The W Hotel is a very hip, sheik hotel in the heart of San Francisco that is more style than substance. The rooms were very nice and the beds extremely comfortable, but not quite the right fit for me personally. I am a blue collar traveler. . . a jeans and t-shirt person, and I felt terribly out of place at the W. The Hotel is designed to cater to the hipster scene. People in skinny jeans and sport coats that listen to club music and survive on red bull and organic lettuce. The elevators won't operate, up or down, without swiping your room key (a pointless hassle). The lobby of the hotel is blaring techno house music at all hours of the day and night and even worse, in the evenings, transforms into a club making it nearly impossible to check in or out without braving a crowd of liquored up hipsters. The drinks at the bar/club/lobby were outrageously expensive and watered down and service was focused on women, not men. The bathroom in the lobby was disgusting as someone from the club/lounge vomited in it and nobody cleaned it for the 3-4 hours we were there trying to enjoy time with friends. DISGUSTING PICS ATTACHED. Additionally, the climate controls in our room were broken and the room transitioned between hot and humid to freezing cold about 10 times per night. The rooms are not designed for travelers with kids and had a "look but don't touch" feel. The only refrigerator in the room was a stocked mini-bar and therefore useless for travelers wanting to keep products purchased at San Francisco shops and farmers markets.
The W might be nirvana for a select crowd, but I wouldn't go back. . . it's just not practical.
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