W Los Angeles Westwood 2007 on [Master Thread]
 

How is the noise? Any annoying bouncers outside the front door or does this happen only on the weekend? I am choosing this hotel for its relative proximitry to Van Nuys (there isn't anything decent there). This is not a leisure trip and I will not be impressed if the "party atmosphere" erodes into the hotel. Should I give it a pass then? Any other good *Ws? I need the nights for Plat.

Thanks for your advise.

I just stayed there this weekend. I came and went at all hours of the day and night and had no trouble with the bouncers. Once you let them know you're a guest, there are no issues. I also had no problems with noise or a party atmosphere.

Also, the room I was put in was a suite with separate a living room and office, making for a much more productive time when I had to actually work (mixed work/leisure trip). I actually found it to be one of the better W's for getting work done. In the past, I've not found most of the W hotels to be very practical in that respect.

While that does not answer your question directly, I'm guessing that if Friday and Saturday night were fine, you should do okay the rest of the week as well.

Request a room on the pool side of the hotel, which is at the opposite end, just in case. However, I find the walls really thin at this hotel, so the party atmosphere need not be in the bar to disturb.

Don't remember the bouncers on Sunday through Tuesday but even when they are there, they are not a problem for access. Just have your room card available.

Noise is much less the days you are talking about. Ask ahead for a "quiet" room on a higher floor and towards the other side of the hotel.

Have not had issues with noise and these are some of the largest W rooms you have probably stayed at.

W Westwood Los Angeles renovation
 

Was about to make a booking here today for a stay in June but it appears the rooms are now being renovated... a no go? Anyone been there since May and can advise?

I stayed there last week for 2 nights. Didn't really notice any noise. The morning I checked out there was a notice about no water after a certain time. I have another reservation set for 2 nights next week.
Glad they are renovating it had really gone down hill.

W La
 

Few questions.
I can use my SPG 50% off efficiently at either the W or Sheraton downtown
For someone who is flying in at midnight, out the next day at 11pm, what would be the most convenient hotel, thats close to the sites of LA, yet where I wont be stuck in traffic for hours.
I wanted to see the sites of Hollywood, the walk of fame, etc. What would be more convenient? Unless there are any others that are close by. Was looking 7/20-21st.

Jason --

I'll go thru the list and offer suggestions.

First, you'll need a car or taxi to see the sights. None of the properties are conveniently located...or, more specifically, LA is too spread out. Not was wonderfully centrally located as everything in Krakow! Taxi can be expensive....or with car, parking will be expensive.

Second....your timing. Getting in so late, you are probably not going to do anything that night. By the time you are at the hotel, 1:00 am or later. So, no consideration of what to do at night. Next day, unless you book the room for 2 nights, the latest check-out you can get is 4:00 pm. And you'll want to be spending that time seeing things, not at the hotel. Right? So, location is not that important for your day time activities, unless....will you be leaving your luggage at the hotel until you leave for airport on second evening? Or, what are you doing with luggage?

Downtown Sheraton and Bonaventure -- just a few blocks apart. Right downtown, and nothing around there to do. A few restaurants. But not touristy....at all. 15 min ride to Hollywood.

LeM-nice location for Beverly Hills. Shopping and eating. Could be good location to wander some on the second evening, stop by the hotel to pick up your bags, and then go to airport. 15 min to Hollywood.

W LA -- great location for Westwood, UCLA cool-hip-college town. Cute stores, some good restaurants, but not "the" LA sites to see. about 15-20 min ride to Hollywood.

Sheraton Universal or Westin Pasadena - good for the theme parks. But a 20-30 min ride to Hollywood.

Airport properties -- 30+ min ride to Hollywood.

You do not want to go any further out than that. (Unless you want Disneyland.)

Hollywood walk of fame will be -- sorry -- a disappointment. Everyone wants to see it. I have taken many friends there. And while it is fun to walk along and pick out the markers of people you "know" it's a pretty run down part of town.

