Great stay after long trip from Australia
 

It took 24 hrs and 12 minutes to get here from home.
It was worth every minute of wait.
The Hotel arranged an airport pickup and everything was just great for my whole stay.
On arrival I was upgraded to a Fantastic Suite on the 50th floor front corner of the Hotel that gave me a great Broadway view.

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i1...Picture007.jpg

Yes it is Times Square, its bubbling and noisy and not for everyone but I cannot fault this Hotel.
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i1...Picture015.jpg
I also had a note from the Hotel GM welcoming me and a W Thermos gift.
Also waiting for me were the many items that Kelly the Concierge had retrieved for me from various stores.

My Fantastic Suite was impeccable!
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i1...Picture008.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i1...Picture009.jpg

Yes Blue Fin can be expensive for dinner...treat yourself and let yourself go;)

Now onto Lexington Ave!

Thanks for your review - it makes me want to pack my bags and leave for W Times Square right NOW (i'm in my office) :(

W Hotels Worldwide Unveils Renovation of Iconic W New York-Times Square
Monday March 23, 9:00 am ET


Inspired by the Bustling Atmosphere of Times Square, Renowned Design Firm Yabu Pushelberg Creates a Contemporary Cool Urban Escape in the Heart of New York City



NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--W Hotels Worldwide, the hotel category buster and industry innovator, today announced the completion of a full guestroom renovation of the iconic W New York-Times Square. Developed in collaboration with the property’s initial designer, award-winning interior design firm Yabu Pushelberg, the renovation of W New York-Times Square combines form, function and style with cutting-edge design to create a cool urban escape in the heart of New York City. The renovation of W New York-Times Square represents a key milestone as the brand continues to update its initial portfolio while expanding into vibrant, primary destinations throughout North America and internationally. A New York-born brand, W Hotels Worldwide currently has five hotels in Manhattan and will open two new hotels in the area in the next year with the debuts of W Hoboken this spring and W New York-Downtown in early 2010.
“Innovation and transformation have been central to the W brand since its inception,” said Eva Ziegler, Global Brand Leader, W Hotels Worldwide and Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts. “As we begin to evolve the brand from a New York-centric phenomenon to a global powerhouse by tripling our portfolio in the next three years, the renovation of the iconic W New York-Times Square hotel is a key milestone in developing a consistent brand portfolio.”

One of the first W Hotels in the brand’s growing portfolio, W New York-Times Square debuted in December 2001 as an alluring and sophisticated escape, quickly establishing itself as the coolest place to see and be seen in New York. Seven years later, Yabu Pulshelberg was engaged to renovate the hotel’s 509 guestrooms and suites, which have been re-imagined to capture the energy of Times Square while providing a sleek and glossy refuge from the bustling city.

To create an urban escape perched high above the city streets, each room glows with dramatic highs and lows of light and color bringing an element of techno-glam cool. All rooms feature an innovative, modern, and highly functional work area, topped with a sleek metal and glass surface that supports the many needs of W travelers – where drinks can be shaken and stirred or emails can be scribed and sent under the focused glow of a sculptural lamp. At the window, a shapely, undulating lounger encourages chilling out before going out. In addition, each room offers guests a variety of entertainment options, from W Hotels’ signature “Munchie” Box (W Hotels’ re-invention of the traditional Mini Bar), retro-designed Tivoli radios, iPod docking stations, and large flat-screen televisions mounted for rotation to ensure comfortable viewing from anywhere in the room.

New design features in the bathrooms echo the aesthetic of guestrooms, making the space feel more expansive with sultry frosted glass doors and walls. The closet, washed in a bold flash of color, has been designed to fully organize guests’ wardrobes.

Fantastic Suites (W Hotels’ approach to a Junior Suite) take the techno-glam energy from guestrooms and enliven the space with expansive city skyline views set against a bold color palette that is magnified with a cool dose of electrifying blue. Featuring an abundance of comfortable living and lounging space, a sleek plane adorned with a flat screen television seems to float between the bedroom and living room, separating work from play with style and innovation.

Completely transformed, Sweat Fitness Center has been redesigned to provide health conscious guests with state-of-the art Techno Gym equipment including treadmills, elliptical and weight machines to provide a muscle-toning and pulse pounding workout. Attached to the fitness center, a separate stretching room provides an area for relaxation, stretching or private instruction by a trainer which can be arranged through the hotel’s Whatever/Whenever® concierge service. Additionally, six techno-glam guestrooms are now located on the same floor allowing fitness fanatics the ease of being only steps away from Sweat Fitness.

“New York is the epicenter of fashion, design, music and entertainment, all passions of the W brand” said Vera Manoukian, Area Managing Director, W Hotels of New York. “As the category buster and leading innovator, W Hotels will continue to refuel our cool in New York City with upcoming revitalization projects, including the renovations of W New York–Times Square and W New York–Union Square in 2009.”

With 10 years of proven success, W Hotels will triple its global footprint by 2011, with expansion into vibrant primary destinations around the world, from Paris to Milan, Barcelona to London, Santiago to Vieques Island, Dubai to Doha, Hollywood to South Beach, and Shanghai to Bali. W Hotels has forever changed the hospitality landscape with a series of industry firsts in the past 10 years, including: transformation of the hotel lobby into the W Living Room experience; introduction of the W brand’s signature Whatever/Whenever concierge service as a vehicle to fulfill every guest’s dreams; extension of the lifestyle experience into retail through W Hotels the Store; a sensorial multiplex experience with branded W CD compilations released each year; reinterpretation of the hotel mini-bar into the W “Munchie Box” to present the brand’s lifestyle point of view; and reinvention of the presidential suite into W’s “Extreme Wow” and “Wow” suites.

