W Hotel - Lexington Avenue
I've stayed at this hotel before, loved it before, and wanted to share it with my wife during this brief business trip to NYC. I like the W chains in the Starwood Group but my miserable experience this weekend at this site prompts an update.
Driving in from Quebec yesterday afternoon, I dropped my wife and all of our luggage outside the front door at the valet stand before taking off to return the rental car a few blocks away. You'd think that one of the staff would have offered to help her. Didn't happen. I returned to find her glaring, and frazzled, in the lobby.
Not a good sign.
Being a Starwood Gold member, I naturally got in the Gold/Platinum SPG registration line. The staffer at the reception desk really couldn't be bothered, and directed me to the line that everyone else was in.
Not a good sign.
After finally getting to the point of registration, I was welcomed nicely and thanked for being a SPG Gold member. He would, as a benefit, upgrade us. Great! (Foolish me, I believed him. We were upgraded to a closet where work is difficult and getting by each other and the luggage required one of us to climb on the bed.)
Not a good sign.
My sense is that, at least at this W, customer service is just not a priority, even for Gold SPG members. Maybe once one achieves that status they feel that they can slack off. Very disappointing for an otherwise terrific hotel group.
There are plenty of other SPG hotels in NYC. Think strongly about one of them first.
ATBster