W Dallas Victory Hotel [Master Thread]
Jun 27, 2006, 8:27 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Programs: AA Exec Plat, United Plat
Posts: 451
W Dallas Victory Hotel [Master Thread]
I stayed at the new W in Dallas last night. They definitely weren't on top of everything, being that they've only been in operation for a week. Here are some highs and lows:
High Points
Lots of staff on hand
Lots of staff on hand
Room service food was pretty decent
Nice toiletries (bliss brand)
Nice desk chair
Low Points
Tiny hair dryer (if I wanted a travel-sized hairdryer, I would bring my own)
Excessive "help" - three different guys literally grabbed my bag out of my hands. I had to fight with them to carry it up to my room myself! I really hate that. It's a 10 pound overnight bag. I can carry it myself, thanks.
It took 20 minutes to check out because my breakfast room service charge hadn't yet appeared on my bill and apparently it was difficult to resolve.
There was a fire alarm test at 6:20am. !!
There were about 10 valets who shouted at me about where to stand to wait for my car, that I had to keep my ticket, etc. One actually asked me "are you late for work or something?" because I was hurrying to get into my car and get outta there.
Room service took 30-40 minutes to arrive. Once with no glass of water (the delivery person dropped it in the hallway) and no jam/preserves/jelly (for a bread-based breakfast).
My phone rang twice at random times (~10pm and ~7am) and the caller hung up right after I picked up. Could have been another guest, could have been an employee calling the wrong number.
No spa menu in the rooms (would be nice to have since the Bliss spa is a big part of the hotel)
A used pack of coffee was left in the coffee maker (ew - just a tip for all the housekeepers out there: if you have to put a new pack of coffee on the tray, that means there is probably a used pack inside the coffee maker. Please throw it away.)
The bathtub had some grime on the bottom that I had to clean off before I took a shower.
Broadband was acting weird for part of my stay (dropped the connection a few times)
The lights in the rooms are very dim, which is fine if I'm just hanging out in the room but is not so fine if I'm trying to work.
Overall
It was an ok experience overall, given that I'm cutting them some slack for being new. They have some work to do, but I think they will improve over the next few weeks. Some of the things I mentioned are just a matter of the staff getting used to the new hotel, some are more serious.
I expect I'll be staying there again (how many times depends on how much they improve) this summer, so I'll try to remember to write an updated review later.
High Points
Lots of staff on hand
Lots of staff on hand
Room service food was pretty decent
Nice toiletries (bliss brand)
Nice desk chair
Low Points
Tiny hair dryer (if I wanted a travel-sized hairdryer, I would bring my own)
Excessive "help" - three different guys literally grabbed my bag out of my hands. I had to fight with them to carry it up to my room myself! I really hate that. It's a 10 pound overnight bag. I can carry it myself, thanks.
It took 20 minutes to check out because my breakfast room service charge hadn't yet appeared on my bill and apparently it was difficult to resolve.
There was a fire alarm test at 6:20am. !!
There were about 10 valets who shouted at me about where to stand to wait for my car, that I had to keep my ticket, etc. One actually asked me "are you late for work or something?" because I was hurrying to get into my car and get outta there.
Room service took 30-40 minutes to arrive. Once with no glass of water (the delivery person dropped it in the hallway) and no jam/preserves/jelly (for a bread-based breakfast).
My phone rang twice at random times (~10pm and ~7am) and the caller hung up right after I picked up. Could have been another guest, could have been an employee calling the wrong number.
No spa menu in the rooms (would be nice to have since the Bliss spa is a big part of the hotel)
A used pack of coffee was left in the coffee maker (ew - just a tip for all the housekeepers out there: if you have to put a new pack of coffee on the tray, that means there is probably a used pack inside the coffee maker. Please throw it away.)
The bathtub had some grime on the bottom that I had to clean off before I took a shower.
Broadband was acting weird for part of my stay (dropped the connection a few times)
The lights in the rooms are very dim, which is fine if I'm just hanging out in the room but is not so fine if I'm trying to work.
Overall
It was an ok experience overall, given that I'm cutting them some slack for being new. They have some work to do, but I think they will improve over the next few weeks. Some of the things I mentioned are just a matter of the staff getting used to the new hotel, some are more serious.
