A stone's throw from Grand Central Terminal on 49th and Lexington, W New York offers savvy travelers refuge in a hectic midtown. Have sweet dreams in your firm pillow-top mattress with soft, 350-thread count linens, a fluffy goose-down comforter and pillows. Then wake and refresh with our exclusive Bliss bath and body products. De-stress at 2 floors of bliss49 with mani-pedi stations equipped with personal headsets, flatscreen TVs and DVDs or our state-of-the-art gym. Enjoy priority booking and discounts at the Bliss store as a W guest. Socialize in our hopping Living Room or the Whiskey Blue. Or have an intimate meal for two at Heartbeat, our signature restaurant. With W Hotels, your wish is our command with our Whatever/Whenever service. We'll provide whatever you want, whenever you want it (really!).
The Scene After a $100 million conversion, this hotel--one of five Ws in the city--draws a chic, international, young crowd who enjoy the cutting-edge casual style. Guests lounge in the signature "living room" space on sofas and chairs in front of the fireplace or play chess on the tree-stump gaming tables. Organic touches expressive of feng shui's design philosophy are found in the kota stone flooring, schist counters and a variety of woods.
The Details The 688 rooms and suites offer sumptuous beds with down comforters, pillows and chenille throws. Amenities include CD/DVD players and media library, dual-line phones with cordless handsets and 27-inch TVs with Internet access. The hotel is home to the excellent natural restaurant Heartbeat and the hip, electric bar, Whiskey Blue. The Sweat Fitness Center offers exercise machines and classes including yoga and Pilate, and Bliss49 provides spa treatments.
I'm a big fan of the W hotels, but this one was terrible. 38 weeks pregnant, I got my (tiny, tiny, tiny) room only to discover that after walking all the way from Penn Station and desperately wanting to relax in a bath, I only had a (dirty) stall shower. I called the front desk to request a change, was promised someone would come to help me. After 45 minutes and two more calls, still no one came. It finally took my big, fat, pregnant tears and an angry call from my husband to get my room switched. My room was still tiny and the tub was not much better than what I have at home.
It was probably the worst hotel stay I've had.
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The hotel is way overpriced and the rooms are tiny! As usual, the walls were also paper thin and everything (I do mean every last thing) cost extra here! You have to "request" a coffee maker, lest you be charged a heafty $2.75 for a small cup of Joe in the lobby! come on, people!
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we found this W rather run down and much too expensive. the room was miniscule and the bed far too small to really be a king. the staff was fairly aloof and between the hours of 3 and 5 PM it was impossible to get any service in either the bar or the restaurant.
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This hotel has a great location in midtown east. The lounge is relaxing during the day with wi-fi (important). The rooms are small, typical of a W Hotel, but they are hip and modern. Strange, the beds are sometimes very wide and too short--not good for a tall person to sleep in. The Whiskey Blue bar is also in this hotel for a trendy happy hour or night out.
PROS: Location, Trendy
CONS: Expensive food/drinks, small rooms and beds
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Latest reviews by Citysearch:
(read all 23 reviews
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the Worst W
By ryo89harvard11
i don't know why so many people fancy this hotel, but this is the worst W that i have ever stayed at. the rooms are ridiculously small, style (housekeeping) isn't all that good, some of the rooms are even depressing, has awful views, and few of the welcome desk (front desk) agents are too impolite and informal...
i would stay away from this hotel, especially when u have to see the magnificent waldorf=astoria right in front of the hotel every time u exit and enter the hotel.
Pros: the amenities, just b/c it's a W Cons: small rooms
Posted 01/24/09
Great Stay in Midtown Manhattan
By nyclover22
This a first-time post.
Having stayed at W properties around New York and having avoided the W New York until the renovation completion in August, I didn't know what to expect. That being said, I was completely amazed by the hotel's atmosphere and service-minded attitude throughout my stay. I believe that the new surroundings have re-energized the staff and as a result the hotel is now a thriving property in midtown.
