The W Hotel (San Francisco, California, USA)

I have wanted to stay at this place when it opened a few years back, but I was living in San Francisco at the time; and although it was not uncommon for anybody to stay in a hotel in a city where they lived, it was difficult to get a reservation because the hotel became really popular, not only with the younger crowd, but also with the attendees of the nearby Moscone Convention Center.

Having had my first ever W experience in Seattle only a week or so before, I was curious to see how this San Francisco branch would compare to its Seattle counterpart. W succeeded in creating similar ambients in at least these two locations: each having a dimly-lit lobby area with minimalist décor and a thumping beat of house music that got louder as the day gave way to the evening. The music did not stop there: at each floor in the elevator waiting area, house music kept on thumping. I was afraid that from my room, which unfortunately was not too far from that elevator area, I would be able to hear that noise, but luckily, I could not.

The room had a familiarity to it since I just stayed in the Seattle one: dark wood head-board, brown comforter cover, but this time with four elongated, slender pillows, the shape of which I had never seen before (and I have seen quite many different permutations of a pillow). Even the adjustable bed-lights and the twin lamps by the window seats were exactly how one would find them in the Seattle location. The only difference was the blind: this location used a "window-like" blind where you could actually open inward to reveal the view. The Seattle location used a top-bottom white, wooden draw blind.

So, let's get down to the nitty-gritty of this place. Much of my disappointment with this hotel came from the inconsistency of the housekeeping services. For this trip, I stayed long enough to observe the working habit from day to day. Regardless of who cleaned the room, there should be a check-list of what needed to be done every day. For example, there was only one day when the melted ice in the ice-bin was thrown away. At other times, I came home to find a bin with tepid water from last night's melted ice. There was also the stocking of towels, or lack thereof: twice I looked and found that the two missing bath towels were never replaced. Sure, there were still the other two, but at least even them out by moving one towel to the other stack. It was in such details that this San Francisco W housekeeping lacked.

For a hotel that strove to present itself as hip, the chain should have employed the use of flat screen or plasma televisions. Instead, in both of the locations where I have stayed, cathode-ray tubes were mounted on a pivotable-platform and enshrined in an entertainment center that could be closed up. How quaint!

There was a 24-hour gym, which worked great for late night sleeper like I was. There were about 5 or 6 treadmills and some Nautilus machines. Swimming pool was small and shallow, not that great for lap swimming. Pool was indoor, but directly adjacent to this area was an open-air area with private cabanas.

On the way to the gym one would pass by the in-house Spa with their trademark aquamarine palette (the walls, the uniforms, their products...). I went for the manicure pedicure, which facility lay directly next to the check-in area: noisy. One could don a head-set and listen to soothing music or tune to the selected videos or television programs. Treatment was not up to par. Even a chic salon (called Glow) in Surabaya (Indonesia) delivered a much better service and treatment in this department. I kid you not!

Overall, it was a pleasant stay. Personally, I felt slightly a bit too old for this crowd. W probably scores better among the 35 and under. Every night when I returned to the hotel, I had to fight my way through the dark lobby reverberating with house music and filled with the young crowd. Some nights I would hear noises coming from the hallway; noises that reminded me of drunken hallmates coming back from frat parties during my college days.


The W Hotel San Francisco
181 3rd Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
U.S.A.

Tel: (415) 777-5300

The W Hotel (Seattle, Washington, USA)

What a treat: the W Hotel Seattle is across the block from Rem Kolhaas' Seattle's New Public Library. Originally I was given a room that faced a parking garage (nice assignment; so much for being a "Prefered Guest"). I asked for a room re-assignment, with one that gave me the Library as my view and was granted one. As you can see in my accompanying photograph above, that Library looked so close that I could have touched it if I had been able to pry open the window.

W is for the younger, hip, and cool crowd. The atmosphere of the lobby area confirms this: in terms of business attire, this would have fit well with the label "smart casual." They call their lobby area the "Living Room." From the front entrance on 4th Street, you could go left and up to the mezzanine for the check-in counter, or you could go to the right for the bar and restaurant areas. One could also use the "backdoor," the one from the garage entrance and valet services (on Seneca street, I believe) to approach the front desk or check-in counter. The elevator areas in W Hotels are identical: darkened area with 24-hour thumping house music.

