More about W Atlanta Buckhead
Nothing wrong with the W Buckhead
by TripAdvisor Member KManNewYork
I also got a great deal $129 per night and it was well worth it. I really enjoyed the lobby and Whiskey Blue. Rooms were clean and we didn't have any of the noise issues that some of the other reviewers have commented about.
I do agree that the valet parking is a rip off and unnecessary. The hotel should offer self-parking for hotel guests (but I understand why they would want to valet patrons of Whiskey Blue). The location is very good and the concierge had two wonderful breakfast recommendations for us in the area.
Great deal, but not a great hotel
by TripAdvisor Member cbearden714
My wife and I recently stayed at the W-Atlanta Buckhead as part of our Valentine's weekend in Atlanta. The trip started off great, as I booked the room through an online special for $129 per night, which was a great rate for Buckhead on Valentine's night. However, the price was probably the best thing about the stay.
As for the hotel's lobby area, it had a nice, modern look. The Living Room bar/lounge looked nice, albeit I imagine that at night the lobby can get a little crowded due to this. Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to try to the drinks at Living Room or Whiskey Blue, so I can't comment on those parts of the W.
Check in was smooth, no problems with valet parking or with the bag service (maybe that was b/c we only had 1 bag), but the rooms...well, not quite what I expected.
The room was on the small side, the bathroom was compact, including a sliding door that isn't really a door. The beds were okay, personally, I think the Marriott beds are better than the Westin beds though. The main problems with the room were that the walls were paper thin, the air conditioning/heating unit was extremely loud (we had to turn the tv up about 10-15 notches to hear over it), the shower was awkward (you couldn't adjust the pressure on the shower head), and to be honest, the towels had a smokey smell to them (kind of like charcoal).
The staff's service was good, albeit they asked a lot of questions - a little more personal than I'm used to. Some may appreciate this, we just thought it was a little strange.
Also, we dined at Market, which was great. No complaints there, plus it's nice that you don't have to leave the hotel to get a good meal.
Overall, for $129 a night (but add in $30 to valet park), I don't regret the stay. The hotel is offering a lot of specials right now, including one I found in my email today for less than that per night. However, I wouldn't pay more than that to stay there, and even at that rate, I'd probably pay more and stay at a different hotel.
Too Much Hype, Not Enough Substance
by TripAdvisor Member KristinATL
This is the type of hotel that looks great on the surface, but lacks a lot of things that would make it more comfortable. The rooms are small, bathrooms are miniscule even by NYC standards. Translucent water closet doors might bother some. Barely any drawer space to unpack. No bathroom counter, so space for toiletries is very limited. Only mirror with a plug is over the sink. The lobby (hotel refers to it as The Living Room) becomes a 20 something bar scene each evening. Very loud. Also, incense or scented candles or something is lit each evening filling the space with a heavy scent. Not good if you have allergies, or just don't want your hair/clothes to smell. Music in the elevator is too loud to allow conversation. Very popular bar on the top floor means potential noise in the hallways as revelers return to their rooms. We were awaken both nights by this. On the up side, beds are comfortable and the hotel has a very urban young vibe. Staff is pleasant, although young. Location is good for Buckhead shopping and restaurants. Note that mandatory valet parking is $30.00 per night. Internet is $14.95 per day. Local calls are $1.50 each. Be sure to request a coffee pot if you want one in your room. Housekeeping removed our used cups and did not replace them. We didn't notice this until the next morning. There is a Starbucks virtually next door which was faster than waiting for new cups. I really think that the most comfortable traveller for this hotel would be a business person only staying one night.
Nice, but not up to W quality
by TripAdvisor Member BeforeSunrise
This hotel is not of the same quality that I've had consistently at other W hotels I've stayed at. The room decor, building overall and lobby are all just "regular" - not bad, but not the W's stylish sophistication. The service was fantastic, but other than that, I would never have guessed this was a W if the logo wasn't on the building.
