fully committed" – availability on the website suggested otherwise. During check-in, I asked for the breakfast Plat amenity ($40 a day), but when I got my folio by email (they used to send it automatically, but this time, I had to call and request it), I noticed the breakfast charges weren't credited. I called back and was informed that I had requested points not breakfast (not true). After a bit of "I'm not sure if we can can change that now" back and forth and then being put on hold for several minutes, I was told they'd make the adjustment and send an updated folio, which they did. The heat in our room didn't work (it only blew ice cold air regardless of the thermostat setting). I requested a different room with heat that works and was flatout refused. They offered instead to send an engineer "to investigate." He came just as we were exiting the room for dinner, but when we got back to the room, the issue wasn't resolved. I ended up giving up. The heating element in the hair dryer in our bathroom must have been blown because it only blew cold air. We called and asked for a replacement and were told they would "check if they had any extras." About twenty minutes later, a housekeeping guy brought us a new one of a different style. We asked if he wanted to take the broken one away and he said no, (apparently, no interest in fixing the underlying issue to save the next guest from experiencing the same problem).

The overall experience was disappointing and it was sad to discover that my old haunt has lost what it once was. What made it a W is no more. It frankly now feels like a cash grab ($68 for valet parking, for example – I booked a package that included it, but really?). Anyway, I never plan to stay there again. It was nice knowing you, W Seattle.