Hotel Review: The Westin New York at Times Square

I attended a company event at The Westin New York at Times Square last week. I stayed for two nights and got to check out the hotel. It’s been many years since I last stayed there. I’m happy to report that the rooms are renovated and my stay was fine. The conference facilities were perfect for what we needed with plenty of rooms on multiple floors.

Anthony’s Take: The hotel has been renovated and is a good choice if you need to be nearby for business or are a tourist heading to see a Broadway show or to explore Times Square. My Nightly Upgrade Award (NUA) was honored and I had plenty of space in my suite.

Booking

I was booked into a 1 King Bed, Traditional Guest Room by my company for the conference I was attending. Had I booked directly from Marriott.com on a “Member Flexible Rate,” it would have cost around $494 including taxes and fees per night. The nightly rates fluctuate wildly based on what is going on in the city. The hotel can also be booked with Marriott Bonvoy® points (111,000-184,000 points per night) with rates varying since Marriott eliminated its award buckets. This is often a bad use of points at this hotel.

Transportation to/from the Hotel

I took an Uber Black from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to the hotel. It took around 80 minutes for the 22-mile ride and cost $157 (Uber Comfort was actually more expensive and clocking in at $180). Heading home, I took an Uber Comfort for $67 and it took around an hour.

Location

The hotel is across the street from Port Authority and near many subways and Penn Station. There are tons of restaurants, stores, and more right outside your door. Times Square is steps away, which can be a good or bad thing.

You need to take an escalator up to the second floor upon arrival. A security desk checks keys.

Check-in

I arrived at the hotel around 6:00 PM and my suite was ready.

The agent was friendly and informed me that I had been upgraded to a Junior Suite, 1 King, Skyline View, High Floor. As mentioned above, I knew this since I had used a Nightly Upgrade Award (NUA) that was expiring. I chose points as a welcome amenity. Late checkout was offered and I accepted it until 3:00 PM. I had my keys and was off to my room in minutes.

There is a Daily Destination Fee at the hotel. It was not explained to me and I did not take advantage of it.

There are several seating areas spread around the lobby.

I like that the seating is broken into smaller areas.

Elevators are located in two banks with one for the lower floors and second covering floors 23 to 45.

The elevator lobby and hallway on my floor were clean and in good repair.

The hallways felt as if they had been recently remodeled.

Junior Suite, 1 King, Skyline View, High Floor (4410)

There are 873 rooms and 30 suites at the hotel.

The suite opened with a bathroom on the left side.

It contained a vanity with a single sink, toilet, and glassed-in shower.

A bar of Westin’s signature White Tea soap was on the counter.

Other toiletries including body lotion and mouthwash were on a shelf.

There was not too much room around the toilet.

The shower was a good size. Water pressure and temperature were both fine.

Wall-mounted conditioner, shampoo, and body wash were found in the shower.

The living room area was closest to the bathroom. This was a junior suite so it was all in one room with a partition. There was a couch, chair, and multiple tables here along with a TV.

The TV was mounted over a dresser.

A desk and chair were in the corner.

A minibar area was next to the desk. Coffee, a coffeemaker, water, cups, condiments, and an ice bucket were found here.

A sealed mini bar was below. This was not operational and guests were advised to call if they wanted a refrigerator.

The closet was next to the mini bar. It held an extra pillow, iron, ironing board, and safe.

A luggage rack was nearby.

The bedroom was on the other side of the partition.

A king-sized bed and two nightstands were found here.

The bed was comfortable and featured Westin’s Heavenly bedding.

Public Areas & Amenities

The The Westin New York at Times Square offers comfortable lobby seating, a fitness center, a store selling snacks and sundries (pictured above), 26 conference rooms and meeting spaces, and the restaurant/bar named Foundry in the lobby.

Foundry is located near the elevators and serves breakfast and dinner.

The fitness center had everything needed for a good workout.

There were plenty of machines and free weights.

I like that there were Peloton Bikes on offer.

Chilled towels were also provided.

Overall Impression: The Westin New York at Times Square is good for business travelers and those looking to explore Midtown and Times Square (I’ll reserve judgment). My stay was comfortable and convenient.