Disappointing. Not Up to W Standards
by TripAdvisor Member Lawyeratl
I am a big fan of W hotels so I booked this new one for a Valentine's Day getaway. Hotel rooms and facilities beautiful but the ineptness of the service took away any enjoyment of the stay. I know it's a new hotel but the lack of training was inexcusable. As examples:
Reservation screwed up. First one did not show in computer. Made second and assured would not be charged for two. When I showed up hotel, two bookings showed. Now I have to worry about being billed twice.
No info on where elevators were, when champagne would arrive, how elevators worked, etc.
Bags not delivered to room in 15 minutes. I called down and assured on the way. 15 minutes no bags. I went down to lobby and they were still sitting there.
I needed something out of valeted car. Had to argue with valet to get my car for me.
Asked turn down service to come back after we went to dinner. They never did. Room messy when return from nice dinner.
Called for more towels. Didn't come for 15 minutes. Called again, apology but still no towels. Finally had to call and get ugly. Three calls is inexcusable.
Room service. Could not be simpler order. Made them repeat it back to me. Still got it wrong.
Obvious no track of my problems. No one said anything when I left.
Lots of great hotels in Atlanta now. No point enduring poor service at this one.
Hated It
by TripAdvisor Member highstandards1
The following is the response to a generic customer service email we got from W Hotels which they encouraged us to send if anything was wrong with our stay. We sent this on Friday, February 13, 2009. It's now Saturday, February 21, and we still haven't heard anything. This shows you how much they really care.
The only thing good we can say about our stay on 2/7/09 at the Buckhead property was that the bed was very comfortable and we slept well. Other than that, see the list below.
-You charge for internet access. Other hotels provide this FREE and cost less.
-You provide an hour of complimentary access in the Living Room??? So we have to leave our room and go all the way to the lobby to check email??? This is lame.
-We didn't want to ask for anything because we felt like we'd be charged for it.
-The toilet had BLOOD on it. We had to ask for it to be cleaned off (and which was done).
-The DVD/CD player was not connected and we saw no way for it to be connected. It was not convenient for us to ask, and besides, we felt like we'd be charged for asking.
-The TV signal kept cutting out and we could only hear audio at times. The interface was also VERY slow. I'd rather have a Motel 6 tube TV with a plain old remote that works rather than some hi-tech wireless gadget that doesn't work.
-We had to pay $30 (plus tips) for parking that was directly behind the hotel where we could have parked ourselves.
-Six bucks for a snack can of Pringles? $3.50 for a can of soda? You have got to be kidding. This is just tacky, out and out gouging.
-We had to wait IN LINE to have our car parked because the bar was so packed with people that weren't even guests. We were lucky to even be able to pull into the driveway.
-We were constantly looked at questioningly by hotel staff as if we didn't belong there.
-We had to show our cards to even approach the elevator which ended up taking us the rooftop bar BEFORE stopping at our floor.
-On our needless trip to the rooftop we happened to talk with another guest who said he got his room for $50 less than we paid and he booked on the internet the night before.
So, no. We didn't like your hotel. We're probably not the type of guests you want anyway as we can't afford to be gouged at every turn when we're just trying to get away and enjoy a break. We will not make the same mistake twice. We did fill out the survey and left it with the front desk attendant. She did want to know what was wrong, but we were both so over it by that time that we told her she could just read the survey. We just wanted to get out of there.
Wanted to love it, but didn't...
by TripAdvisor Member jennywal
I read all the reviews of this property before staying this past weekend. I know to take the reviews with a grain of salt, since everyone is impressed or annoyed by different things. I knew about the noise issue, so was hoping that by staying on the 6th floor, we would avoid the noise from the Whiskey Blue and from the downstairs crowd. No such luck...Not only could we hear the massive crowds out at the valet area, but the drunk crowds returning to their rooms after a night of partying sounded like they were in our room. While I know the hotel is not responsible for the behavior of the guests, soundproof windows and doors would have been helpful. After the first night of not sleeping, we slept with the fan running all night the second night. This did help and I only woke up to the drunk girl across the hall once during the night.
