NY NYC Westin NY Times Square

[Lady Reeler]

Just returned from my stay at the Westin NY Times Square. It is a lovely hotel and everyone was friendly and helpfull. I requested and got a room with a view on the 20th floor. It has a very modern decor, which is fine. The room was large and comfortable. The king size "Heavenly Bed" was just that, Heavenly! The bathroom was large and clean with plenty of hot water and water pressure. The hairdryer had plenty of power.

The location at 43rd and 8th was perfect for my show on 44th street.

I would definately recomend this hotel and I would love to stay there again in the future.

[Lady Reeler]

One thing I forgot to mention which I really really apreciated was that the large windows in the room opened just enough to get fresh air in the room. That is something you dont see too much anymore. Fresh air is very important to me and I enjoyed hearing the sounds of the city.

[super_newbie]

Westin at TimesSquare is a great hotel. Its new and clean, with a very modern style. I would definitely recommend it over the older hotels.

Rooms are pretty small, but thats because the bed and bathroom takes up so much space. I personally think that is more important anyways.

The heavenly bed mentioned by the above poster is indeed huge. You can fit a whole family on that thing! The double shower head is overhyped. Water pressure is weak to begin with and when split into two I don't think its adequate. Though some people swear by it. Other then that the bathroom is nice and spacious.

Make sure to ask for a corner room on a higher floor. Corner rooms offer two sets of huge windows which is always nice for the smaller rooms you find in NY hotels. They seem to be more then happy to accomodate such a request space permitting. Makes a huge difference.

Enjoy your stay.

[Lady Reeler]

Hi Super,

I am not a frequent patron of NYC hotels, but I thought the room at the Westin was very spacious even with the King size bed, and our bathroom had plenty of space. I loved the fact that the window opened for fresh air.

The only problem I had was with the coffee maker. It didnt drip down so all the water collected in the coffee compartment. It could have been quite a mess but they had a tray underneath it in case of an accident.

I didnt touch anything in the fridge because it was all too expensive.

Lady Reeler

P.S. I cant wait to do it again with PL.

[TrinaLC]

Stayed there over MKL weekend.

Terrific property - modern, sleek, chic; good theater location

nice room on a high floor with great views

ask for a corner room facing river -- they really don't seem to mind special requests even from a hotwire reservation (at 125/night!!)

[Larry]

i stayed at the westin a few months ago and it was a great experience...also booked it on hotwire, and without asking was given a room with a teriffic view on the 37th floor...checkin was the fastest i have ever experienced, and the staff was real nice...i go to nyc often and this is by far the best hotel ive been to

[ayz75]

I just came back from my 3 night stay at the Westin.

Overall it was good, but there were a few things that was a bit disappointing.

Location- Good location. But one thing I did not like is that it is located right above the Lowes theatre, so there are always lots of teens nearby (not that there was any problem, but the hotel web-site gave a different ambience)

Lobby was not as nice as it looked on its web-site also.

I requested for a corner room, but never got it either.. I hope it's because they ran out, not because they ignored my request. Oh yeah and I got a room on the 18th floor, whereas my friend had it on the 34th floor..

The security did not allow me to take a picture of the lobby (he said I can only take a picture with someone in it, not of the property) geez. alright.

Other than that, the room decor, heavely bed and bath were all very nice.

I'm not sure if i would stay here again though.. I think that a 4-star hotel in NYC seems more like a 3-star hotel in any other city.. or maybe its just me..

[KatiesMom]

Having stayed in hotels on and off in NYC for the past few decades, I have to agree wth you ayz. One would think that NYC would be the standard bearer for great hotels and perhaps it is at the very very top level, at 5* hotels like the Ritz-Carlton and such. Unfortunately Priceline doesn't offer up the Ritz and other similar top properties.

At the 4* level, Priceline offers some terrific sounding hotels like Le Parker Meridien, Intercontinental Barclay and Westin Essex House. My guess is that these hotels are probably a cut above the "Hiltonesque" properties (as coined by Thereuare) - Hilton, Sheraton, Marriott, and Hyatts, which are also rated 4*. So there is indeed disparity.

When Prceline offers up the Waldorf=Astoria 4* (no typo, it really is an = sign), a Hilton property in need of refurbishment, the WA gives you a small, standard room with one queen bed, nothing special.

I think the real estate cost in Times Square is so high that hotel rooms are generally smaller. After reading about the 100 sf closet type rooms of many of the "name- dropped-designer" boutique hotels, rated 3*, I won't bid lower than 4* in Manhattan.

A couple years ago I stayed at the Crowne Plaza (I believe a 3*) in Times Square. It was my mother's treat and she, not knowing any better, booked the room directly through the hotel, paying the full rack rate, but also telling them the room would be occupied by 4 ladies. Aaargh. We got a tiny room just big enough for the 2 beds. It was lousy for us. We were tripping over our luggage. When she complained and asked for something larger, even willing to pay more, she was denied. I was treated better as a priceline customer at the Hilton.