For more information on W New York-Times Square, please visit www.whotels.com/newyork.

About W Hotels Worldwide®

stayed here for a few weeks ago using up my 3 free weekend night awards....had a great stay....the hotel was sold out but they still upgraded me to a cool corner room on one of the top floors....infact, the upgrade showed on my account page a day before i checked in....

Stayed here this past weekend on two free weekend night awards. The hotel was fully sold out, so I had my expectations in check for an upgrade.

Received what they call a Fabulous Room XX07 on a relatively high floor.

Suites were sold out ahead of time. Though I have never gotten one in six stays.

Review Bliss style:

Room: Very nice view of the Hudson and north on Broadway.
Furnishings: Solid W style, but the carpet was very frayed between the tiled entrance and the wall to wall in the room.
Water Pressure/Bathroom: Was somewhere between awful and really awful. This combined with a loud high pitched squealing noise from the pipes when the upstairs or downstairs neighbor used his or her shower made for some unpleasantness. Otherwise, the bathroom is an excellent and welcome use of a small space.
Bed: As expected, the bed was very nice and comfortable.
Staff: Honestly, other than check-in, which was quick, I had zero interaction with staff.
Intangibles: Don't know if this is typical or related to the free weekend promotion, but the hotel was packed with kids (not so appealing) as well as non-W regulars (neutral). I could tell the latter as they were constantly in awe of the music and darkness in the elevators. The kids were another issue altogether. I had at least two if not three pre-teens staying in the room next to me who were pretty loud. I called to see if I could get a room change (I was on an anniversary trip with my wife), but it would have been a severe downgrade due to the packed nature of the hotel.

Although the kids were loud, I think that the structure of the hotel is partly to blame as I could hear the kids through the walls pretty clearly even when they weren't being particularly loud. In addition, when they were coming in and out of their room, the door closing racket was enough to make you jump. I think the hotel could have worked to make the door closings a little quieter. I was also blessed with the ice machine adjacent to my room, but there was litle traffic to it over the weekend.

Location: As often discussed, if you like being in the middle of everything and conveniently located near the trains, this is an excellent spot. The crowds are a little maddening, but no more than was expected. It is sometimes fun to be in the middle of things.

In closing, the number of kids etc made the hotel feel a little like the Sheraton HT. The elevators were often packed with strollers, when they weren't delayed otherwise. Again, this is my first time at this hotel over a weekend, so it could often be this way and I simply haven't experienced it. If my review comes off as negative, I think that is due to my expectations of the W TS rather than that I had a bad time.

I didn't find your review "negative". It's your experience. It is what it is and that is what FT is all about.

Hindsight is 20/20, but for an anniversary I would have gone to the tuscany or court.

We spent 2 FWN at the W TS two weeks ago. I have to agree that I was also suprised during this stay (I stay there a couple of times a year) with the amount of kids I noticed at the hotel. I thought it was due to school currently being out on summer vacation. Heard a couple of them in the hallways but overall not a big deal. As for the others staying at the hotel, I find that the clientele varies if there is a convention in town which brings in more people that walk around in awe of the property.

Our stay was uneventful (which is a good stay in my book) and we had a cool corner room overlooking TS on the 42nd floor. Our room also had the carpet issue you mention which seems odd considering they just renovated. They might need to add a track or something at the tile to avoid this. I also have to agree on the shower pressure...I hate the new showerheads!

Food at Blue Fin was very good.

Hopefully, I'll have one every year to look forward to...

I booked a Wonderful room and was put on 32nd floor. According to the hotel's website, Wonderful rooms are located on and below 30th floor and anything above are Spectacular rooms (or above). Did I get an upgrade? Are there any actual differences between the two room types?

I'd be keen to see pics of a renovated W TS!

I had a most Wonderful stay there back in 2006.

Now if the location isn't Times Square, this property would be perfect! :p:D

Yep - you're put on a higher level with a Spectacular Room? (and presumably - a "better view")
But other than that - no, Wonderful and Spectacular Rooms are identical.

Lounge?
 

I read somewhere the lounge is gone from this property. Can anyone confirm this? Thanks!


Never mind - just read on another thread that it is close. That was the only thing going for it so we will now book the W TS for the weekend stay.

Double ??
 

Wait, because the W TS lounge is "close" and "that was the only thing going for it", you will now ... still book the W TS??

:confused:

I'm sitting in my room on the 53rd floor right now.

I checked in last night and I was very dissapointed when I got to the room.

The room is very worn. The bathroom is what I would consider dirty... And I'm really not that particular. There is grime around the sink, toilet, and shower. Also a few bonus mystery hairs caked onto the wall of the shower.

I have a 'spectacular' view into the Marriot next door. It's noon right now and there is tons of noise out in the hallway- kids screaming, doors slamming (although it's probably like this at any NYC hotel at this time of year).

On the plus side the bed is perfect, the location is great, and I'm only here for 2 nights. =)