Post a reply....what else might you want to see? Getty? The beaches? Put a few ideas together, and maybe some of us could put together a one-day tour and base hotel recommendations on that. Maybe Santa Monica Sheraton.

K

The Sheraton Downtown would be more convenient to get to Hollywood. The metro station is right across the street. You can get a day pass for $3.00 and it will take you to Hollywood/Vine or Hollywood/Highland in about 20minutes. You can also take metro back to the airport if you are leaving from LAX though it would be quicker to take the new express bus service from Union Station. Downtown late at night is not that great and the Sheraton is your average US Sheraton--nothing special.

The W is a much nicer hotel. You could take the 720 express bus from Westwood and Wilshire to get to Santa Monica or Beverly Hills. Hollywood is a bit further but is not too far. There is a new non-stop bus service from Westwood to LAX which starts this week. You can go to www.metro.net to plan your trips if you are planning on using public transporation. Taxis are not recommended unless you have a lot of money to burn. It would be cheaper to rent a car.

Don't plan on staying at the Le Meridien as it is closed for renovations and won't be open until March 2008 at the earliest. The W also has fewer rooms available as they are renovating the rooms floor by floor during the summer. Book early if you want to use your certificate.

i would leave the bags at the hotel, and I'm only 1 night.
Beaches? Nah. I would of just came back from Aussie, and most likely going to Mexico a week later
Clubs? Nah I got enough in Krakow, plus more affordable
Theaters (as in Plays) would be nice, but with the 11pm flight, it would be close. Any aquariums or museums? thats an option.
Celeb houses? Would be interesting.
Chinese theater? Would be nice to see that.
Zoo? Got a few in Chicago
Food (farmers market) would be nice


Basically something that Krakow or Chicago don't have. I was looking for a more leisure day. I would eat somewhere lunch and dinner on the town, and just would head back to the hotel for my bags. From what it sounds though, either hotel I pick is a at least a good 15min ride anywhere

Well your schedule will not really give you too much time to experience anthing at all.
If expense is not an issue than I reccomend a cab-which is around $45 into downtown/westwood
The Sheraton would be my choice-but I like downtown LA.
The walk of fame is ok-I really think a greyline tour would get you to everything you needed to see in a short amount of time.
If Beverly Hills is important to you than the W would be a better choice.
Cabbing it/rental car will be about equel if you figure in parking and the time you will waste getting lost.
Given the fact of your late flight and departure the next day why would you not consider a starwood at the airport?grab the shuttle back to the airport,get the flyaway into downtown(union station),take the redline to hollywood,get on a tour,either take a taxi back to the hotel-or the redline back to union station when you have had your fill,fly away to LAXshuttle to hotel ,pick up bags,shuttle to LAX.
Yes it is a lot of time spent in transit-but you will not have the hassle of driving/parking that you would have renting a car at 12:00from an off airport location,have to drive an unfamilliar route in the dark to find a hotel getting to bed at 1 am???

Stay at the W and look around Beverly Hills during the day. You might be underwhelmed, but not as badly as if you stayed downtown and looked around Hollywood.

thanks for all the advice.
Its going to be a somewhat relaxing day, from all that flying.

Has anyone stayed in one of the newly renovated rooms? Have they made any major improvements? I'm planning on staying for one night at the end of September.

I stayed there 2 weeks ago and got a renovated room on the 14th floor. New paint job, carpet, flat screen tv's, etc, Gone is all the dark wood and replaced with a glass desk, white closet, new lamps. The bathroom I had did not have a tub but a fully tiled shower with a half glass wall. There is also a frosted glass frosted between the bathroom and the bedroom.
Good look but I doubt it will wear well. Worth staying in until they get run down.

I've got 5 nights booked there next week and notice on the website that they are warning of slow lifts and construction noise from 8am to 8pm. Can someone who stayed there recently comment on just how bad the noise is?

Stayed there about a couple of times last month. Late arrivals so can't comment about the construction noise but there was a large contstruction dumpster on Hilgard and a very large tractor trailer unloading furniture at 7:00am (neighbors can't be happy).