And then, there is the 3* Doubletree Guest Suites, which is the runaway customer favorite hotel in all of Manhattan, according to tripadvisor.com. The comments from people who have stayed there wax poetic about the large, spacious rooms and hotel staff with great attitudes.

NYC - baffling and bewildering... :)

My opinion is that many 4*'s that we see on Priceline are comfortable but not posh. For the bargain prices we can score them for I'm very satisfied with that. I would never want to pay $252 a night for a room at the Hilton, but for $90 I am a most happy camper.

[ayz75]

Katiesmom,

thanks for the reply!

This was my first time staying in Manhatton (other times I stayed in New Jersey), but even though the decor in the westin was nice, I still thought that it was the only thing that made it 4*. I guess it is also because the fitness centre wasnt free, and i did not find the check-in staffs very friendly (they were not mean, but i wouldnt say they were really that nice. I guess they were just doing their job)

I guess if I compare the hotel to the other ones I`ve gone to (for instance, Fairmont Royal York and Le Germain, both in Toronto.. where I come from :) ) I thought that the service and general ambience was much better (Royal York might be 5*, but Le Germain is 4*)

In fact, I thought the holiday inn in kingston was just as nice, haha!

But then again, like you said, time square area is expensive and so the hotel rooms are smaller and probably not as nice as its other chains in other cities. This is one thing I should have also thought of before going to Manhatton!

p.s. I`m very surprised that W=A has such small rooms! It was actually rated 4.5* on Expedia, and Westin was only 3.5* there

[m07801]

Hi,

I just stayed overnight at the Westin Times Square on 9/10. I got it on Hotwire for $122. I thought the room was great. Nice size, clean, great view. The hotel isnt soundproofed too well though. I was on the 27th floor and heard all kinds of street noise, including my neighboors next door. I realize this is NYC, but I would think a newer and expensive hotel such as this would be better sounproofed.

I had one problem at check-in. The clerk demanded I show a picture ID. I did not bring one, since no domestic hotels ever asked me for one. The clerk had to get permission from a supervisor before approving the check-in. I called Hotwire and told them about it. Hotwire said they would post picture ID required on the confirmation for this hotel.

This was the first time I used Hotwire and I was very pleased with the price I got. The regular price for the room was $319 according to Westin.

[blkjck1]

Stayed here for 3 nights over the Labour Day weekend for a $173 bid. We had absolutely no complaints whatsoever about the hotel with the exception of the tiny washroom.

We arrived at about 6pm on a Saturday night, and found the check-in process very efficient and friendly. Originally, we had emailed a request to the hotel asking for a double/double, but they said the hotel was sold out and that we should ask again when we arrived. We were assigned a king room, and when we asked she looked and said there wasn't a 2 double room available. As we were about to walk away from the desk, the attendant checked one more time, and said housekeeping had just freed the room we wanted up, and we were welcome to it. While the room was on the 5th floor, and faced the Hotel Carter sign, it was want we wanted in terms of accomodations. The room was very clean, and reasonably spacious for NYC. There was a 32' plasma TV that was equipped with HD programming, which was nice considering the US Open was going on.

The hotel's location is perfect in terms of convenience to everything. You're one block away from Times Square, and you have 3 separate subway lines at your disposal for getting around. Taxis are plentiful along 8 Ave, and the Port Authority bus terminal is kitty corner from the hotel. There is a Duane Reade drug store across the street as well that is open 24 hours that you can get snacks, drugs and drinks. There are plenty of fast food places around if you want a quick bite, but I would look for better restaurants away from this area.

[gjconsult]

WESTIN NYC TIMES SQUARE

Stay 11/21-11/25 2008

We won this Westin stay through Priceline. I bid about 2 weeks prior to the dates and got a really good deal at $170/night.

One day after the win I called the hotel and requested 2 doubles or a roll away bed because we were bringing our 13 year old daughter. The Westin employee asked where my reservation was from and I said 'Priceline'.

One day prior to arrival I called to confirm the double room and there was no notation on the reservation. She promised to make a note and I wrote down her name.

Upon arrival at 2pm, the desk was very nice. He assigned me to a high floor King bed room. I mentioned that I needed a double room and he was very nice and changed me immediately to a double room. But, I don't think they had it noted on the reservation. We were very lucky because business was really slow. I did not have to wait for the room even though I was about an hour early. Absolutely no mention of Priceline at the checkin.

The room was great. High floor 30 (out of 45 floors) with a view facing West across the Hudson River. I really liked the view. Standard room, but medium size for New York. Plenty of room for luggage. In fact there was a nice long bench for laying out luggage, plus a small place to put the collapsible luggage holder and a decent closet. Bathroom was small, but very modern and nice. Just like the website pictures.

Hotel does not have a big lobby, but nice enough. There is one fancy Shula's steakhouse in the hotel, not really anywhere else to grab a bite to eat. But, Starbucks right downstairs and plenty of other places nearby. Good location for theatres and Times Square. Subway stations less than a block away.

Very good Priceline experience