Well past its prime, and in need of some TLC
I am a loyal Gold SPG member, and have been staying at this particular W hotel on and off for the last 10 years. I have to say, after this particular stay, I don’t know if I will be coming back. I am not the type that typically complains about my experience, but in this case I just have to pass this on.
First item is really just a frustration. When I checked in and got to my room, first thing I did was set up my laptop on the desk. I could not find a visible power outlet anywhere near the desk. Nothing. In fact, the room had only one visible power source in the far corner underneath the television. The only solution was to physically move the desk away from the wall, so that I could use the one outlet available to get power to my laptop. In a sleek, modern hotel like a W, this is simply not adequate. Moving furniture to get access to power is something one could expect 10 years ago, but not today.
Immediately following this, I went to the workout facility. One of the most important features of any hotel I stay in is the fitness room, and I like the location and the openness of this one. I started on treadmill number 1, but the TV did not have power. I moved to treadmill number 2, and both the TV had no power and the TV controller was broken and hanging by a wire. I moved to treadmill number 3, which functioned properly for about 7 minutes, then lost all power – both treadmill and TV. I moved to treadmill number 4 beside it, and it was equally without power. Running out of options, I moved to an elliptical machine. Machine operated fine, and the TV came on, but offered one station of local television only, with a very fuzzy picture. Sure, I was able to find 1 piece of equipment that functioned, and maybe hoping for TV is just too much. But again, I find this less than adequate in this environment. For the record, I went back the following day, only to find the two treadmills still without power, and the other two still without TV. So it is apparently not just a one day issue. Both frustrating and disappointing.
We all know that it is the little things that keep you loyal and keep you satisfied. In this case, I had enough little things to lead me to say no more to the W in NYC. I genuinely hope that things improve. As it stands, it is well below standards for this level of hotel.