The room I stayed in was on the top floor and was modern and very spacious. There was an adequately sized bathroom with a rainforest showerhead, a large queen bed and a small balcony to finish it off. At no point did I experience any of the complaints I have usually heard about this hotel (room service trays in the hall, scuffed carpets, rattling AC, etc). The staff had been alerted to it being my birthday over the weekend and my friend and I were pleasantly surprised to find a bottle of champagne in the room with a note from the manager one evening. This was definitely above the hotel's obligation to us as guests.
I was very pleased with my stay and look forward to when I can return. Keep in mind that the type of room you book will proportionaly affect your experience at the hotel as some can be quite small.
Pros: Concierge, Ambience, Service, Warm Vibe Cons: Check-in can get a bit hairy when there's a large group of people checking-in.
Posted 10/13/08
Disappointed
By 11222
I was very excited to stay here, as I"ve seen how great the W hotels look from the outside, and how good some of their restaurants are, but it was not a great stay at all. First, the staff upon check in was mostly concerned with chatting it up with eachother, we had to interrupt them just to check in and find the elevators. I knew beforehand the rooms were tiny, and perhaps it was because we got stuck in an inside room, but the room was bearly big enough for the bed. The teeny window overlooked some pipes. THere was NO dresser for clothes (no room!!) The bathroom felt like a locker room bathroom. Stand up shower only with dirty old tiles. The curtain wasn't long enough and the bathroom got practically flooded when you shower as a result. The toiletries are from Bliss Spa, which is a bonus. The AC was ancient. Someone had set the alarm clock to 2 am and again to 4:30 am. For $500 a night, can the staff please check this after each guest leaves?? I was overall very unhappy with my stay, I stayed at the Westin Times Square 2 weeks ago, and the Westin surpasses the W in every aspect.
Pros: Bliss toiletries, location, nice common areas Cons: Too small, service, old, old, old rooms/bathrooms.
Posted 11/25/07
DO NOT STAY HERE!
By shoqja
Called ahead to confirm room, they offer an upgrade to a suite. Get there to check-in on Friday, inquire why they want to put us in a Wonderful room, front desk says no upgrade. Disappointed since they offered. Card key & back-up system down. Had a guard open doors for all. Get to our anything but wonderful room. Small for one, let alone two. Bathroom was old, dirty & the size of closet. No space to move in the bath or room itself. 1 person has to wait for other to pass. Wooden crates are what side tables & desk looked like. A/C didn't work. Put it down to 65 went back to 75. Couldn't sleep through night from noise & heated rm. Duvet was from silky material that would stick to your skin or slide off bed. Pillows were bags of rocks & smaller than a standard pillow. Bed had a blanket in between the mattress & sheet & the blanket kept sliding down the bed. Kept fixing it every time we got up to fix the A/C. Set up mini-bar on a diagonal and made space tighter. Moved it & found many electrical cables on floor & all connected to 1 power strip. Fire hazard! No coffee maker in room or ice machine in hall. Room was on same flr as Bliss so you smelled nail polish thanks to staff that kept rear spa doors open. Low ceiling over bed. Weird. No counter space in the bath & a foot of space from wall to toilet, watch your head when standing. Bath, closet & room doors were set-up wrong. Can't use 2 doors at once. You have to wait your turn. I think we had a Cozy room which is smallest. If you do stay at this poor excuse of a hotel, check square footage. 180 sq ft is the size of a bathroom, not a hotel room.
I love Starwood's hotels & stay at many of them, but not this one ever again. W Times Sq is much better and would stay there if Westin was booked solid. Westin has marble bathrooms, better & cleaner room decor and 10 times the space for the same price as this W. Nothing beats a West Side hotel.
Pros: Staff was great. Cons: Rooms & bath are tiny, a/c didn't work, uncomfortable space, no view of anything but brick walls
Posted 04/27/07
Very attractive Common areas
By cmora
Here are the positives: Location, Very attractive lobby and bar's, good service, Bliss Spa in the Hotel but I would definitely not reccommend this Hotel for a long stay only because of the room size. The ammenities are fine but it's TINY. No lighting in the closet made it difficult to see your clothes. But, if you are searching for a Hotel and find this is the best price then I would consider it.
Pros: Location, Nice Lobby and common areas Cons: Rooms are entirely too small for longer than one or 2 nights. Tiny closet and small bath