The updated room didn't thrill me - the color scheme was fairly garish and to turn the shower on you needed to stick you hand through a hole in the shower door. The TV was also on a wall very far from the bed. Further, the hallway lights were harsh and bright (perhaps as a result of some of the earlier reported security concern(s)).

The lifts have always been slow (in the past I tried to walk the stairs to the lobby but ended up outside at a service entrance). Recently, at least one of them has been out of order - but I didn't have to wait probably becuase of the late arrivals and early departures.

I had two stays there earlier this month on two consecutive weeks. I didn't notice the noise (but I tended to leave the room early and get back late) but the elevators are an issue. It takes forever for ANY elevator to come and then they frequently open and close very quickly if there's no one in them.

My biggest problem with the W was the service. The W screwed up my reservation (I had extended my stay, received the bill under my door on the second to last day because the front desk hadn't actually put through the 1 night extension, and then they tried to charge me the rack rate rather than my corporate rate to extend my stay), as well as my colleague's reservation the next week (he shortened his stay, front desk didn't put it through, and then tried to charge him the early departure fee). I was charged a ridiculous amount for a room service order that was supposed to be complimentary and the "whenever whatever" service was unable to find either a wired or wireless router. Actually, all of my experiences with the whenever whatever service have been disappointing -- it really just seems to be a concierge and they're great at restaurant reservations but not much else!

I have had 2 stays there in the last month. Both times, I got upgraded to a great suite: separate bedroom, work area, and living room. The first one wasn't renovated, but I still thought it was great. The second time it was renovated, and I thought it was outstanding.

Platinum on $309 rate.

As an aside, the service at this hotel is examplary.

I just got back from a 5 night stay over the Labor Day weekend. I've always really liked this hotel, but my experience there last week was not up to par. I won't likely stay there again at least until the renovations are completed and service is back up to the quality it once was.

I was given a great upgrade to a newly renovated corner room with a living room and another room as well as the bedroom. The renovations have brightened the place up, both in the hallways which are now well lit, and in the rooms themselves. The look of the rooms has been completely changed to sort of retro minimalist look. Lots of white. The cabinets and new couches are all primarily white. Not sure I'd like that look in my house, but it works in the hotel I think. I don't think all the white will wear very well though.

To me a HUGE disappointment is the new bed. I absolutely loved the beds that they used to have. I thought they were better than at any other W or other Starwood branded hotel I've been at. It felt like sleeping on a cloud. The new beds are quite firm. Sleeping on my side, my hip hurt in the morning. For our second night on, we requested that a feather bed be added and that made it better, but still not what it once was. Apparantly we aren't the only ones who have been complaining about the new beds.

There were many service issues that arose during our stay. The stock answer from any staff when approached about problems was an apology and explanation that the hotel was very busy. Well, at least two of the floors were still closed for renovations and I presume that the hotel has an idea of just how many rooms are going to be occupied, so being busy shouldn't be an excuse for lousy service. Put on more staff!

Here are a few of the problems we experienced:

1. Long waits for the Wherever/Whenever operator to answer the phone.

2. On Saturday, we pulled up to the hotel in the late afternoon and waited 15 minutes for a valet attendant to take the car. While waiting, we saw a couple checking out who said that they had just checked in but experienced so many problems in the short time they were there that they were leaving. The husband said that he stays at Starwood hotels weekly and had never experienced anything like this.

3. Also on Saturday, we returned to our room at 5:40pm to find that it hadn't been cleaned yet. We had friends coming over for a drink before dinner at 6:30pm. To their credit they were able to get it cleaned in time, but there was no excuse for it not being done earlier. They gave us a $25 food/beverage credit for the inconvenience, which was nice.

4. Also on Saturday, the hotel only had one of the three elevators working. Waits were extremely long. For the rest of our stay, one regular and one service elevator was available for guests' use, which was still slow, but not too bad.

5. On one of the days (can't recall if it was Sunday or Monday), the entire telephone system for the hotel went down for a few hours, so there were no incoming, outgoing or internal calls.

