W London — Hotel in London

Stayed 09 SEP 15.

I am typically a classic hotel kinda guy, so I was not sure what to expect from The W. The location was spectacular from past experience, so I took my chances. The hotel is super sleek from the outside. The entire staff is extremely well groomed and attractive; I assume The W must also operate a modeling agency. By the appearance of the hotel’s 1st floor entry and 2nd floor check in area; I expected aloof, indifferent service with an attitude…however that was not the case…not by a very long shot.

I foolishly forgot to book a room for the night prior to my arrival to guarantee an early check in, and arrived at the hotel around 9:00AM after 16+ hours of flying. Regretfully they could not accommodate an immediate check in. Jesus at the front desk was genuine, kind and understanding. Although he was unable to accommodate my request, he offered to call me on my cell when a room opened. I was so exhausted I left to see if any hotels in the area had day rooms; I tried 3 properties without success, the city was booked. About an hour after I left, Jesus called me (as promised) to alert me to a room that became available for check in. The room was a category above what I had reserved, but luckily the difference was minimal, I cheerfully accepted his offer. When I returned to the property the front door/welcome staff greeted me warmly (by name) and when I got the front desk; Jesus offered me a beverage and assisted me (luggage in tow) to my room. I was treated better (read: appreciated) here more than many of the 5 star/diamond properties I’ve ever stay at. Note: I am not a top tier loyalty member with Starwood by any means, but I certainly felt like one!

I had read other contributors remark about noise, so I was a bit concerned with room location, Jesus felt this room was a good choice. I was in room 722 (Fabulous room type? ) facing Wardour St. during the China Gate construction which closed down traffic. The room was very quiet even with construction going on…which may change once Wardour St. re-opens. Higher floor seemed less busy and not so noisy….until the people across the hall returned from their evening of drunken debauchery. Regretfully it took them 15 minutes to figure out which one of them possessed the room key. I was able to baffle the hallway noise by sliding the closet door over the entryway. I did find a pack of ear plugs in the room, but personally didn't need them. The view was interesting to me from an architectural perspective as I could see all across the rooftops. I was disappointed that the windows did not completely open as we had great weather. The room was standard size with a comfy king bed, great shower and amenities… the Nespresso coffee machine in the room was a particularly welcomed sight! It took a moment getting used to the sink placement in the middle of the room/desk. Aesthetically pleasing; I grew to like it by the end of my stay. The room cleaning staff had their hands full with me, but the room was spotless every day after they left.

During my trip of 4 nights, I slept a lot and worked a bit…My stay turned out to be so comfortable; I really didn’t want to leave the hotel. Breakfast in the Spice Market restaurant was great in my opinion. So good, that I had the eggs Benedict there every morning. The restaurant host and service staff was accommodating and very kind. I appreciate professional servers that anticipate your needs and I never waited very long for anything to be served. I ordered room service 2 nights from the Spice restaurant (Asian / sushi# which was delivered swiftly and always with a smile. The food was great and delivered hot!

Although I’m far from a healthy gym rat, I went up to see the gym to see how the “other half” live. The gym was very open, totally slick and spacious; if they had a bar in the gym…I definitely would have spent time there! The Spa had already closed for the evening by the time I arrived, so missed out on that.

The guys with the welcome staff #1st floor# were great # Jose, Ciprian and Manuel). They were personable, genuine and quick to give directions or provide assistance. They offered some great suggestions for activities, stores nearby and made me feel comfortable getting around the city. Whenever I needed directions, they always took me out to the street and gave explicit instructions to ensure I got to where I was going; I really can’t thank them enough!

All aspects of travel related services have eroded over the years and my expectation level has dropped considerably, but I will continue to praise great service whenever possible. All in all this was a great stay; in fact I booked The W Amsterdam in November coupled with a return to this W..solely based on this experience. I am kind of surprised that I enjoyed my stay as much as I did… historically super trendy hotels have not been my “style” .. But …It was the staff that made the...

