W New York - Lexington Ave

[Keith009]

W New York - Lexington Ave

I was going to write an actual report but I think my email to the GM probably suffices...

Well Hey There Edward,

I hope you're having a most Whimsical Weekend.

As per your Wish, I have decided to write in about my recent W New York experience. I was eagerly anticipating my stay at this particular W, as I make it a point to check out every single property across the brand (in December I am making a trip to Doha just because there's a W there!), and also because your recent refurb has produced a rather kick cough new decor! Normally I'd stay more downtown at the W Union Square in order to be near Soho but I thought I'd check out your property for a change. Sadly, I was on the whole rather disappointed with my first (and last) W NY experience.

I'd start with the compliments - I LOVE the decor!! The Living Room is amazing, and I love the v minimalist decor in the room with v clever use of colours and space. I also loved the lighting in the hallways, which struck a great compromise between the traditional dark and clubby W feel, and those who prefer more lighting. I particularly enjoyed W Sundays, and appreciate the stringent enforcement of the dress code. The Acura service was most handy in getting me downtown - the booking process was simple and efficient, and my driver was ace. Also not to forget - the friendly folks at the concierge desk (David in particular) who were a great help.

Unfortunately the brickbats far outweigh the bouquets. First, I am most disappointed with the general lack of service when it came to other aspects of the W NY. To begin with, when I arrived in my airport express shuttle, none of the Welcome Ambassadors milling around the entrance offered to lend a hand with my rather heavy suitcase. This lack of any form of welcome continued at the Welcome Desk, where I was served by the most surly Welcome Desk agent I've ever met - I'd only been at the hotel for 10 mins by then but have never felt so unwelcome!

But the worst was yet to come, I know upgrades are the bug bear of every property but it is the upgrade perk of SPG Platinum status that keeps me loyal to Ws as well as Starwood as a whole (vs staying at independent boutique design hotels). I don't even mind being stuck in a shoebox if a property genuinely has no better alternatives available. But if there's one thing I hate - it's being blatantly lied to about an upgrade. Whilst I was checking in, I was told that due to there being no Fantastic Suites available I was being upgraded to a Mega Room (or something that sounded big and impressive). However I arrived to find the same room category as I'd booked, which I believe to be a Cozy Room (if that teeny room was a Mega Room I'd hate to see what a Cozy Room looks like). I then rang up to speak to the Welcome Manager who thankfully found me a much bigger room, it was twice the size of the initial room I was allocated (though aforesaid surly Welcome Desk agent snarled at me and mentioned something along the lines of "it's the same room category anyway.."). That was really a low point in my W NY experience which has barely begun.

I'd hoped that my experience would improve but unfortunately I was yet again let down by the disinterested staff at the Living Room. The Living Room is a major part of any W experience in my view, as I love spending time relaxing there, enjoying the coughtails, people watching and in general - soaking up the W vibe. It is often a great starter place to hang out at for a drink or 5 prior to hitting the city's nightspots. Unfortunately the W NY Living Room was simultaneously short staffed and had servers who seemed intent to avoid serving anybody whatsoever.

I should also inform you that I intend to write a review of this property on Flyertalk, Australian Frequent Flyer as well as other travel forums. I LOVE Ws and it pains me to write a negative review. As well, I always talk up Ws - barring minor quibbles, I have enjoyed every single W I've experienced up till now and hence enthusiastically recommend them to everyone who ask for advice on accomodation. But I cannot in my right mind recommend the W NY - not even with the relatively good value Cat 5 Cash and Points redemption option for this property. Most importantly, it's often been said that the best customers are the ones who complain - I felt so let down and angry at the disparity between my W NY experience vs my W experiences in general that I feel compelled to write in.

Your attention is greatly appreciated, and I do look forward to an improvement in standards of this property - but suffice to say I am rather glad that there are many other Ws to choose from in NYC. In short, I would not have been all that whelmed if this was my intial W experience, which is ironic given that this W was the launch property for the W brand and hence ought to be the flagship property.

Warm Wishes,
QF009

I sent the email over 5 days ago and there's been no response yet, despite the Out-Of-Office auto reply promising a reply within 48 hours.

 

[Evan]

Well that was very eloquently written and they are probably shocked and wondering how to reply, not to mention quizzing the staff involved before replying. Bummer about the stay, for the $$ if i stay at a W or similar i expect very good service and would not be pleased also.

 

[v8Statesman]

W New York - Lexington Ave

I was going to write an actual report but I think my email to the GM probably suffices...

I sent the email over 5 days ago and there's been no response yet, despite the Out-Of-Office auto reply promising a reply within 48 hours.