6. On Monday, we wanted to go to the pool in the early afternoon, but it was packed with outside people there for the hotel's "Labor Day Pool Party". There were no towels left. They kept saying that they were being cleaned and would be available shortly, but one person waiting said that he had been waiting for an hour and a half for a towel. There was no place left to sit near the pool anyhow since there were so many non-hotel guests there.

W Westwood "broke my heart" an LA Times Review
 

I found this review in a recent LA Times very interesting. I've always had a love-hate relationship with this hotel
(love the rooms and location- hate the sometimes mediocre service)

But I actually thought the reviewer was a little hard on the hotel. The remodel sounds great and I'm looking forward to checking it out.

SOUTHERN CALFORNIA | HOTEL REVIEW

Mod makeover for W Los Angeles-Westwood Hotel
The Westside hotel and spa stays in chic shape with a $35-million upgrade. The resulting luxe stunner is maddening at times, yet full of promises. Does it deliver?

By Valli Herman, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
November 6, 2007



W Los Angeles-Westwood: How it rates

After a terrific makeover by Thom Filicia of 'Queer Eye,' the W is quite the looker. But true sophistication is more than skin deep.

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I couldn't resist him, sitting there alluringly in the sultry darkness of the W Los Angeles-Westwood. He was small, dark and handsome, and I just had to put my fingers all over him. But then he froze and refused to issue a single word.

The nerve. The W management had set out this gorgeous, black antique typewriter in the lobby, along with a tray of paper and a sign encouraging guests to compose a love letter, yet they had neglected to put in a ribbon.

"What a tease!" said a handsome bystander, watching my frustration while he swiftly e-mailed on his BlackBerry.

The W is a lot like that typewriter: an intriguing stunner full of come-ons and promises. It just proves that even if a luxury hotel spends $35 million to upgrade an interior that was just 7 years young, it still needs substance to earn the title "luxury."

The annoyances? Waits of as long as 45 minutes at the valet line; slow and indifferent restaurant service; a pool too small for real swimming; highly salted meals; a remodel that puts style over function; and air pollution, inside and out.

The success? Wonderfully contemporary and inviting looks. Celebrity interior designer Thom Filicia, of "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" fame, gave the all-suite W the same kind of surface makeover that's great for making positive first impressions.

The newly sophisticated outdoor lounge, the Backyard, is full of wide sofas and dark wicker. The space flows seamlessly toward the new luxurious poolside cabanas, each of which has a flat-screen TV.

Distinctive color schemes and plush fabrics make the guest room suites feel residential and -- dare I say? -- hip.

Though the hotel bar, Randy Gerber's 3-year-old Whiskey Blue, makes the W a hot nightspot, Filicia's improvements allow scrutiny in the bright light of day.

I attended a July preview to hear Filicia explain his "Babe Paley meets Neutra" theme, an approach that mixes the modernity of the 1969 building with a country-club cabana. Groups of journalists oohed and aahed over the swanky, signature touches he has given the 258 suites: low-slung, simple lines executed in neutrals -- straw, charcoal, almond, chocolate, grass and sand; a "lightbox" illuminated ledge that abuts modular couches; light filtering into the bathroom through frosted glass that replaced a hunk of wall.

In mid-October, I checked in to check out the hotel's new look and feel. I reserved a $339 "Spectacular Suite," asked for a free upgrade (which I got, not because they knew who I was but because I asked) and got a room that overlooked the pool and Westwood backyards.

I felt as though I could do laps in the living room, so large was my 550-square-foot, one-bedroom suite, complete with a separate living room and glass-topped table big enough to seat 50 super (thin) models.

I wheezed from the strong carpet glue fumes, which dissipated a bit after I left the lone operating window ajar overnight. The bed (billed as a queen, but it looked and felt more like a double) was outfitted with the now de rigueur down duvet and featherbed. My room didn't have the internally illuminated closet rod, the peekaboo bathroom window or the glowing living-room ledge that were touted during the preview.

