W New York Times Square Rating: 4.0 Pearls

Times Square, Manhattan, New York City

The Living Room Bar

No matter the time of day, it seems, there's a gentle groove playing in the funky lobby of the W New York Times Square, and a crowd hanging out sipping cocktails. That atmosphere, plus the central Manhattan location, extremely comfortable beds, and a well-equipped fitness center, make this a solid choice for anyone looking to be situated in Manhattan's bustling Theater District.

But it's also worth keeping a few other factors in mind. First, don't let the carefully constructed vibe, or the W brand's marketing, fool you: Under the "boutique" trappings, the W is a fairly large outpost of the Starwood mega-chain. So you're not getting an intimate, small-hotel experience or highly personalized service. And given that, the room rates tend to be fairly high.

On the other hand, the W brand's consistency is a distinct virtue: When checking in to a W anywhere in the world, guests generally know they'll get decent-size rooms, a high-quality fitness center, a lively, funky lobby scene, and W's famously comfortable beds -- and all that's delivered at the Times Square outpost.

A porter

As at other W hotels I've visited, the staff at the W New York Times Square is extremely professional but informal -- no white gloves, no over-the-top doting, but always efficient and responsive to requests. A toothbrush and toothpaste arrived at my room 10 minutes after I requested them. A room-service order came even sooner than was estimated by the person who took the order.

A couple of nice touches raise the W above the level of service at your typical mid-level chain: Nightly turndown service, for one, and what the W calls "whatever, whenever" service, which is really just a branded version of what most luxury-hotel concierges do. You want rose petals floating in your bathtub? For an appropriate fee, the hotel will be happy to oblige.

View on a Larger Map

This location on the corner of West 47th and Broadway is at the north end of Times Square. The TKTS booth, where same-day theater tickets are available for up to 50 percent off, is just steps away. A virtually constant stream of people, mostly tourists, fill the sidewalks. Blinding neon marquees consume every visible lot high into the sky. Food, souvenir shops, and sightseeing options are endless, and the sheer volume of bike and foot traffic can induce sensory overload.

In May 2009 the city closed off Broadway to automobile traffic between 42nd and 47th streets, making it pedestrian-friendly and more conducive to sightseeing. Cabs can no longer drive through the square, but they're easy to find if you walk a block or so in any direction. And virtually every subway line in the city runs through or close to Times Square.

Beyond the franchise shopping and pedicabs, there's a slightly more authentic (and less tourist-oriented) New York to be found only two long blocks or so to the West -- in Hell's Kitchen, a slum turned upscale neighborhood that boasts less gimmicky, less expensive, and much better restaurants than Times Square.

New York City has three nearby airports: JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark (in New Jersey). Getting into town from JFK or LaGuardia is usually more convenient than from Newark, but travel times are heavily dependent on the time of day and traffic conditions. From JFK, a taxi to anywhere in Manhattan costs a flat rate of $45 and takes around an hour in average conditions. From LaGuardia, a metered cab ride to midtown Manhattan costs about $40 and can take 30 minutes if traffic is light, three times that if it's bad. Rides from Newark cost at least $40 plus tolls and can take more than 90 minutes. It's customary to tip your driver 15 to 25 percent.

Those looking to save some cash can use the privately run shuttle buses that are available at all three airports for about $14 per person. For more information on the shuttles, go to Super Shuttle or New York Airport Service. Public transit is also available for as little as $7 per person, but travel can take up to two hours and involve a lot of lugging bags up and down stairways.

For mass-transit directions right to the hotel, check out HopStop.com.

The King Superior Room

By virtually any standard, these are really great rooms -- big, very stylish, comfortable, and well equipped.

The 288-square-foot standard rooms at the W New York Times Square are spacious for New York City. Decor is consistent with the W's overall funky, urban, contemporary look: cool lamps, a shiny chaise lounge by the window, and abstract artwork. The king beds, like those at all W Hotels, are amazing thanks to the signature W featherbed.

The bathrooms are small but stocked with really nice Bliss products. No tub, but the glass-enclosed stand-up shower feels luxurious. The washbowl-style sink and water that flows from under the mirror are nifty touches.

The 32-inch flat-screen TVs get some 60 channels, both HD and regular. The little Tivoli Audio radio next to the bed has great sound and an iPod adapter.

In-room Wi-Fi costs $16.95 a day, but it's free in the lobby. Unfortunately, the connection is slow.

The minibar offers a fairly standard assortment of drinks, snacks, and sundries.

The shops

As at most W hotels, the in-house fitness center, known as Sweat, is clean and very well equipped, with free weights, more than a dozen cardio machines, plenty of fresh towels, and a bowl of fruit for a mid-workout pick-me-up. No personal trainers are available.

The hotel has two bars: the Living Room, which tends to be the more crowded of the two and the more likely to draw non-guests into the scene; and the Whiskey, a 7,500-square-foot DJ club in the basement of the hotel.

Off the first-floor entrance lobby is Blue Fin, a huge but highly regarded restaurant specializing in seafood.

With its super-hospitable pet program, the W seems more welcoming of dogs than kids. The hotel can arrange dogsitting, dogwalking, a pet bed, pet toys, clean-up bags, leashes...pretty much anything you need to make your pet's stay in the city more comfortable.

All this will add $25 to your room charge, and guests also have to pay a $100 non-refundable cleaning fee. Pets must be under 40 pounds.

Unlike most of the W hotels I've stayed at, the W New York Times Square seems to attract a fair number of families. No doubt this has to do with the appeal of Times Square itself.

The standard rooms at the W Times Square are big enough to accommodate rollaway beds, which are available for $35 per night. Cribs are free.

Here's a reliable list of kid-friendly restaurants in Times Square.

Room service

The in-house restaurant at the W is the well-reviewed seafood restaurant Blue Fin. Like the rest of the hotel, the restaurant is heavy on design with a capital D. Dinner entrees are in the mid-$20s.

The 24-hour room service is also supplied by the Blue Fin kitchen, but includes standards like burgers and pastas in addition to the restaurant's seafood-heavy selections.