I did not find out more about the building where this hotel resided, but the building looked like an old architecture that had been acquired and renovated by the hotel group. The air-conditioning vents betrayed the ultra-hip ambient of the hotel: it looked very dated, but it worked well, except that you could not really aim the air anywhere. It blew in one direction and one direction only. The rest of the room was signature W, complete with the exorbitantly priced Scandinavian bottled water. All furnishings were dark wood, and the bed, although not as "heavenly" as Westin's, was comfortable.

Bathroom amenities were among my favorites compared to their counterparts from other hotels. They were the product of the in-house spa, so more of the same items could be purchased from the spa, although this Seattle location lacked such facility. Massage could be arranged with an outside contractor, done through the "Whatever, Whenever" desk.

My companion and I sat at the bar one late afternoon, which was very relaxing and enjoyable. The bar itself had a tall shelves of liquors that were cleverly lit. Peopl huddled over peanuts and drinks, while some were seen working with their laptop, taking advantage of the WiFi connection.


The W Hotel Seattle
1112 4th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101
U.S.A.

Tel: (206) 264-6000

Willows Lodge (Woodinville, Washington, USA)

The ride from Washington State's Seattle Tacoma Airport to Woodinville was not bad at all. The carpool lane is quite friendly, allowing one to move in and out at any time (in California, for example, you are confined within the carpool lane until an area that allows you to come in or go out). Once in the vicinity of this small town, I was reminded of California's Napa and Sonoma valleys. I was not too familiar with the Woodinville area and never got to check it out (I was only there for a wedding), but saw there was indeed information about wine tasting.

Upon checking in, I was greeted by a laid-back young fellow, leaning against the reception desk, and perhaps in a catatonic state: literally not moving, even after seeing me struggle with the luggage and the front door. I was informed that the room was not yet ready, and that I could wait either in the lobby, the lounge, or go to the resort's restaurant. He still has not offered to handle the luggage. It was not until I requested for a safe-keeping of the luggage that he said I could place them in their office behind the counter, and guess what? He just stood there, not offering to take my luggage to that safe room.

Spoiled I am not, but there is this thing called service and courtesy, neither of which he had displayed. If you are going to call yourself a resort, then act like one. If company policy prohibits certain staff members to deal with heavy items, then call someone who are allowed to handle them. Luckily, his laziness did not seem to be the rule. Later on I met the other staff who must have come back from their lunch break, and they were a bunch of very helpful people.

The lobby area was very airy and had an extremely high ceiling. It was a joy just to sit and read in this well-lit area. On the walls of the lobby area and throughout the resort's hallways, local artists and their works were featured. They took care in presenting the work well and in introducing the artists.

The room was set-up cabin-like with a fireplace, a table with two chairs, a balcony, and enough space to roam around inside. There was a large opening between the bedroom and the bathroom. If you were soaking in the huge bathtub directly behind this opening, you could view the balcony (or the television) from where you were. There was also an adjoining shower stall, which shower was operated electronically to regulate the temperature. There was no covering to this stall, so some amount of water would occasionally splash onto the adjoining commode area across it.

The view was rather lacking; I had one which oversaw a jogging trail in the distance. With regard to noise, the room insulation was poor. From the bed, one could hear clearly what was said by the people passing through the corridor outside the room. This could only mean that the people outside could listen to what was going on inside one's room. Honeymooners beware...

Spa service was available, but having looked at the facility, I decided not to give it a try. The setting was just not right: there was a jacuzzi outside that was enclosed within a fenced area, too close to the foot traffic of people shuffling from one building to another. The resort is blessed with a close proximity to a jogging trail across the creek. I spotted a lot of runners and bikers using this trail and made use of it during my stay for the weekend.

Willows Lodge
14580 NE 145 Street
Woodinville, WA 98072
Tel: (877) 424-3930