It's difficult to generalize about the overall success of Filicia's guest-room redesign because the building, which began life as a UCLA dormitory and was once the Westwood Marquis, is configured with a mind-bending 80 different room layouts.

And much of the renovation is dedicated to technological upgrades that are harder to notice than new upholstery.

If your college dorm room had looked like this, you'd still be there. A double closet, built-in dressers and shelves offered ample storage space, even for serious clothes horses. (If you forget your mascara and lip gloss, a Diane von Furstenberg "survival kit" is for sale in the mini-bar for $26.)

I can't fathom why a hotel so dedicated to the fashionable would cheat on bathroom shelf space. A bowl sink's widely flaring sides left little room for hands beneath the spigot and had counter space for little more than a toothbrush.

I moved the $9 Voss water, four Bliss mini-toiletries, soap dish, two tumblers and three washcloths to a bathroom bench to make room for my makeup. Still, there was no sink space to lay down the blow dryer, a pitiful miniature, and the light on my makeup mirror was dead. Oh, the tortures.

Filicia said he's no fan of bathtubs ("They're very expensive and not used in hotels very often"), yet my room had a perfectly fresh, if ordinary, white tub. Who doesn't love a good soak?

I slept somewhat peacefully in the comfortable bed, though Filicia sacrificed the box spring to keep the design lines grounded. My eyes focused upward on the heavy, yard-wide mirror above the headboard, a flourish that seemed unwise here in earthquake country.

Business travelers frequent the W, I'm told, yet I was glad I didn't have to spend long hours at my room's ergonomically awkward and poorly illuminated desk. The stylish pair of plastic, molded Eames chairs flanking the glass table aren't comfortable for extended sitting.

Yet the W knows the value of cool. It's willing to risk inefficiencies for the rewards of the creative atmosphere its customers demand.

Or maybe the W realizes that few people sit at a desk; they slouch on the sofa with a BlackBerry or laptop, the devices giving the room all the light it needs. The hotel knows to give tech heads a bank of easy-access electrical outlets and a high-speed Internet connection.

Still, until the W design team installs the swing-arm lamps intended to illuminate the couch, the comfiest seating in the room will remain the darkest. I read by the light of a lamp five feet away and by my huge, high-definition plasma TV; a second flat-screen helps light the bedroom.

Officially, the hotel finished its remodel Oct. 15, but on Nov. 1, chef Monique King (co-owner of Firefly Bistro in South Pasadena) introduced new menus of "modern American cuisine with global influences," W says, in the main dining room, NineThirty, and in the Backyard. My food would have tasted a lot better in the Backyard without the acrid smoke wafting from oil lanterns planted within the adjacent waterfall. Smoking is allowed, and if you forgot your brand, the menu sells cigarettes for $8 a pack.

Perhaps dizzy from a lack of oxygen, I incorrectly recalled the time of my Bliss Spa appointment. Unaware I was 30 minutes late, I asked the check-in clerk to confirm my appointment time.

She didn't tell me I was late, so I futzed around in the steam shower and sauna (both good and hot).

Eventually, the therapist found me and added some compensatory minutes. The manager apologized with samples of Bliss products. The spa, the only Bliss Spa in Southern California, still ranks as a favorite because of its nicely priced services (a 75-minute "Blissage" is $150) and consistently well-trained staff.

I'll come back to the spa but to the hotel only if I have absolutely no need to work. Mr. Typewriter and his tempestuous brother, Mr. Not-So-Suite, broke my heart.

When it comes to W Westwood, I feel like most people are reviewing "LA", not W @:-)

I've stayed there 15-20 times this year and I've had good experiences every time. The check in staff knows me by name and seem genuinely happy to see me when I arrive. I like the fact that every room is a little different as I hate cookie cutter hotels. Some rooms have the peek a boo shower--others have the old tub and regular shower. The place is comfortable, the pool service can be hit or miss but was truly stellar during Memorial Day weekend. Regular rounds of stawberry and mint water, cucumbers, frozen grapes--brought around frequently--no charge. Sure you get the people that are lounging by the pool to be seen and aren't staying at the hotel--but who cares--it is LA afterall. Not many people are there to swim anyway and most days it is temperate enough to lounge by the pool and not get hot enough to swim.

