Starwood Lurker

The Spectacular Flat is what is on the SPG5SU rate plan for this resort. That makes it standard to SPG. Now, they may come to their senses some day and realize that they have the wrong suite type attached to this rate plan, but right now, it is what it is.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

DownUnderFlyer

I stayed there last week and here are a few observations:

The hotel is easy to overlook unless you know you have to look for a small "W" standing on the grass.

CHECKIN
There is no sign telling you on which floor the Living Room is so I was standing there with other guests and we were guessing. No staff around to help.
Once there, check-in was fast and friendly.


LIVING ROOM
Most probably the coolest area of the hotel. A huge open plan reception, bar and shop area with modern, minimalistic decor and some artwork providing tasteful focal points.
Check-in and concierge are close together with the bar area to the left and the Bliss Spa Shop and W Store to the right. The W store sells your usual assortment of cuff links and vibrators.


ROOM
Across the bridge and up to the 14th floor I went. And once I got out of the elevator my jaw just dropped. W has invented time and space travel. While I expected a cool and funky hallway leading to my room, I found myself in a tired looking Westin.
This continued when I opened opened the door to my room. The Westin designer got an extra $50 to spend on room decoration. The room looks boring, like an ordinary hotel room. Yes, there is glass between the bathroom and the bedroom but that's about as cool as it gets.
There is cable and Wifi internet in the room which is $14.95 plus tax. The bed is the usual great W quality and I had a good night.
Oh, and I didn't receive any upgrade other than a higher floor.


POOLS: You walk up to the pool area through a glass tunnel in the middle of the pool. A very nice and cool effect.
The pool area is nice and overlooks the ocean. A DJ was spinning some tunes. Most people here were families with children or older travelers. A continuation of the Westin Theme. I made a mental note to myself that this will be a good hotel to return to if I need a Westin and Micro DUF is with me.

FOOD
Didn't have any food in the hotel

GENERAL
There is only valet parking which will cost you $40 a day when you include tips. A totally insane amount of money with no justification whatsoever. Like many other guests, I just parked down the street where parking is free.

Service was hit and miss (not surprising considering the hotel just opened). Check-in was fast, but the hotel forgot to mention that there were messages for me. Also an incoming parcel was never delivered and would still be in the basement was it not for the sender to alert me to it.

Hotel Navigation is an issue. While the Living Room is on the 3rd Floor when entering the building (IIRC), it is however the 4th Floor when using the elevator to the rooms. The 3rd floor there will bring you to the car park you are not allowed to use. During my stay I often had to help people to find their way around the hotel.

I am a big W fan and this was one of the weakest W's I have ever stayed at.

Don't get me wrong, it is a nice and expensive Westin with a cool Living Room. But it was not what I have been looking for when booking a W in Florida. I am so much looking forward to the W South Beach as an alternative.

ysbyvr

Hmmm...I was really looking forward to booking a stay at this W later this summer, but I'm starting to have my doubts now! We prefer Fort Lauderdale over South Beach....but maybe we will try that W when it opens instead.

Also, $40 a day for parking in Fort Lauderdale is crazy!

DownUnderFlyer

It's "only" $32.something but by the time you have tipped the staff you are at $40.

letsgofire

I recently had my second stay and just wanted to add a few things. As a Platinum they upgraded me to a "Mega Room" which was very cool. It even had a Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 1 unit in it. Thought about swiping it...

To the poster who compared the finishes in the rooms and hallways to a Westin-- I guess I don't understand why you think that. The decor is very different. Perhaps the standard rooms are more similar?

The Living Room is really a great lobby area and is one of the better Starwood lobbies. I'm not entirely sure you can call it a lobby. They added a purple pool table (only at a W) since my last trip. In the dayime that room is open, gets great light, and is very white. At night it is dark and very loungey and they use the lighting very well.

Valet staff is still hopeless.

MIKESILV

The hotel charges $30 night for parking ......not sure what you think is "normal for Fort Lauderdale" but the Hilton next door and the Atlantic charges about the same....and I guarantee you that at the W South Beach (where parking is a premium anyway) the rate will be no too much different or possibly higher.
Note the new hilton Bentley on South beach charges $35 per night


BTW I did use the valet parking when I was there and had no problems at all.
Plus I was able to figure out right a way that taking the most westernly lift down got me right at valet parking... zooom

mike

EleanorMcDaniel

I was at this hotel for the second time this past week, and I was indeed upgraded to some sort of flat. (I am SPG PLT) It was not a corner, but it was huge. You walked in to the huge kitchen/living room/dining room, with washer dryer, and around the corner was a large king bed, giant bathroom with seperate tub and stall shower.

What a shame I was only there one night!