Context: I've stayed here 2-3 times in the last year on business travel. Ambassador Elite with Marriott, very loyal to the W brand thanks to the W in SF (see my review for them!). Normally only stay at W, Luxury Collection, or Edition - I expect full service but am not necessarily a fan of how formal Ritz/St. Regis feel... so love some of the more lifestyle luxury brands in the portfolio. ||I am really surprised to see 3.9 stars and am guessing it's maybe because of the hotel's location (BUSY). But if you are staying in what is effectively the Times Square of London, prepare yourself accordingly. The hotel is not that tall, yes you will probably hear things if you have a room facing the street. HOWEVER... this is one of the best run hotels I've ever stayed at. They were on top of it, every day, no matter who you talked to or what channel (chat, phone, in person). Those who know me that getting upgraded is my #1 reason for being so extremely loyal to Marriott. So it is saying a lot that I've barely ever been upgraded here and am still giving it 5 stars. They're genuinely always sold out in the summer AND the service is impeccable. ||SERVICE:|From the start, Georgia and Kate from the experience team were so incredibly communicative before I ever got on property. A lot of times customer service can be so hit or miss at the same hotel depending on who you get, but it was a hit every time here. I legit have told other hotels to reach out to Lauren, the Director of Ops, for her playbook, because I was that impressed. Whether it was the breakfast staff saving me a booth every morning / knowing my juice and coffee order from W SF, or the front desk bringing me tea after my phone was stolen out of my hand on the street (please be careful in London), or the concierge printing me a map to the Apple store, or Georgia and Kate giving me the most thoughtful goodbye gift, I felt really special every second of my stay here. ||One of my biggest peeves at Marriott properties in recent years has been etiquette when chatting via the app, which may sound like a small thing but is not when you spend 1/3 of your year in a Marriott hotel. Sometimes the messages are rude, other times incoherent, other times super delayed... Here, I always got a response within minutes, if not seconds, from a friendly person who introduces themselves and writes like a professional, and questions were always resolved.||PROPERTY:|The common areas are beautiful here. Like many Ws, the gym - as underutilized as they tend to be - is gorgeous. Lots of natural light and a gorgeous view, and a sauna and steam room that anyone can use!! In general, everything has been really well-maintained, I was surprised to hear they've never had a renovation in 15 years. I know the room layout is not for everyone, but I actually find it more spacious than standard rooms in Europe. The TVs are also unique (at least from my experience at half a dozen Ws) where they play music that you can choose based on a color mood on an iPad and so many have my favorite songs have been discovered here. ||BREAKFAST:|One of the best Elite breakfast benefits at a non-resort property I've ever had. You can order off an extensive a la carte menu where you choose a starter, main course, whatever juices/wellness shots, whatever coffee, whatever sides. Everything is delicious, it's all free, and they don't even give you an option to tip (but please ask them if you can, they deserve it). ||SPA:|The Spa is on the smaller side, which is not surprising for a city property, but the massages I had with Natalie were some of the best in the world. Highly highly recommend the de-stress with added hot stones. ||I would totally stay here again, in spite of the noise. I do also love The Edition up the street which is in a little more in a residential part of SoHo, but sometimes the price can be much higher than the W (my corporate rate wasn't available the last few stays) and the service more hit or miss. Plus no free breakfast. So there are...

My husband and I booked into the W Hotel Leicester square for the weekend. We chose the hotel as it was so close to the Theatre and we had tickets to see Les Miserables. We were able to walk to the Theatre from this hotel in less than 5 minutes so the location was perfect.

From the booking process, everything was taken care of for us by the truly amazing staff. We were blown away by their care, thought and personal touches. Coen (the general manager) was quick to respond to my email, answering all my questions and ensuring that if I needed any further assistance with ANYTHING that I knew I could contact them again. He also put me into contact with one of their specialised 'Insiders' Jess.

Jess was by far one of the most professional, hard working and exceptionally thoughtful people I have ever come across. From our first correspondents she was willing and keen to help make our visit the best it could be. She helped me to organise our dinner, breakfast, suggested places to visit...she even replied to emails on her day off!!! Jess ensured that our stay was amazing, and I honestly couldn't thank her enough! She made our whole experience perfect. She treated us as friends and was there for any questions I had.

When we arrived I was feeling rather sad leaving my 10 month old son for the first time - then we received a parcel from Jess; a gorgeous gift for our son...I honestly could have cried. To have gone to the trouble of getting to know us and then to buy him a gift was such a kind thought and made us feel so welcome.

Coen (The general manager) also sent us a card welcoming us to the hotel with a bottle of champagne and a cake. We were overwhelmed by the kindness of the staff. The champagne was very happily received and helped to make our stay even more romantic.

This welcoming atmosphere continued throughout the hotel - with all staff greeting us with a smile and ensuring that our needs were being met.

The room itself was beautiful. We stayed in one of the 'Wonderful' rooms. The facilities were great. The bed was so comfortable and the shower was amazing. The sun came up very early, so without blackout blinds I would recommend taking an eye mask if you are a light sleeper. Saying that the view from our window was fantastic and we enjoyed watching the sun coming up over London.

The hotel is kept immaculately clean. The furnishings are to a high standard and the whole atmosphere is both relaxed and welcoming.

That evening we dined at the Spice market, their restaurant. Again the friendly staff made us feel very welcome. We found the food rather spicy - but when the waitress realised this she told us that we could have ordered the food specifically to our taste, requesting less spice/ chilli's. The food was prepared to a high standard so if I were to eat there again I would definitely ask what was less spicy on the menu! Although the food seems reasonably priced for how good it was, the alcohol was very expensive...although all prices can be found in advance on their website.

Without a doubt we would love to stay in this hotel again and we have already recommended it to many friends. A HUGE thanks to all...