Yeah the typewriter has not had a ribbon for months. How many people use them these days anyway? It is just to create a look. If somebody were really into writing a script for their next big movie in the lobby of the W, most likely he/she would have a lap top.

The great thing is that the rooms are spacious, comfortable, and inviting. It is also convenient with restaurants and Whole Foods within walking distance. Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, and West Hollywood are not that far away and accessible by public transporation. There is even a new Flyaway service direct from LAX to Westwood.

I'll be interested to see what the new W in Hollywood is like as well as the former Le Meridien/soon to be SLS property on La Cienega. In the meantime, the W is by far the nicest Starwood hotel in LA.

Changes in security at W Westwood?
 

This is the W in Westwood, the one near UCLA? I heard they were making some changes as of last January, but am curious as to what. The most important of all is, did they install a new key-card system for the elevator for security purposes? I was told that would be done, and that security would be tighter. Has anyone noticed efficient security there, especially the key-card system in the elevator? Call me Curious because I'd love to hear that management did correct some of the problems. Anyone know?

I've stayed at the hotel quite a number of times both pre and post renovations. The rooms look great, but it is definately form over function and I don't think that the mostly white interiors will wear well. My biggest beef, though, is with the bed. The old bed was IMO the best bed anywhere in the Starwood chain. Don't know what it was, but it was better than any other W bed I've been in. The new beds are fairly firm and my wife and I had to request a featherbed be added last time we were there. The hotel staff admitted that they had been hearing quite a number of complaints from people who preferred the old bed.

W Westwood Platinum Upgrades -- Are they Consistently Amazing?
 

The Platinum Concierge told me that the W Westwood has a reputation of upgrading to incredible rooms. Is that true?

You will always get a suite upgrade since it's an ALL Suite hotel!

I know that and I stayed at it's predecessor many times int he late 80's...but she said they have a history/reputation upgrading pats to really special suites???

This is basically what the Platinum Concierge/Agent said this hotel has a reputation for doing.

She said that she is based in LA, and that this hotel, which starts out as an all suite hotel, upgrades Platinum members liberally, so you can end up in an especially elegant/cavernous suite.

I loved the W Los Angeles. Upon check in, I was upgraded to a suite as a Plat. We got to the room and noted the music playing in the room as well as a complimentary bottle of wine, water and a plate of nuts and fruit. I felt nothing but welcome at this hotel and can't wait to get back. The decor was amazing, pool area fabulous and the hotel just had a good vibe.

My review (with some pics) of the W Los Angeles has been posted here.

Cheers. :)

Has anyone recently stayed in a Mega (2-bedroom) suite? I'm considering this option for myself/girlfriend and two friends coming in from London, versus getting two Wonderful or Spectacular rooms. The price difference between one Mega suite and two Wonderfuls or Spectaculars is minimal.

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

I stayed in a two bedroom suite here in March: I think it was called a Mega Suite, but I am not sure. It was on the penthouse and was very nice, but the problem you have relative to your concept is that this suite has a definite master and secondary bedroom. The master is great: king bed, nice bathroom, etc. The second bedroom is small, and if my recollection is correct, only has a double/queen bed. The living room in between the bedrooms is long with a desk and seating area, and a nice flat screen TV (all the rooms may have flat screen TV's, but I remember the one in the living room). Depending on you relationship with the people from London, and their interests, you may be better off in two other rooms...? I'd check talk with the hotel about the room dimensions and layouts, etc.

Any parking suggestions?
 

Staying at the W for 4 nights in September - does anyone have any suggestions or recommendations for overnight parking near the hotel? From what I've read, the hotel charges $40 per night, which seems ridiculous to me.

There is plenty of street parking that is FREE overnight. During the day it is metered. Also there are some lots in Westwood like a block away that you can park for like $7 bucks over night if you do not want to park on the street.

