DON'T STAY HERE if you can at all help it. Customer service is bad, and you will be screwed over one way or another. Not worth the money! Try Le Meridian, Marriott, Hilton, or Doubletree.
We were weary travelers who like many other guests just wanted to get through the check in process as quickly as possible so that we could get to our room. First off bad location for the check in desk. Just a few feet away from the restaurant/bar area (see my picture). For some reason they like to act like this is the premier club scene with thumping music, colored lights, and bouncer looking guys out front opening the door for you. Not exactly what you need in the middle of the night when you didn't choose to be part of the scene.
There's no room to wait in line, so you're in the middle of the hallway with your luggage in tow, while all the beautiful people dressed up brush past you. Very awkward set up. Plus, we were waiting forever for our turn. We couldn't figure out what was taking the customers in front of us so long. We would soon find out that this place doesn't have their sh$& together.
I've stayed at W hotel before. They're known for being posh, beautiful, and a very sexy place to stay. Not this time. When we finally got our key and made our way to the room, we were surprised to find out they put us in the handicap accessible room without asking us ahead of time. Everything smelled like bleach. There was no border to the shower, and a chair inside of it. The toilet was raised up higher. I swear I felt like we were paying good money to sleep in a hospital room. It didn't smell, look or feel sexy, posh, or any of the reasons we chose to be staying at a W hotel in a big city.
We called downstairs to ask to be moved to another room, but they said no more were available and that we would have to wait till morning. Too tired to complain any further we went to bed. I felt very uncomfortable being in there. I know my time will come that I'll be needing those type of amenities, but not while I'm on vacation.
We also were awaken at 2:30 am when all the bars close to the sounds of bunch of people coming down the street. Traffic noise never let up all night long, and a car accident or something happened a few blocks away with sirens on the way. The windows are not properly insulated, so it felt like you were sleeping on the street. The noise level was awful. We hardly got any sleep that night.
The next day we repacked our bags, left our room to go sightseeing. Every time we came or left the hotel big bouncer looking guys would open the doors and greet you nicely but with a stern look on their face. it was not at all inviting. After a certain time of day they require you to show them your room key. Is this a hotel or a club? I don't think they quite know either.
When we returned they said our bags would be moved for us. That didn't happen. And again long wait at front desk. While waiting my fiancé overheard many other guests complaining about one thing or another. It seems we weren't the only unhappy guests. How one hotel can f&$@ things up so bad, I don't know. But that's how it was. We went to our first room grabbed our luggage and moved to the second room.
We got our new room facing away from the street traffic and all was well. We got a much better sleep that night, but the process we had to go through to get there already ruined my "this is a cool place" vibe. I wasn't as into the decor at this location. It felt sub par to my visit in San Francisco. I was really disappointed.
At 3 am, I couldn't sleep so I went downstairs to use the free Wifi in the lobby. The club scene was over and I had the whole lounge area to myself while non English speaking workers cleaned. (I tried speaking to one of them.)
Only one guest was at the check in. It was perfectly quiet, no other people to distract or keep this man from getting checked in quickly. Yet, for twenty minutes he just stood there while the front desk clerk starred at her screen looking perplexed and then shake her head. Somehow, they had given away this mans room when he didn't arrive earlier in the evening. That really sucks because the rooms here are supposed to be guaranteed no matter what time you show up when you give your credit card number. The poor guy and his partner were stranded without a bed or place to stay even though they had made a reservation.
I don't know what happened to the man, but he kept his cool as he called one of the managers from the W on his phone. I hated our first night, but I suddenly felt grateful I even had a bed to sleep in. My fiancé tried calling around to find us another hotel the next day, but everywhere was already booked. Once your here, that's your only chance to sleep anywhere if you book on a busy weekend. You're at the mercy of the hotel and they don't care how they treat you here as long as they got your money.
Please take it from me, don't even take a chance here. There's much better service hotels elsewhere. read more