I read the other reviews and noticed a trend. Most of the people that like this hotel had never stayed at a W before. This makes sense to me.
I've stayed at W's all over the world and my expectations have been set very high. Hollywood, Istanbul, New Orleans, even Fort Lauderdale(!) make this place look like a Radisson. In fact, I've stayed at the Radisson in Austin before and had a more pleasant stay (at one-third the price).
So knowing this this hotel was JUST built brand new, from the ground up, I had a certain level of expectations, none of which were met. Why?
1) Bad room layout. Weirdly-shaped couch that killed about 15 sq. ft of floor space. Tiny room. No door what-so-ever in the shower area (this is becoming the norm in boutique hotels but most W's at least have a sliding door).
2) Terrible service #1. Even though our rooms were booked by someone with SPG-Gold status that bought a freakin cabana for the day AND we were registered guests at the hotel, security gave us a hard time getting in the pool. Which by the way is slightly bigger than a bathtub and was absolutely MURKY after a morning of sunscreen-slathered hipster wannabes did whatever their thing was in there. When I complained to the manager about the pool access, I was informed (quite incorrectly) that many W's don't even let their own guests in the pool, just the good looking people. Wow! What a value to your guests! Thanks for sharing!
3) Terrible service #2. Following a fun late night out, we ordered room service around 3 am. Whatever Whenever? How about Nothing Never! Never came. Had to walk two blocks away for a pizza.
4) Terrible service #3. Again, even though SPG Gold status gets you guaranteed late check-out at 4 pm, they refused to give us anything later than 12:30. This was on a Sunday when I know for a fact they were not fully booked.
5) Just plain not good looking. It had the minimalist industrial thing going on that most other W's have, but it was just not designed well. Sorry. Tiny lobby too.
Just to clear the bias, I will admit that the gym was very nice.
I'm not saying it was a roach motel, but for the price and reputation of the W brand, this place is a HUGE let down. Do not waste your money here. The location is great but there are plenty of other places in Downtown Austin that cost significantly less and actually appreciate their customers. Next time, I'll be at the Omni.
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