W Philadelphia [Master Thread]

Old Sep 1, 2021, 9:10 am
  #16  
 
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I'm staying here next week - my take on the design from the renderings is that "at least, it's unique." Excited for the experience - sometimes, ugly can be better than boring :-)
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Old Sep 1, 2021, 11:16 am
  #17  
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Originally Posted by arlflyer
Honestly, I've always found the W brand in general to be gaudy and trashy, like some blend of an Austin Powers movie set and a nightclub of ill repute...I guess that's why we're each entitled to our own opinion.
I agree with some of your thoughts but there have been some really great ones too through the years that were still simple and with clean joyful modern esthetics
Gaudy & ornate might apply to this property and yet some will likely love it just the way it is!
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Old Sep 2, 2021, 11:07 am
  #18  
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Originally Posted by ElevatorEnthusiast
I'm staying here next week - my take on the design from the renderings is that "at least, it's unique." Excited for the experience - sometimes, ugly can be better than boring :-)
And entertaining too at the least as you don't have to live in it just visit it
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Old Sep 7, 2021, 3:38 pm
  #19  
 
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I just wrapped up my stay at the W Philadelphia - the FDA who was checking me out put it best when he asked "why would you want to check out?" - this stay was, in most aspects, a WOW experience.

Although I wasn't upgraded on my Mobile Check-In assigned room, I was able to get moved into a Cool Corner King when I physically checked in (suites aren't being sold or used as upgrades yet due to the soft opening status, per the FDA, which is a shame since some of the suites have balconies which have to be amazing). My Cool Corner King was on the 33rd floor facing the corner of Broad and Chestnut (I think this is the best corner in the hotel). While I was on the 2nd lowest hotel floor (W rooms are on floors 32 to 49 - so nice to have a W be on the TOP of a building, rather than below a bunch of condos), the view was absolutely astounding. Even on floor 33, I really felt like I was on top of the world in Center City, and the massive amount of natural light from the floor-to-ceiling windows complimented the dark decor of the room really well (the dark decor also fit well at night). The best part of the room, though, was only discovered at night - the bed. This was easily the most comfortable bed I have ever been in - the covers were heavy and plush (climate control did really well to cool the room, though, to balance this out), and the mattress and large pillows were just right. I slept incredibly well and spent a large amount of my stay lounging in bed watching YouTube videos on the perfectly eye-level (thanks, low bed) TV with Marriott's latest Internet TV OS. The room had the sink portion of the bathroom right in the entrance, but everything worked - I think the dark frosting on the glass between the shower and room would probably make the shower private enough. The shower was interesting as it wasn't full of pressure, but you got a lot of water out - they were definitely going for peaceful rain with this shower. I spent a whole day thinking the room didn't have a safe until I discovered a hidden drawer beneath the closet that had a safe. No in-room refrigerator, and the minibar drawer was not stocked.

Dolce (the restaurant) is not yet open for breakfast, so the hotel puts out a continental breakfast spread in the lobby (no one was checking, so this was effectively open to all guests) - I was told I could get $20 off room service breakfast, but I didn't use this as I assumed someone would eventually check on the continental (and with delivery fees and service charges, I'm not sure I could have gotten anything for less than $20). I should have opted for the welcome points instead, but I'm definitely not going to complain at this point (and I honestly might get the welcome points anyway). The continental breakfast spread consisted of good coffee, a selection of juices, fruit plates, granola parfaits, a selection of cheese and fruit danishes, mini bear claws, and many flavors of muffins. It worked well as a light breakfast - I quite enjoyed my chocolate chip muffin and parfait.

Service at both check-in and check-out was very friendly. The associates make a point of stepping out to greet you, and everyone asked how to pronounce my last name (and remembered it). There was no weirdness about my 4 PM check-out. I also appreciated the aforementioned humor of the associate checking me out - they were right as I really didn't want to leave. The 7th floor pool and bar were open, but I didn't use them (the pool was heavily shaded by surrounding buildings and was quite cold). I would also avoid the odd-numbered north side rooms (I assume these are the base Wonderful rooms) as they face the Ritz-Carlton Residences tower (which blocks the view) and look to have smaller windows (most rooms are on the full glass south side).

As I loved my time in Philadelphia, I can't wait for my next visit and plan to make another visit to the W for sure.

Here are a couple of pictures (I had a small pool to select from as most pictures contained my reflection - the room was so reflective):


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Old Sep 8, 2021, 10:16 pm
  #20  
 
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Originally Posted by ElevatorEnthusiast
I just wrapped up my stay at the W Philadelphia - the FDA who was checking me out put it best when he asked "why would you want to check out?" - this stay was, in most aspects, a WOW experience.
Thx for the detailed post. What material is the floor?
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Old Sep 9, 2021, 8:09 am
  #21  
 
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Originally Posted by WasKnown
Thx for the detailed post. What material is the floor?
In the room? Soft dark carpet in the bedroom portion and matte black tile in the bathroom portion (including the entryway).
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Old Sep 9, 2021, 9:00 am
  #22  
 