I am quite surprised. As far as a complaint email goes, that is a well written, well balanced email worth or the same in response. I hope you do get a reply and further hope you post it here

 

[Febs]

That's no good. I've got a stay booked there in October so I'll let you know my experience. When it's the same points per night as a Sheraton, I figured it's be worth trying.

For what it's worth, your comments almost mirror mine regarding the W Union Square exactly. I know it's considered one of the better W's, but it's definitely been my worst W experience to date.

Cheers,
- Febs.

PS: On a related note, Keith I ended up booking the W BCN - on opening night! You've been to more W's than I have...reckon they'll have an awesome opening party on the first night? Or would that be a few weeks before?

 

[djfuzz]

We had been keen on staying at W NY earlier this year, but reviews similar to yours put us off.

You would know best QF009 - how consistent is the W brand internationally, and in particular, the various NY locations? From what I gathered, this and W Times Square are a mixed bag.

 

[Febs]

I haven't found them too consistent.

Some (W Mexico City, W Dallas and W Sydney, back in the day) feel and look fantastic - very unique, very funky, very W.

Others (W Seattle, W Union Square) are great hotels, but just feel like an existing hotel that they've "tried" to convert into a W, and only half-succeeded.

Others (W Lakeshore, Chicago) are about half-way in between.

Cheers,
- Febs.

 

[Evan]

<..>

PS: On a related note, Keith I ended up booking the W BCN - on opening night! You've been to more W's than I have...reckon they'll have an awesome opening party on the first night? Or would that be a few weeks before?

In BCN i realised a W was opening but a bit to early for me (been back about 3 weeks now)
Hopefully the Mexico city is as good as people say. i will try to book it for when i am there.

 

[Keith009]

I've had excellent experiences at the W Union Sq, but the decor there is a bit meh and I'm keen to try the new W Downtown. Another reason why I didn't like the W Lexington was because it's too midtown, and I want to be as near Soho, Chelsea and MePa as possible.

PS: On a related note, Keith I ended up booking the W BCN - on opening night! You've been to more W's than I have...reckon they'll have an awesome opening party on the first night? Or would that be a few weeks before?

They'll only have launch parties during their actual opening, not during soft openings. The W Hong Kong was in soft opening mode for a few months after it commenced operations. So it depends on whether you're staying at the W Barcelona during soft opening or not.

 

[Keith009]

We had been keen on staying at W NY earlier this year, but reviews similar to yours put us off.

You would know best QF009 - how consistent is the W brand internationally, and in particular, the various NY locations? From what I gathered, this and W Times Square are a mixed bag.

I have had most exemplary experiences at W, I think they're everything hotels should be - fashion-forward decor, casual yet 'can do' service, glamourous settings and crowd. In contrast to Febs I actually did like the W Seattle which I stayed at about 2 weeks ago - it's my fave US-based W to date: the crowd is great, setting cozy and glamourous, funky hallways, and awesome awesome bartenders who got off work early and took me out partying.

I thought W Times Square was excellent, it was the location I hated. And the crowd was v wannabe.

The one thing about Ws I don't really like is the indiscriminate selection of guests at most of their parties - FFS if you claim to be an Insider destination, then have a vigourous door policy (w/r/t dress code and appearance) to match. W Union Sq is an exception to this, as Underbar has a generally sexy crowd. Which is why I liked W Sundays at the W Lexngton - the door biatches told me that they've been specifically instructed to only let in beautiful people (eg no boring suit types, people wearing shorts, chavs, generally ugly people etc) and it really made a difference. Been writing to their corporate office for ages about this so hooefully this is a sign that they listened.

 

[Keith009]

No response as yet, I wonder if i can be bothered doing a follow-up email. Says a lot about the property as a whole really, when not even the GM is interested in addressing guests' concerns. In contrast, GMs at other Ws have always responded promptly, ranging from 15 mins to just under 24 hours after the initial email is sent, whether they're compliments or complaints. Back to the W Union Sq for me. Or maybe the new W Downtown. David at the concierge desk will be missed, but Union Sq also has some fully sick parties.

 

[Keith009]

Better late than never I suppose. Seems like a sincere and unreservedly apologetic email.

Welcome Mr. QF009,



I am responding on behalf of our General Manager, Ed Maynard. First and foremost allow me to apologize on behalf of entire team. I will like to thank you for bringing this to our attention. Feedback from our Guests is very important to us as it often times pinpoints areas of needed focus. Also it helps us to provide in future reservations a better service to our guest. As one of the Guest Service Managers here at W New York, I always like to make it a point to reach out to my guests and get their feedback. I really don’t like to see guests leave with any type of disappointments.



