This hotel is a mess.
by A TripAdvisor Member
W Westwood is a mess. I am not a serial complainer, but this hotel experience was shockingly bad. I see from the other reviews that these problems seem to be rampant, I only wish I had read the reviews before I went. The friendly valet when I pulled up at the hotel was the last positive interaction I had with a hotel employee. Although the room, my rate, and the hotel grounds were all very good, the staff and service was extremely poor. So many things were shoddy or went wrong that I almost suspected we were on hidden camera. Check-in was a confused ordeal. I called 4 times from the room to make a dinner reservation in the new restaurant - after 1 unreturned message, then no answer, then being placed on permanent hold - I gave up and we just walked downstairs to an empty restaurant and at least 4 employees talking together at the hostess desk. The food was good, but the service was not anywhere near the level of the prices. A late-night attempt to get a forgotten bag out of my car took 3 phone calls to the valet - each time I was told the bag would be right up, but we waited 75 minutes in the end. A fire alarm went off in the middle of the night - no explanation. The shower didn't drain and the water was up to my ankles. The final bill had mini-bar & room service charges that weren't ours...and on and on. These incorrect charges caused more ordeal at check-out from an entirely rude and unsympathetic staff member. I met resistance and problems from the hotel staff at every turn in my brief 1-night stay, and left the hotel tired from this constant struggle.
Wonderland!
by TripAdvisor Member sonmbr1
I have stayed at the W Westwood on several occasions. I have always been more than pleased. I am very surprised by the large number of negative reviews on here. The grounds and the interior public areas are absolutely surreal. This is hotel design at its best. At night, the lighting around the hotel is beautiful. As you ascend the lit glass steps with water flowing underneath them, you will be welcomed by a pink light that spells "DREAM" across the dark wood floor. The word describes the experience at the W LA perfectly. The design throughout the hotel is somewhat of a 60's mod. I think this is one of the best designed Ws by far. Even the hallways are beautiful. In the elevators, there is a screen on the wall that projects images of its occupants with phrases like "strike a pose". I thought that it was very cool. This is just a fun hotel all the way around. Again, the building, inside and out, is beautiful. Check in was very smooth. My room was fabulous as usual. I don't think there are any 'stinker' rooms in the whole hotel. Every room is very large and always spotless. My room had a long entry hall which entered into a large living room. The large TV had both DVD and VHS players, as well as a CD player. There were plenty of couches and chairs. The bathroom was wonderful, along with the Bliss Spa products. The bedroom was also very nice. It had many built in storage areas and a separate TV. Every suite also has a doorbell, which I think is a nice touch. I read a lot of complaints about the staff, which I also found surprising. Every staff member I have ever encountered has been very, very friendly and kind, but never intrusive. For example, on my last visit, a staff member spotted me going toward the doors with my suitcase and ran over to open the door, and proceeded to carry it down the steps for me. (I am a 21 year old male.) He was very obviously NOT fishing for a tip, and we chatted for a while about Amoeba Music in Hollywood (I had an Amoeba bag). I have always been treated this way by basically every staff member I have encountered, so I am confused by complaints of the staff. The hotel is also in a great location. It is very close to UCLA in a quiet neighborhood below Bel Air. It is a short stroll to Westwood Village, which is a great, clean area with restaurants, etc. All this having been said, this hotel (and the W chain, for that matter) does cater to a very specific demographic, and it should be very apparent to most if they are part of this demographic. I see them as basically 'scene' hotels, for lack of a better word. The W LA, for example, seems to cater to young, hip scenesters, industry execs., celebs, musicians, etc. I can't imagine that you would be treated with any less respect if you are out of their demographic, but you might feel a little out of place, and thus come out with a less than stellar impression of the hotel. However, please don't let this stop you from experiencing the W. It is one of the best hotels in LA in my opinion.
Will never return
by TripAdvisor Member TReviewer
We stayed here for three nights. First we were very happy that the front desk assigned us a room on the top floor facing the pool. We soon realized this was a big mistake. Our top floor room was very close to the main compressor. With the air-conditioning not working in our room (the front desk told us it was broken and couldn’t be fixed), we were forced to sleep with the window open. We tried to fall asleep but the super loud noise from the compressor made it impossible. In addition, our room only had one dinning room chair for both of us to relax... Also the wall was thin.... Also it costs $35.00 for overnight parking.... We can go on and on about this hotel. The quality of the services and the standard of the rooms for WLA are not even three stars.
liar liar
by A TripAdvisor Member
I brought 14 people to this hotel for 9 days. Half of them were clients. I was assured that we would be thrilled with the hotel and it's service. Since we were paying for a total of 126 room nights, my expectations were high. I was promised "special" rooms for 3 of my party. Instead, I had to fight with the staff for the promised upgrades. The new "it" restuarant never opened. The elevators took 15 minutes to arrive. I can not even imagine how awful the safety is for the guests. The lobby is pitch black and people are just wandering in and out with no-one paying any attention to who was going where. The rooms were dirty and every morning your shower filled up to your ankles with water that won't drain. Back to the Four Seasons!
Loved it!
by A TripAdvisor Member
I stayed at W Los Angeles for three nights and brought 10 of my clients with me over an award show. The hotel was sold out and very busy so we had very high expectations considering the inflated rates over this busy period.
We had an amazing time and the $$$ was totally worth it! We usually stay at the Four Seasons or the L'Ermitage but a colleague had raved about the W so we tried it. What can I say? Service, wonderful! Location, very secluded and away from the Beverly Hills drama (and traffic). Celebrity sightings, everywhere from the cabanas by the pool to the bar! I am not sure why some of the reviews here are so negative..hey, it's LA...people don't have attitude, they just all want to be the best and best looking (and what's wrong with that ;)? We also did not care that we didn't get any special upgrades although our rates were >$300. All rooms are suites and since the weather is gorgeous, who needs more than a one bedroom suite anyway? I actually want to commend the hotel for hiring staff that is very helpful, friendly AND good looking! More power to them! Like I said, we had a wonderful time and will stay here everytime and tell all my friends and coworkers to forget about "high tea" and ancient butlers at the stuffy Four Seasons and live it up at the ultra-glam W with some sassy martinis and sexy staff!
W stands for What a mistake
by TripAdvisor Member coop63
I am only gving 1 mark because this site will not allow minus marks. What a terrible hotel. Nice room, Great bed. That is it. No service, No restaurants. No knowledge of what package I booked. No responsibility. No remorse. This should return to a dorm, because it is a waste as a hotel. Shame on you Starwood. Hollywood hype is fine, we all expect a little. But this is blatant mis-representation. Please, all lawyers stay so you can start a class action against them for breach of contract.
Do not, I beg, give the "W" anymore ill-gotten goods from the public.
Loved it
by TripAdvisor Member CAWorkingMom
I've stayed here twice last fall on business, and enjoyed my stay both times.
Pros: Spacious suites with nice big, clean bathrooms. Quiet (although my room faced the side of the hotel and I stayed on the top two floors). I usually don't sleep well in a hotel, but the beds really are very comfortable. CD player and free in-room CDs were a nice touch (as were the Bliss toiletry kits). Staff were all helpful and friendly.
Cons: Parking is very expensive; need to valet park. Took forever for them to get a working key for my room the first time. Housekeeping threw away several items (books, newspaper) that we had lying around, and we never recovered them (but did get credit from the hotel). No drugstores, convenience stores, or cafes in the area.
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