DCAview

I think this is right. I stayed recently at the Westin Mission Hills in Palm Springs and was struck by just how unremarkable it was -- like a Sheraton decorated in earth tones. Then I realized that the last really special Westin stay I had was probably in 2004 or so.

mario33

While I agree Westins are no more of an 'enhanced' Four Points in the US, there are some pretty nice Westins in Asia Pacific.

treznor

I think the Westin's around DC really show the spectrum.

Westin City Center - Could be any other hotel out there (and has been before it was a Westin). Nothing particularly special, though nothing particularly all that bad.

Westin Georgetown (used to be Westin Grand) - Love the rooms and the bathrooms, all of the staff are great. Only downfall is no lounge and limited number of suites.

Westin Arlington / Westin Alexandria - Both have nice lounges and nice rooms though I've never noticed the staff go out of there way.

In this one metro area (and these hotels are at most 15-20 minutes from each other) you have three distinct concepts for what a Westin is.

mahasamatman

Not in my book (I also feel the bath products are actually lower quality, but that's another debate).

I'll agree with that, but it doesn't change my opinion of the W brand.

JFKSFOLAX_friend

Rankings *

1. St. Regis (NYC favorite)
2. Le Meridien (Bangkok and Chiang Rai favorite, Philly also quite nice)
3. Luxury Collection (love the LC in Athens...that is a LC, right?)
4. Westin (love Westin Minneapolis)
5. Sheraton
6. W (Minny is a great W)
7. aloft **
8. Four Points (LAX and ORD are kind of dumps but I like Palmas del Mar, Puerto Rico)

* - Never stayed at an Element.
** - Despite the low rankings, I really like alofts (and many Four Points, for that matter)

brahms77

For me:

1) St. Regis
2) Luxury Collection
3) W
4) Le Meridien = Westin*
5) Sheraton**
6) Element >= Aloft***
7) 4 Points

* superiority depends on the hotel
** there are some 'Sheratons' that are Luxury Collection, namely SGS BKK - this belongs to the Luxury Collection rather than Sheraton)
***arbitrary since I have never stayed at any of these hotels before

mahasamatman

Don't be fooled by the name - it does belong to the Luxury Collection.

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/luxury...propertyID=357

Howie721

I agree with the general consensus.

In terms of the Aloft/Elements, I had 2 stays at the Aloft Charlotte at the Eipcentre which i really liked although it really is a dumbed down/cheaper version of a W. The bed, bath products (bliss), food choices, etc are all a lower quality of W.

I also stayed at the Element in Dallas for one night. I thought it was very nice, clean, small rooms, the breakfast seemed ok as well.

In reference to the Four Points, i think they are all pretty disgusting IMHO. Having said that, when work is not paying for hotel and i need a quick 6-8 hour stay, 4 PTS is the way to go.

grumbler

LC will be ahead of St. Regis - there are some nice SR hotels, but a lot of luxury hotels by number dreck in that brand.

People are too hard on W. It's not everyone's taste - but they hit a sweet spot. Use DC as an example. Many leisure (and business) travellers like the idea of a contemporary hotel that they can afford or expense that isn't a Marriott. They will often choose a W (despite its warts) because at a mid range price point, it will be a more interesting place to stay than the JW.

Frankly, once you are below St.Regis, and leaving functional distinctions aside, they are all the same. Kind of like GM.

sbtinme

I'm intrigued by this comment, mahasamatman.

Mostly because Four Points is allowed towels with 86% cotton (14% man-made plastic), which I loathe. Four Points does not require their properties to press the bedsheets as a brand standard -- although some do. (In my experience, the 4Pts that still press their sheets and pillow cases are the older properties that were once other brands that required the traditional pressing of bed linens. Since the hotels already had the large rolling sheet presses, they still use them, but are NOT required to do so.)

Let it be known wide and far that I cannot stand sleeping on hotel bed sheets that are completely wrinkled and look as if they've already been slept in.

While I am no afficiando of W hotels as a brand concept, I must acknowledge that I've been incredibly comfortable in my stays at W over the years and the quality of the soft goods in my W rooms have always been truly exceptional. Many levels above most any middle market brand.

Just my $00.02.

Keith009

1) W (excepting the W New York on Lexington Avenue, and I don't really rate the W SF's Living Room crowd)

Nothing else matters.

Well, I do like some of the more design-focused Le Meridiens (Wien and Etoile for example), especially in Europe where they are a great alternative to all the 'old world charm' type of properties where Ws don't exist. Generally don't like the Luxury Collection concept but I loved the SLS Beverly Hills.

Other than that I much prefer non-chain boutique, design hotels these days, places with a great vibe and great design, than sterile Westins/Sheratons/Hiltons/ICs/Marriotts etc (they all look and feel the same to me) or stodgy St Regis's.

At a high level I reckon Starwood does branding and brand management right as they seem to have something for everyone.

MikeBOS

Am I the only one here that would put Sheraton ahead of Westin at this point? A few years ago I'd have thought it crazy that Sheraton could be better than Westin, but the decline in Westin and (IMHO) massive improvement at Sheraton has reversed the order for me. If I have a choice at about the same price, and know nothing about the specific properties, I will generally pick the Sheraton over the Westin.

Reasons:

More Club lounges

Better quality linens (Heavenly Bed may be slightly better than Sweet Sleeper, but most Westins are using rough, poor quality sheets in recent years).

Updated decor (most Westins haven't been updated in many years, whereas most Sheratons have been renovated fairly recently)

More reasonable prices for extra services like room services, with very similar quality

I am kind of surprised that everyone has listed Westin above Sheraton...

neuron

I would rank them in this order

St. Regis
The Luxury Collection
W, Le Meridien and Westin but very hotel-dependent

Sheraton
Aloft
Four Points

I have not stayed at Element, so cannot speak for those hotels

DCFlyer0306

Personally, the way I would rate them are as follows, though I know this differs from how Starwood would probably rate them:

1. W (I only wish there were more of them!)
2. St Regis (too stodgy for me)
3. Le Meridien (new properties are pretty nice)
4. Westin (agree with the slip in quality over last 10 years)
5. LC (just not my style though they do vary)
6. Sheraton (some have gotten quite good and many are better than Westins, but the standard still varies - see Sheraton Salt Lake City or Sheraton Palo Alto vs. Sheraton Newark Airport)
7. Element (liked my one experience in New York)
8. Aloft (only brand I have never stayed at)
9. Four Points (range tremendously in quality but even the best are 3-star hotels)

I agree with all the points on the Westin brand. I used to consider this a low-end luxury brand and now find myself sometimes avoiding them, at least in the US. While the Heavenly Bed was an innovation 10 years ago, in many properties the beds and linens are now in quite bad shape. In the US, I will always pick the W if it is available and sometimes will choose other Starwood brands over them (Le Meridien in Philadelphia, Sheraton in Palo Alto). However, there are still some real stand-out Westins overseas (Florence, Venice, and Seoul come to mind). Maybe now that the Sheraton revitalization seems to be concluding, perhaps Starwood will turn its attention to rehabilitating the US Westin brand.