Describing a hotel as being “in the heart of New York’s Times Square” not only sounds like a pitch from The Price is Right but might also be viewed as a disadvantage, rather than an advantage. Still, for those of you looking to do the full NYC tourist experience, you could definitely make a case that the W Times Square is a great selection.

Check-In/Arrival

One of the idiosyncrasies of New York hotels is that space is limited, so you take advantage of it where you can. Thus, you enter the hotel on the ground floor and immediately take an elevator up to the 7th floor lobby, where you check in. Check-in was smooth and there is a great living room where you can wait if you are meeting others or just feel like a drink.

Room

In a hotel with 500 rooms and 43 suites, there is actually a chance at an upgrade, but I wasn’t expecting to be bumped up to the Extreme Wow Suite (which I later found out was related to an error on the hotel’s part). I certainly wasn’t going to complain about being misassigned to one of the nicest suites in the hotel, and it’s unlikely that I’ll be back in it. Naturally, it had more of a “W style” than traditional luxury.

I got lucky, but even the standard rooms at the W Times Square are nice. They’re small but make good use of space. The beds are comfortable, there’s plenty of desk space (I’m looking at you, Marriott.) and even the bathrooms are decent. Amenities are the standard Bliss.

Facilities

Not bad. The gym is a bit on the small side, but you’ve got the whole city to get out and see. There are a few small meeting rooms and plenty of places to eat and drink, including Blue Fin downstairs. And how many properties in New York do you know that have a DJ booth?

Service

W service has a reputation of being somewhat aloof, but it depends on the property that you go to. The service at the W Times Square was quite good. The phone was picked up immediately, requests were fulfilled promptly and room service was delivered in under 30 minutes. The women who cleaned our room were extremely nice and happy to work around our schedule. Overall, I was happy with the hotel.

Value

I paid about $350 per night for a two night stay. Given the suite, I’m hardly in a position to complain, but even if I had received a regular room, that’s not a bad rate for New York City. It’s a prime location, particularly for tourists, so it would have been hard to find a similar quality property for much less.

W Times Square – The Bottom Line

Overall, I was very pleased with the W Times Square. Even the standard rooms looked decent, and I found both the price and service to be strong. I would recommend the hotel.