I stayed at W New York - Times Square, and unfortunately, this was one of the most disappointing…read morehotel experiences I have ever had.
When I booked the room, I paid extra for a City View room. Since this hotel is located in Times Square, I expected some kind of actual New York city view. However, when I checked in, I was first assigned a room on the 35th floor. The floor number sounded promising, but as soon as I walked into the room and looked out the window, I was shocked.
It was not a city view at all. All I could see was the rooftop of another building and air-conditioning motors. I paid extra for a city view, but what I received was a view of mechanical equipment on a rooftop. I honestly could not understand how that could be considered a city view.
I went back down to the front desk and explained the situation. They reassigned me to a room on the 55th floor. That room was a little better because at least I could see the street, but it still was not the city view I expected when I paid extra for that option.
When I asked about it, I was told that only king bed rooms have the city view. But this was never clearly explained when I made the reservation. If the real city view is only available for a specific bed type, that should be clearly stated during the booking process. Guests should not have to find out after checking in, especially after paying extra for a "City View" room.
The elevator situation was another major problem. Out of the three elevators going up to the 55th floor, two were broken. During my two-night stay, I felt like I wasted so much time just waiting for the elevator. This is Times Square. People come to New York to explore, walk around, see shows, eat, and enjoy the city -- not to stand around inside a hotel waiting endlessly for an elevator.
What made it worse was that the elevators were not properly fixed during my stay. They remained broken, and guests had to deal with the inconvenience the entire time. For a high-rise hotel, working elevators are not a luxury. They are a basic necessity.
But the most shocking part was the condition of the room.
When I entered the room, I honestly wondered when it had last been properly cleaned. The room felt dirty, uncomfortable, and poorly maintained. The furniture was sticky. The surfaces felt unpleasant to touch. I travel often and have stayed in many hotels, but I have never experienced a hotel room this dirty.
The chair by the window was especially bad. It was so sticky that I could not even sit on it. A chair in a hotel room should be something a guest can use comfortably, but this one felt disgusting.
The mirror above the bed was also terrible. It was covered with fingerprints, smudges, and sticky marks. It was so dirty that I could barely see myself in it. A mirror should reflect the guest. This mirror only reflected how poorly the room had been cleaned.
I was truly shocked. This is a W hotel under Marriott, in the middle of Times Square. I expected a certain standard. I did not expect perfection, but I did expect basic cleanliness, honest room descriptions, and working elevators.
This hotel failed in all of those basic areas.
The view I paid extra for was not what I expected. The explanation about king bed rooms having the actual city view was not clearly disclosed during booking. Two out of three elevators were broken for the 55th floor. The room was dirty. The furniture was sticky. The chair was unusable. The mirror was filthy.
At some point, it stopped feeling like a series of small issues and started feeling like a completely unacceptable hotel experience.
A hotel room should be a place where you can rest after a long day in New York. Instead, every time I came back to the room, I felt uncomfortable. Every time I waited for the elevator, I felt frustrated. Every time I looked out the window, I wondered why I paid extra for a city view. Every time I looked at the dirty mirror or touched the sticky furniture, I felt disgusted.
The location may be convenient, but location alone is not enough. A hotel still needs to provide clean rooms, clear booking information, and basic functioning facilities.
I was extremely disappointed and honestly very upset with this stay. I would not stay at this hotel again. Not again. Truly, never again.
For anyone considering booking W New York - Times Square, especially if you care about cleanliness, elevators, or paying extra for a real city view, I would strongly think twice. This stay was not worth the price, and it left me with nothing but frustration.
