GC Browne

Review of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worl...

My arrival was fine. Check-in was confusing.

My arrival was fine. Check-in was confusing.

My room was ice cold and my thermostat did not function properly. I could turn the a/c on
and off but could not adjust the temperature. I left it off hoping sunlight and my body
heat would give comfort.

My view through the window of downtown Dallas was probably spectacular except that I
couldn't see it clearly as the windows were filthy.

The rooms definitely need additional soundproofing. The walls are so thin one can hear the
televisions in adjacent rooms. I actually watched TV briefly with the sound off using the
sound from the next room whose guest had the TV cranked unnecessarily loud.

Time to settle down after a long flight, have a drink and fire up the laptop to check in
with work. No minibar. Discovered a locked cabinet and no key. Called for a key which was
delivered promptly and I was billed $13... Let me repeat. I WAS BILLED $13 SIMPLY FOR
ASKING FOR THE MINIBAR KEY WITHOUT HAVING ANY IDEA WHAT TREASURES WERE BEHIND THE "SAFE!" Turns out the minibar was a non-working refrigerator. Warm beer. Yum!

Internet access. Great. High speed broadband access. I love it. Just like home. $10 bucks a
day for it. That's a major fail. But hey, my company will cover the charge. You know what
W-HOTEL, Get out a dictionary and look up the definition of HIGH SPEED BROADBAND ACCESS! Connection speed was barely 1.5 MBPS. High-Speed broadband access is 10-100 times that. The mobile hotspot on my phone was 10 MBPS! And they have the nerve, the absolute nerve to mislead people and CHARGE for that? I've stayed at Motel 6's and Best Western hotels at a
fraction of the cost here and received REAL high speed internet access - FOR FREE. YES.
FOR FREE - COMPLIMENTARY WITH MY $39.99 ROOM! I spent nearly $400 per night and these
people couldn't offer free wifi - or broadband access?

And I'm not a moron. I'm not going to spend $10 on the many bottles of water
strategically placed all over the room. For $400 a night they should be able to spring for a
bottle of water! It's bad enough that the 20% discounts negotiated by my company weren't
applied... but paying for things that are complimentary in cheaper hotels is distasteful.

Their drainage system sucks. My bathroom sink and tub were clogged and slow draining.

I was offered the opportunity to stay in another area hotel when making reservations
because the hotel was booked. I should have done so. Hell, I should have stayed at the
nearest Best Western. I'd have been happier, had better service, a quieter room with
functioning equipment and plumbing and free internet access.

Unfortunately, my Fortune 100 Company chose this hotel for their function - I was stuck.
And quite honestly I FELT LIKE A PRISONER. Yes, I felt more like a prisoner in this hotel
than a guest. I could go nowhere, do nothing, was completely uncomfortable and was billed
for EVERYTHING. I'm absolutely ASTONISHED that these people have not figured out a way TO
CHARGE FOR THE OXYGEN their guests consume - although I'm sure they've got a project
manager working on that right now! I would suggest perhaps installing meters in the rooms to determine how much air guests breathe and then charge for that too!

I usually check in and out of hotels and only have to talk to the "front" desk on check in
and check out. In this experience I was on the phone regularly with their staff. AND GUESS
WHAT! THE PHONE IN MY ROOM WAS BROKEN TOO!!

They should be ashamed for asking what they charge for rooms with the services, condition
of rooms and equipment, price-gouging and nickel-and-diming going on here.

I'm actually embarrassed now to say I've stayed at this Hotel. It won't ever happen again
and I will be sure to warn my associates, friends and family that they'll have a more
pleasant experience staying at ANY other hotel than the W in Dallas.