The hotel is beautful. The lobby is elegant and the rooms are very comfortable. I know previous reviews have complained about the bathroom situation, but that did not bother me. With the sliding door shut and the fan on, you cannot hear anything in the bathroom and can barely make out the shape of the person in the room. I would not feel comfortable sharing the room with someone I barely knew because of the translucent door, but was fine sharing it with my husband. I thought the room was spacious and even had a nice sitting area in the corner that comfortably sat 3 people. I would have preferred a choice in pillows and woke up the first morning with a stiff neck. Also, check-in on Friday afternoon took more than 20 minutes!
The reason for the low overall score is because of the noise and the value. We got a great rate for the hotel room, but that is all you get for the price. The valet is $30 per day, and you have no other option for parking. The website indicates Voss water as an amenity, which I never saw. You could however pay $6 for a bottle of Fiji water at the bar. The toiletries are great, but our chambermaid did not replace the almost empty ones the next day. Be prepared that there is no shower cap, mouthwash, or cotton ball/q-tip amenity that you often find at other hotels. And finally, we had problems with the valet, which for $30, you would expect to be seamless. Our car was incorrectly brought to the front and left unlocked twice during our stay, when we never called for the car. The first incident occured after a full day out in our cousin's car. We returned to the hotel, only to find our car out front, unsecured. When asked about why is was taken from the lot to the front, the valet replied that is was "a mistake". The next morning, we were looking out the window, and there was our car again. The valet asked if we had called for the car about an hour ago, which we didn't. I'm not sure why they kept making the mistake, but it didn't instill confidence in the safety and security of my car.
I don't think I would stay at this property again, because ultimately after a long day of shopping, dining, and drinking, I like to come back to a comfortable spot and get a great night's sleep. Maybe during a weeknight this would be possible, but it's just too "happening" on the weekend to be restful. If you do choose this hotel, bring earplugs!
Great Hotel
by TripAdvisor Member wfowade
At a recent confrence held @ the Buckhead "W" we had a terrific experience. The rooms were very nice; they are quite hip and conetmporary and the rest of the hotel is equally chic. The staff was super attentative from the valet parking my crusty old car, the associate that took my bags to the room. Check in and out was simple.
I used the gym called "Sweat" and found the treadmills especially nice with the little fan that gave me a bit of a breeze. Proximity to several nice restaurants was also a nice feature-"Down the Hatch" (if you are a jazz fan) and "Mangiones" come reccomended also.
Forum Posts
Atlanta Xmas/W Buckhead vs. W Midtown
by MiamiSwede
taking a trip to Atlanta during xmas for change of scenery..thinking december 21-26-ish...wondering if the city is vibrant during this time, ie. are things open, or does it shut down like many southern cities do during this time?
also wondering about W Midtown vs. W Buckhead..
like to be in an area where bars and restaurants are within walking distance or at least a short cab.
Thanks!
Re: Atlanta Xmas/W Buckhead vs. W Midtown
by andrieperkins
Having a trip in Atlanta in this Christmas season is a good choice. As what we have experienced during our trip is that my kids is really enjoyed in their Playhouse Disney Live which is suit for your child too. They had also Madeline's Christmas at Horizon Theater Company in December 21. In my own experiences together with my colleagues in transfer smart, Christmas in Atlanta is definitely deference.
Re: Atlanta Xmas/W Buckhead vs. W Midtown
by MidtownNole
You really can't go wrong with either. It just depends on where you wanna stay. There are a lot of bars in midtown and Buckhead. Probably a better seen closer to W Buckhead like East Paces Ferry. I would say stay in Buckhead if you want bars, stay in midtown if you want clubs.