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Spoiler
 

As promised a week or 2 ago (sorry, I was just out of town for a week!), I've put some pics in the spoiler tags. I think the first two were taken from a different room than the 3rd, but all were on the top 2 or 3 floors (I want to say we were on 47 or 48). The third is the bar (which was still under construction at the time, as you can see) near the pool. The fourth is, obviously, the pool, and the fifth is part of the outdoor space by the pool. You can probably find better pictures of the pool area now, but it was a pretty cool vibe. I'm really regretting that I didn't take any pictures of the suite we were shown - it had a balcony, which was really, really cool. (Edit: I'm guessing I took the 3rd picture from the balcony, since I don't see any window glare in it, but this was back in June so I don't quite remember.)
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Old Sep 9, 2021, 1:47 pm
  #23  
 
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Good to see a new W opening up in the US. I like them, I hope the brand starts to grow again
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Old Sep 9, 2021, 2:25 pm
  #24  
 
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The property looks fine and the exposures seem top notch. However, I agree with previous comments about the room aesthetic seeming tacky. Also not a fan of the room carpeting though I understand why new developments still choose to put carpet down.
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Old Sep 9, 2021, 5:58 pm
  #25  
 
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Originally Posted by WasKnown
Also not a fan of the room carpeting though I understand why new developments still choose to put carpet down.
If you are not a fan of room carpeting, I take it you've never had a night owl guest wearing high heels or men's dress shoes in the room above you.
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Old Sep 9, 2021, 6:09 pm
  #26  
 
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Originally Posted by arlflyer
If you are not a fan of room carpeting, I take it you've never had a night owl guest wearing high heels or men's dress shoes in the room above you.
I realize why new devs use carpeting (which is prob more cost-driven than insulation-driven IMO).

But there are ways luxury buildings/developments can get around the noise issue (ie insulating underlay) but no feasible way to get around the cost issue. Therefore, carpets just feel cheap to me.
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Old Dec 4, 2021, 4:56 am
  #27  
 
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They still dont have suites built in this hotel. Have an upcoming stay booked here but tbh the building is very unimpressive. Not luxurious at all. Have not seen any rooms yet.

Its also weird that the hotel is connected to an Element. Does W + Element happen often? Why not Westin + Element? I know brands like Courtyard and Residence often group together.
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Old Dec 4, 2021, 7:07 am
  #28  
 
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Originally Posted by WasKnown
They still dont have suites built in this hotel. Have an upcoming stay booked here but tbh the building is very unimpressive. Not luxurious at all. Have not seen any rooms yet.

Its also weird that the hotel is connected to an Element. Does W + Element happen often? Why not Westin + Element? I know brands like Courtyard and Residence often group together.
I'm curious as to why you think the building is unimpressive. It might be a tad "glass tower cookie cutter," but the compromise is that guests get floor-to-ceiling windows in most rooms. Perhaps, I have different standards for W properties, but I have always found that they skew modern over luxurious.

As for the Element piece, it's definitely the first time I've heard of this combination. I would assume they didn't want to add another Westin in the city (+ I imagine a W would make more money).

The suite piece is definitely annoying, though, especially as the Element has been open for a while before the W opened (lots of time to finish construction).
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Old Dec 4, 2021, 8:06 am
  #29  
 
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Originally Posted by ElevatorEnthusiast
I'm curious as to why you think the building is unimpressive. It might be a tad "glass tower cookie cutter," but the compromise is that guests get floor-to-ceiling windows in most rooms. Perhaps, I have different standards for W properties, but I have always found that they skew modern over luxurious.

As for the Element piece, it's definitely the first time I've heard of this combination. I would assume they didn't want to add another Westin in the city (+ I imagine a W would make more money).

The suite piece is definitely annoying, though, especially as the Element has been open for a while before the W opened (lots of time to finish construction).
Its possible to have modern, contemporary luxury buildings. I dont think the W Philly is that but I also dont think thats what they were going for. I dont consider floor to ceiling windows impressive, especially given the Element also has floor to ceiling windows.

I will post more details on my thoughts on the W and where they cut corners (ie ceilings) after my stay. FWIW this is probably better than the vast supermajority of old, mediocre W hotels in the US. And its probably better than the nearby Ritz too.
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Old Dec 4, 2021, 8:55 pm
  #30  
 
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Originally Posted by 777 global mile hound
I was a huge fan of W hotels for decades and was excited to hear about it
Went right to their website to book saw the photos and froze
Perhaps just me but this has to be one of the ugliest hotels Ive ever seen especially for a W
It looks like a death chamber or someones vision of their drug overdose on Halloween that has some design experience
Seriously a giant skull in the lobby ? Move the fake dead bodies in too?Ornate and overly wrought
what happened to clever, fresh & fun and simple modern luxury? Oh well at least its new
Philadelphia was in dire need of a good luxury hotel I couldnt bring myself to booking it
Hopefully the photos dont do it justice
This hotel is a candidate for the Onion award.Perhaps turn it into a Kimpton if it fails
sounds like my kind of place! I need to check it out...
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