DCFFlyer

I've stayed twice now and except for arguing with the front desk to get a suite or a flat the hotel is exceptional. I even went so far as to print out this thread where William discussed the upgrade eligibility and they still told me I was wrong (but as a "courtesy" they upgraded me).

I can't say enough good things about the property and the service. Hopefully my trip this weekend with Mr. DCFFLYER will be smoother.

terminalfive

How was your stay? Any recent experiences?

el_tigre

It's a funny thing. My experience was very similar to DUF's (even with both us bring on the 14th floor), yet I came away with my most positive W experience ever.

My stay occurred in mid-September, so I'm a little late in writing a review; thanks to terminalfive for getting my butt in gear. I had no problem finding check-in, although I arrived through the main valet and there was ample staff to show me the way. Given the layout of the hotel, I could easily see how finding your bearings could be difficult.

At check-in, I asked about any available upgrades and was given an oceanfront cool corner room. One of those times when I sort of chuckle when others say that gold doesn't mean anything. With its location, it's also one of those times when the oceanfront room is superior than a partial view suite, IMO. It was obviously low season and I could tell the place was empty, but it is still very much appreciated to get such a nice upgrade.

Personally, I thought the hotel kept more with the W theme than a Westin. That said, I also thought it was a bit brighter than other W's as it takes advantage of the light of the Florida sand and sea.

I meant to take more pictures, but I guess this is all I got:


Oceanfront Cool Corner Room


Balconey of Cool Corner Room


View of hotel from my balconey


View of pool from my balconey

I didn't encounter many families or older travelers. Then again, I didn't encounter a lot of anybody. The above photo of the pool was taken at 3 p.m., and I never saw it more crowded than that. It was definitely low season.

My only issues were with delivered packages as well. I had to be transferred to four different associates and had to be called back before they could locate my boxes. This was the biggest service "lapse" I encountered.

I thought the gym was very good. There were about four each treadmills, cycles and elipticals with a good selection of machines and weights.

Not sure I can comment definitively on the food, although I did have the fish tacos from the Living Room. They were good if not a bit expensive; to be expected from a higher end resort property.

My last night was a Friday. After a full day of work, a business dinner and then some work in the room, I sat on the balconey at 11 p.m. and thought I might check out the action downstairs at Whiskey Blue and the Living Room. While I could hear music playing, I had no idea what type of scene it was.

I first checked out Whiskey Blue on the first floor. The place was packed, but it was much too small. I don't think it can hold more than 200 people tops. After a few minutes there, I went up to the Living Room. This was where the real action was. Although it's a much larger space, it was just as packed as downstairs. Every available seat was taken - both inside and out. The bar, probably 100 feet long, was two or three patrons the whole length. And I thought I was dropped on Sunset or Vegas; the crowd was filled with beautiful people. I only intended to have a quick nightcap and I ended up almost closing the place down at 2 a.m. It was the nightclub scene every W tries to create but I had never seen it pulled off to this scale before. And the funny thing is I couldn't really tell it was that rocking from my room.

I'm also a huge fan of the W concept, but maybe I haven't experienced enough. I've stayed at both Chicago properties and New Orleans and spent some time at San Diego and Westwood; the W Fort Lauderdale is by far the best of that bunch. I will definitely return the next time I visit South Florida.

CNWO4LIFE

Great photos el_tigre, I am looking forward to when I get the chance to stay there.

KENNECTED

Nice! I love pictures! ^

terminalfive

+1 Thank you very very much el_tigre. Will be going very soon. Not too good on photos but will post back a report

Glad there is a decent gym^ A must for hols

appletini

We stayed at the W Fort Lauderdale the last weekend in September (incidentally, the last opportunity to use the Free Weekend nights promo) and got a sweet room although not as great a view as el_tigre's!

Here are my pics:




Hits -
* Super-friendly and helpful hotel staff
* Amazing bathroom!
* Enjoyed the free wi-fi in "The living room" every day of our trip
* Great location
* The place was THE place to see and be seen

Misses -
* Even though it's nice that it was busy and made for great people watching, it was TOO busy for such a slow time of the year.
* The hotel tower we were in only had three elevators total. Needless to say, they were jam packed each time we tried to get on it. We were packed in there like sardines a la London Underground!
* Every single chair by the pool was taken up throughout the day. Not the hotel's fault, but an inconvenience nevertheless.

We really enjoyed our stay there and would go back down in a heartbeat. I would say though that the elevator sitch is a major design flaw on their part!

Anglo Large Clawed Otter

I was fortunate enough to be upgraded to a Spectacular Flat on a recent stay, without asking. The room was flat-out phenomenal. Absolutely one of the better suites I have been given... at any property.