I plan on booking a room here using points. What can I expect as SPG plat?

Upgrade, free amenities?

Would parking be free and is there a lounge of some sort?

Yes upgrade. No club lounge. Very expensive parking ($45 or so, I think), but overnight street parking is readily available and the lot one block down towards Wilshire is something lile $15-20 a day (I think). Good hotel, great pool/cabanas, etc.

Just back from 5 nights using points and being a Plat. Was upgraded from a Spectacular Suite to a Fabulous Suite.

Parking was (I'm pretty sure) $30 a night.

No lounge, but free coffee in the lobby every morning. Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf in the Ralph's supermarket a couple of minutes walk.

Lots of breakfast/lunch/dinner options in Westwood, also within walking distance.

We were on the 14th floor and were able to pick up the free Wi-Fi from the pool area, which came in very handy.

What

W Los Angeles-Westwood

Where

Situated in Westwood Village, this W is in a rather quiet residential area. It is quite a hike to get to the heart of the action in WeHo or Beverly Hills, or 45 mins to Santa Monica and Venice in the East. However the W now offers a free one way limo transfer on an Acura - a nifty joint marketing effort between the W and Acura. Unfortunately I didn't find out about this until the last day or 2 of my stay - have to pay more attention at check in next time.

WoW

The staff of this W are truly gems, and is probably the reason that makes this property worth coming back to.

Priscila the concierge remembered me from my last stay even though that was nearly 18 months ago, though I didn't get to put her skills and resources to the test this time as I was well looked after by friends in LA.

On the 2nd morning of my stay, Jenna from the Welcome Desk sent up a nice card welcoming me to LA, and a complimentary drinks card as they'd "heard" that I liked mojitos. Redeemed it for a ginger mojito at Whiskey Blue - tasty!

The Welcome Desk, Jenna in particular was also pretty good with recomendations and reservations if the concierge wasn't around, as the concierge seems to sign off at 6pm on Sundays. SPG upgrade readily honoured - I got a Fabulous Suite which had a study (which comes with a fold out bed for party guests to crash) in addition to living room and bedroom.

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Fabulous Suite - the morning after

The Whatever/Whenever service was prompt and efficient. Phone calls answered promptly, and requests fulfilled without much fuss - ranging from helping to break my lock apart (as it'd gone wonky and refused to open after my last flight) to simple things like champagne glasses. Though they were probably a bit overzealous when they sent security to my room to check if I was still alive and well when I forgot to cancel my wake up call (and was in the shower while they rang up). Still, the concern was appreciated lol.

Hotel had a lively crowd - LA has a v unfortunate 2am closing time, but simply stick around the Living Room and you'd soon be invited to a party or 3 up in one of the suites!

Woe

As previously stated, I don't think this W has done the best job with its refurb. The decor felt rather incomplete (plain ceilings for instance), and mellow - as if they're trying to appeal to everyone. The hallways were too bright which made them feel rather harsh and unwelcoming - it's like in a club when they turn on the lights and play Semisonic to kick you out during closing time. On the whole, I felt that the decor lacked that special 'zing', quirkiness and in-your-face quality that makes Ws W. They probably should've realised that Thom Felicia can't even dress a person properly, let alone design a hotel.

I attended a party at Whiskey and felt it totally overrated. They were totally short staffed, and so the bartenders were all stressed out - refusing to make the more complicated drinks. The acoustics were bad, DJing rather predictable and oh-so-2007. Plus a rather underdressed crowd - felt like a UCLA frat party on the whole.

Also a trivial point - but they could be a bit more creative about the music played in the hotel. It seemed like they played Wonderlust in the lifts over and over again.

so... on the Whole...

The truly amazing staff continue to fly the flag, but this W is let down by a generally uninspired decor and mundane ambience. But with the edgy SLS property and the new W Hollywood coming up - there's no shortage of new things to try in LA!

Thanks, QF009, for that superb write up. It's been quite awhile since we've had a report on this hotel, and it's very helpful to have your experienced W Hotel eye giving us feedback.