I always put myself in the same shoes as the guest and believe me I was concerned to read about your W experiences. All of our guests are important and should not go through this experience. Our goal is to provide our guests with a memorable and enjoyable stay from start to finish. I have read some of the specifics of your incident and agree there is no excuse for anything less than courteous, friendly and overly attentive service. This feedback will also be brought to our operating teams and managers so we can learn from this and improve our service across our company. I am not writing to offer you any excuses, just my sincere regret that such a thing had to happen to any one of our guests. We take our promise of being your home away from home very seriously and again please accept my apologies. Please be assured that this in not the norm but the exception and as one of our loyal W guest it is particularly upsetting when I hear stories such as yours. Voicing your opinion on issues such as these while frustrating are what help to make us better and I thank you for that opportunity.



As a gesture of our concern for the inconveniences you have faced, we have also honored 12,000 Starwood points towards your Platinum Starwood account #xx_xx_xx_xx_. Please allow 3-5 business days for the points to be reflected on your account. And do not hesitate to contact us at anytime should you need any assistance, we will be glad to assist you.



Warm Regards,
xx_xx_xx_xx_x

 

[anat0l]

I'm still deciding whether to stay at the W Hong Kong in December when I have a transit stop. Trip Advisor reviews are very mixed on this one, but the complaining ones seem to centre around customer service and staff attitude.

Is there something about Ws that I should know about in advance? I don't want to stick out like a sore thumb and be treated as such, in which case I'd rather go to a more "vanilla" brand like Conrad (it also helps a bit to have HHG).

EDIT: Sorry if this is off-topic; mods, feel free to move accordingly.

 

[openseat]

Interesting comments on W Lexington. I had friends stay here once and they were nonplussed as well.
I tend to stay with relatives, who have plenty of spare room, around Lexington and 63rd. I've often walked down Lexington past the W thinking it would be fantastic. Now I can understand my friends' reaction.

 

[Keith009]

I'm still deciding whether to stay at the W Hong Kong in December when I have a transit stop. Trip Advisor reviews are very mixed on this one, but the complaining ones seem to centre around customer service and staff attitude.

Is there something about Ws that I should know about in advance? I don't want to stick out like a sore thumb and be treated as such, in which case I'd rather go to a more "vanilla" brand like Conrad (it also helps a bit to have HHG).

EDIT: Sorry if this is off-topic; mods, feel free to move accordingly.

Trip advisor...:shock:

Rest assured that the W Honkers is consistently a top performer, one of the best properties of a top notch brand I'd say. It must be saying something when the resident W haters on FT are posting glowing reviews about this W. My only criticism is the overzealous lighting - a bit too bright for a W in some areas (hallways and elevators especially). And though they do not enforce any dress code for their Living Room - please please dress up will ya? Smart casual at least. Just get a lil sick of seeing Kowloon chavs and bogans there. But I must say my partner and I had fun giving a few near us The Lookover on our last stay.

 

[Alanslegal]

I'm still deciding whether to stay at the W Hong Kong in December when I have a transit stop. Trip Advisor reviews are very mixed on this one, but the complaining ones seem to centre around customer service and staff attitude.

Do stay at the W Hong Kong. It is a seriously impressive property and the service I experienced was top stuff. Ptui about TripAdvisor cos all the complaints I've read are from the 'old farts' who forgot what cool is :mrgreen: OR from those 'old farts' who think the W is suppose to be part of the Small Luxury Hotel colllection...cos heck is isn't

But remember you are the Hongkers for a transit stop and the W is a perfect location on Kowloon Station which is a measly 20minutes from the airport via the AEX.

 

[Alanslegal]

It was a good response by the W Lexington and a good outcome for starpoints to be given as a goodwill gesture, but I seriously think, if it wasn't for the publicity esp. on FT, I doubt the hotel would have gave serious thought into this. Maybe the Lurkers @ FT pushed things along, but if it was any other John Doe complaining, they would have probably said "thanks for the feedback, and goodbye".

 

[Keith009]

Do stay at the W Hong Kong. It is a seriously impressive property and the service I experienced was top stuff. Ptui about TripAdvisor cos all the complaints I've read are from the 'old farts' who forgot what cool is :mrgreen: OR from those 'old farts' who think the W is suppose to be part of the Small Luxury Hotel colllection...cos heck is isn't

But remember you are the Hongkers for a transit stop and the W is a perfect location on Kowloon Station which is a measly 20minutes from the airport via the AEX.

Was having a convo with the Dir of Rev Mgmt and we got on to the clientele of the hotel; a 70 year old dude had exclaimed to her earlier that day that he loved the hotel as it made him feel so young and hip again! :mrgreen:

 

[anat0l]

Well the message is still pretty strong then!

Just as well, because by all accounts the Conrad HKG is only a mere HKD 100 - 250 cheaper, although with my HHG status I could very well get an Executive upgrade compared to my absolutely no status on SPG.

 

[candyflip]

Thanks for the read... ..."fully sick parties"....always enjoy your posts.