For Christmas, I cashed in points to give two friends a room at the Westin. (They ended up using my gift in February, a night on the town to see Billy Crystal's show.)

They have NO status. I have the Platinum. Before they arrived I checked them in telling the front desk person if possible could I use my Platinum status to give them benefits (upgrade, access to club, breakfast.)

My friends ended up in a nice Deleux room on the 42nd floor, excellent view. They had access to the club, breakfast, etc. They said they were treated well (they got the same treatment for the same "gift from Catman" last year as well.)

The only thing I did not get was the 500 point amenity. Maybe award stays do not earn the amenity.

It's a good hotel. I've stayed there about six or seven times. Maybe that helped my friends.

In order to get a welcome amenity, you have to actually be staying in the room. Sounds like they already allowed a bunch of stuff that they didn't have to anyway. Curious that they would exclude this one other thing.

Sincerely,


William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services

[email protected]

Cast your vote! Visit www.freddieawards.com and choose your favorite frequent travel programs today.

Stayed at Westin Time Square this New Year's eve for 2 nights at club level. Room is nice, but club lounge is disappointing. It is way too small and noisy, with bad food selection to boot (only 1 hot item). Lounge looks to the porn shops on 8th avenue, and no drinks served due to police ban on alchohol.

Not worth the extra for the upgrade.

I just checked out yesterday as well! I was there for 2 nights and have probably been there for 15 nights over the 2 years as a mere SPG gold. I've always been treated well. I had a nice room on 37 with a north/west view. You are right about the mugs...but when I requested them 2 were delivered to my room in minutes.

I tried Shula's for the first time on Tuesday night (rather than leave the hotel during that wild weather night). It's in a strange little space on a mezz floor in the corner of the bldg. The bar is cramped and claustrophobic, though the bartender was a good guy. The main room had no particular ambience other than pictures of the Dolphins from 30 years ago!

My steak was fine though it had an awful wine-by-the-glass list. Very expensive, with nothing to offer besides the convenience of being in the hotel. Next time I'll brave the elements! There are too many great steak places in NY to waste the money there.

Totally agree with PChang about the lounge. I would not recommend it either.

Westin New York Times Square [Master Thread]
 

Just back from using my last free weekend in NYC at the Westin Times Square, and I doubt that I will ever return to this property again.

1. Poor "upgrade" treatment for Plats. Was offered an "upgrade" to the SPG floor, despite the confirmed availability of Jr Suites for the weekend stay. Front desk claimed that no suites were available; call to Plat Concierge indicated otherwise.

2. Lousy hotel layout. Since it is a 42-story high-rise, there are banks of elevators for the higher and lower floors. The SPG floors are on the higher stories, while the club lounge is on the 8th floor. This requires a change of elevator to reach the club lounge. What were they thinking?

3. Very noisy rooms. For a new hotel, this is one of the noisiest properties that I have ever stayed in. Every time a door was closed on our side of the hotel, it seemed like the whole building was shaking. I hate to imagine how bad the rooms on the lower floors were with the street noise coming in.

4. Shakedown for tips at the club lounge. OK, upon checkin I was given a key to the club lounge. Yet on every visit the door was propped open, and we were asked to fill out a form listing room number, number of guests, and how much of a tip we wanted to leave. Why issue the key card if one must register in the lounge? Unless the entire plan is to shake down the guests for extra tips. I'm a very good tipper while traveling, but not when it's treated like an entitlement by the staff.

5. 4 pm late check out not honored. After the previous treatment, I have to say I was not surprised. My request to speak with the duty manager on this subject didn't result in a call back. Needless to say, I left a scathing comment card...we'll see if it produces any contact.

It will be back to the Essex House for me on any future trips to NYC.

These are all interesting and valid observations. I have a weekend booked here for the last weekend of March. Please update this thread if you hear anything from hotel management. The lounge sign-in procedure does seem weird since you were already given a card with which to access the lounge with. I'm wondering if I should switch to a different hotel now... and still very annoyed that every single W hotel in NYC is a Cat. 5 (except the one in midtown east--but who wants to stay in their shoebox sized rooms anyway)...

4) Shakedown for tips...

We noticed that they leave completed forms out which show a tip, but take ones that don't show tips or small tips behind the counter right away. On the weekend we were there, during breakfast and in the evening, the lounge was really packed and there was almost never any food available. The tables were always dirty and not cleared off very often. We had to share a table almost every time we went.

I wonder why people don't clear their own tables. There are trays for this purpose at several places in the room.


Essex House...

We spent one night at the Essex House, and will never go back there again. Very poor platinum treatment. Overall I've been dissatisfied with SPG lately.

Can't agree more with the paper-thin walls. I was amazed how noisy it was.

Did get our late checkout with no problems, though.

But like DFW DL, I don't think I'll be returning to this hotel again.

Hasn't it been established that the free weekend nights should not expect an upgrade to a suite??

any spg eligible spg rate or award stay is suppose to be elig for upgrade. why wouldnt it?

I agree with most comments. I stayed there last year for my birthday celebrations on an award and could have kicked myself for not choosing the W instead.

I have to say however that even if Jr Suites are available, the hotel has every right to retain a certain number for revenue guests instead of just upgrading people who might have paid the lowest rate.

Yes I coudln't understand why the lounge is located on a lower floor! Which I feel isn't really a lounge at all. Feels more like a breakfast cafeteria.

I was told to vacate the room by 12noon as they had a huge group coming in. My complaints to SPG's hotline fell on deaf ears. They said that each property had their right not to honor the 4pm checkout if they are overbooked.

So I've never been back to that hotel since.

I agree with the "Shakedown" tip cards in the lounge. I put a big fat zero on mine, as I don't support tip hustling. They don't clear the tables fast enough, and the place is self serve anyway. I'm as apt to tip in this situation as much as I would at Starbucks (in other words I don't).

I don't have a problem otherwise with this hotel so far in my last two stays. I normally stay at a W, but had a free weekend night to burn, and the W's are all cat 5 now (save the one that I wouldn't stay at anyway).

The Westin Times Square is an excellent NY hotel, and the criticisms in this thread are ludicrous -- I suppose they make sense if you aren't familiar with large hotels in congested areas. The elevator bank criticism, for example: the club lounge is located on the same bank of elevators as the club floors -- very convenient for those paying for club rooms and the intended users of the club lounge. To complain that *wood allows elites in non-club rooms to also use the lounge, and they have to change elevator banks, is a bit much. I've found the hotel quiet compared to other NY hotels (and noisy compared to other cities, but that is NY). The construction quality is much better than average for this type of building in NY. I was very skeptical about this hotel before my first stay here, and have been converted to its charms; if others stay away, so much the better (less competition for room availability).

Thank you for pointing out the ludicrousness of those who, like me, didn't express praise for the Westin TS. I can't speak for the others, but I'm but a country bumpkins who is unfamiliar with major urban centers, I'm glad to have this highly intelligent lecture on NYC hotels. Thank you so very much! :)