UA-NYC

I loved my 3 day stay at the W last fall - great room (jr suite), nice new-ish property overall, good area w/lots of other hotels and restaurants, Starbucks across the street

thierry

I fully agree with Pointweasel
I am actually completing a five nights stay at the St Regis right now and this is by far the best of the three properties discussed and one of the best hotels in town.
I miss the buffet breakfast though as they only have a la carte service now, and since they do not have enough staff in the dining room service is lacking. Stressed waiters tend to be forgetful and there is always something missing from the original orders....It's a shame because the hotel is truly first rate with extremely well appointed rooms without being over the top.
So if cost is not an issue ( the hotel IS expensive) go for it.

EnvoyBoy

The St. Regis is by far the best physical property but I don't find it to be in as nearly a walkable (with places to walk to) neighborhood. There's lots within a short walk of the W. And while the St. Regis has the facilities, the above post about a stressed wait staff applies across the board. It's not St. Regis service as you'd expect to find at other properties. It's lacking the polish of a more established St. Regis.

PointWeasel

After having stayed at the property a total of 6 times since they opened, I have observed that the front desk, while well-staffed, is very inconsistent. Plat upgrades consist of Deluxe Room to Grand Deluxe Room only - if they can get away with it. My stay last week started off that way, however, when I indicated a preference for my usual room ending in XX/X11 there was some discussion in quick espanol before magically everything worked out. I'm quite adept at negotiating, but this property consistently starts off like this at check-in.

The butler staff are overwhelmingly helpful, albeit some are quicker than others to respond.

The front door staff are always pleasant with the exception of one security goon who overstepped his authority by telling a 'darker skinned' friend of mine (in a group of four of us heading to the movies) that he would have to register at the front desk before stepping into the hotel. Let's just say this was dealt with rather quickly and the goon was summoned behind the scenes for a talking to but it has still left me shaking my head.

Pros:
- steam/rain bath shower combo rocks
- fruit basket upon check-in
- champagne upon check-in
- secure building with 2 separate elevator banks
- close to metro, on Reforma, close to Chapultepec Park, cheap taxi easy to grab outside

Con:
- if you stay for a week, your fruit basket isn't restocked which I find odd
- housekeeping staff are inconsistent
- inconsistent front desk service
- indoor pool only
- dreadful food from room service, an easy item was completely screwed up

The reason I'm over the W is the novelty of the open shower is over for me although the western views are pretty good. In addition, the I'm not 25 anymore so the lower lounge/bar area isn't my thing. I prefer the St Regis interior design and colour scheme. ^

Now, the Sheraton Maria Isabel? Other than the Starbucks as part of my morning routine, it could be in Lima (likely built in same decade) or Rio de Janeiro (ditto). The interior is out of date and drab, the rooms remind me of Sheraton Manhattan and show wear and tear. I can walk the extra block to the St Regis for a better stay, but it comes at a price.

Then there's the Santa Fe options...

Sphinx

I agree that the St Regis is the best, except for the front desk's notoriety in consistenly ignoring the platinum suite upgrade as a matter of policy and regardless of availability. I have heard that from many others in addition to my own experience. This is a minor problem, though, because the suite will almost always be subsequently produced upon the guest's reminding them of the relevant part of the SPG rules!

abk

I have looked at the St Regis and other than the name I am not sure what it brings to the party. Negotiating over upgrades, stressed out waitstaff and definitely over priced from the room rate to the taxi rate to the airport ( almost twice as much). The W is a W but the hotel is well run and the location is great. The Sheraton is actually a well run hotel and treats platinum well including the private check in, butler service and the lounge. Not so bad for the price. In the end if it is not your money and you value the brand ( although this hotel opened at a difficult time imho and has not quite made it yet ) then the St Regis is for you. If you really like that type of hotel then maybe you should be at the Four Seasons.

more4less

Two years ago I stayed at the Sheraton M. Isabel, and I considered that the hotel was in urgent need of renovation. I do not know if something has been done, but if not, I would skip this property.
The Sheraton Centro Historico was a much nicer property, but now it is operated by Hilton.

l etoile

Welcome to Flyertalk Stan la.

Stan la

Thanks for all the input. I think I will try St regis in Mexico City over the w. I really appreciate all the comments. I wil post after the trip with an update. Stan la

gabo02

Looks like Starwood is making their presence felt more in Mexico City.

Four Points by Sheraton Mexico City, Colonia Roma - Opening June 1, 2012

gabo02

I wonder which hotel will be a Le Mèridien? I'm happy Starwood is growing in Mexico :]

Mexico City Le Méridien Mexico City - Opening November 15, 2012
Not Bookable Yet


Found the answer to my question.
The Embassy Suites Mexico City - Reforma
Paseo de la Reforma No. 69, Mexico City 06030, Mexico
Will be Le Merdien Hotel come November

PointWeasel

I did the same address research as you yesterday afternoon, and discovered the same thing. ^ I am very surprised by this latest Starwood to Hilton swap coming after the Sheraton Centro Historico became the flagship Hilton property en DF.

I have only walked by the Embassy Suites many times and noticed the Starbucks in the lobby area which is great and from the look of the rooms, this property will leap frog over the Sheraton for my stays on Reforma when I am in town on a weekday, since the St Regis can range between $255 and $700 per night.

It will be interesting as to where they set the average room rate for this property because this Embassy Suites has had some shockingly high room rates, even on weekends.

Also, curious what will happen to the current staff in the re-branding.

born sleepy

Anyone stayed at this new Le Méridien yet? I'm in MEX for two weeks in January, splitting the stays between the Sheraton M. Isabel and this place. The W is too expensive for that long of a trip and the LM wasn't much more than the Sheraton, $210 vs $160. Maybe I should just do the whole thing at the LM?

Condition One

Any thoughts on the St. Regis vs the Le Meridien? Which has a better location?

From what I've been able to gather, the Le Meridien has older style Sheraton furnishings, and is all-suites.

The St. Regis is much nicer, however, but it seems like a common theme is customer service issues and the lack of upgrades.

Ben Lipsey

Stayed at the St. Regis in June, and loved it. Upgrades weren't really lacking, so much as the front desk agent tried to icily insist it was a one-category upgrade only; however, after staring her down and suggesting we call the Platinum desk, she gave me a one bedroom suite (which overlooked a construction pit - not sure if this was on purpose). Everything else was fantastic: from the breakfast (awesome service from the waitstaff) to the butler to the room itself, I wouldn't hesitate to return.