W Hotels - The good, the "eh", and the ugly

I'm an SPG member, so naturally I like to stay at Starwood when I visit new cities.

W Hotels are great in that they are a sheik and stylish establishment which are a treat for young travelers.

The problem with W Hotels

is the consistency in quality.

Here are my experiences with W Hotels from East coast to West:

W Seattle: Good

By far my favorite W. Centrally located in downtown Seattle, the rooms are the largest of all the W's, and the furnishing are the newest and most natural (not a lot of cheesy space fillers). The "living room" is nice, and the bar is a great mix of locals and other business/leisure travels.

W New York: Eh

There are two W's in New York, and I always stay at the Times Square location. The W Times Square is nice in that it is in the bustling, neon-lit few blocks of Manhattan. The bad part is it is in the bustling neon-lit blocks of Manhattan. The building is extremely tall, so views are nice. However, the rooms are a bit small and there is a lot of light pollution from Times Square.

W Minneapolis: Good

This was an amazing surprise. Brand new, and located in a historic building in downtown Minneapolis. A great roof-top bar, and an open air walk on the top of the building with great views of the city. The rooms are very well sized, and the bathrooms - incredible. Ceiling to floor windows in the bathroom make you feel like you're outside when showering.

W San Francisco: Eh

Located next to the convention center, it's almost all business travelers. A decent walk to Market and the Embarcadero. Rooms are nice, but cheesy decorations. The parking is outrageous ($40/day, if I remember correctly).

W New Orleans: Ugly

This was one of the worst hotels I've stayed at, and not limited to W Hotels. The rooms were filthy, the

furnishing were disgusting (the desk chair looked like it was found at a flea market - rusted and falling apart, and the couch was so worn you could almost see the springs). I can't believe this place has the W name on it. The only redeeming part was it is across the street from Harrah's Casino.

All in all, the W is nice if you don't mind gambling. I haven't had any issues with the Westin yet...