I expect I'll be staying there again (how many times depends on how much they improve) this summer, so I'll try to remember to write an updated review later.
Jun 27, 2006, 1:14 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Programs: AA Exec Plat, United Plat
Posts: 451
Originally Posted by Ready2Go
For those of us wholly unfamiliar with Dallas, what are the environs like?
Jun 27, 2006, 8:40 pm
#4
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: LAX...Ex MAD Ex SJC Ex ORD
Programs: US Chairmans, AA Lifetime Gold, SPG Platinum
Posts: 845
I stayed at the W Dallas last night as well, and let me tell you the 6:20 fire alarm was not the highlight of the stay. The strobe light in my room kept blazing for about 10 or 15 minutes afterward...I called "whatever whenever" and told the woman I had a strobe light on and she said "oh really?"
Anyway, I was very impressed by the look of the property and the furnishings. Obviously everything is brand new, but the furniture seems to be of a higher quality than some other Ws. The 16th floor outdoor pool/bar is fantastic, as is the gym. Beds, linens, and robes are excellent. Towels are by Waterworks, and the usual bliss amenities are provided.
After a bit of wrangling, I did manage to get a Platinum upgrade to a smallish suite with an enormous balcony (on the 3rd floor.) I was very pleased with the upgrade, but not the wrangling.
There were a number of problematic issues...I had a used coffee filter in my coffee maker as did the OP. The phone rang mysteriously a number of times as well. There were already small stains on the carpet in my room (this after the hotel is open only a week!) Some of the electrical outlets did not work. The ice machine on the 3rd floor did not work and I had to go up to the 4th floor. The air conditioning worked very well, but was extremely noisy. Water pressure in the shower was annoyingly low.
The place was very overstaffed, and the staff for the most part had an enthusiastic attitude, but in many cases it looked like there were a lot of them standing around wondering what to do...behind the front desk, at the valet stand (literally, about 5 or 6 of them standing there) at the Spa desk, at the hostess stand in the restaurant. They provided bottles of water at checkin which was nice...and practically demanded to bring my small rollaboard up to the room, which was not.
The restaurant (Craft) is good, but not great, and actually has professional servers obviously trained elsewhere. Prices seemed a bit high, with starters in the $15 range and main dishes (for dinner) mostly around $30 but ranging up toward $50. The wine list is extensive and the markups are somewhat high.
Overall, I think the place has the potential to be one of the best Ws as the staff becomes more polished and I would look forward to another stay, assuming the fire alarm would not be ringing while I was asleep.
Anyway, I was very impressed by the look of the property and the furnishings. Obviously everything is brand new, but the furniture seems to be of a higher quality than some other Ws. The 16th floor outdoor pool/bar is fantastic, as is the gym. Beds, linens, and robes are excellent. Towels are by Waterworks, and the usual bliss amenities are provided.
After a bit of wrangling, I did manage to get a Platinum upgrade to a smallish suite with an enormous balcony (on the 3rd floor.) I was very pleased with the upgrade, but not the wrangling.
There were a number of problematic issues...I had a used coffee filter in my coffee maker as did the OP. The phone rang mysteriously a number of times as well. There were already small stains on the carpet in my room (this after the hotel is open only a week!) Some of the electrical outlets did not work. The ice machine on the 3rd floor did not work and I had to go up to the 4th floor. The air conditioning worked very well, but was extremely noisy. Water pressure in the shower was annoyingly low.
The place was very overstaffed, and the staff for the most part had an enthusiastic attitude, but in many cases it looked like there were a lot of them standing around wondering what to do...behind the front desk, at the valet stand (literally, about 5 or 6 of them standing there) at the Spa desk, at the hostess stand in the restaurant. They provided bottles of water at checkin which was nice...and practically demanded to bring my small rollaboard up to the room, which was not.
The restaurant (Craft) is good, but not great, and actually has professional servers obviously trained elsewhere. Prices seemed a bit high, with starters in the $15 range and main dishes (for dinner) mostly around $30 but ranging up toward $50. The wine list is extensive and the markups are somewhat high.
Overall, I think the place has the potential to be one of the best Ws as the staff becomes more polished and I would look forward to another stay, assuming the fire alarm would not be ringing while I was asleep.
Jun 30, 2006, 1:45 pm
#5
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: The Big D
Programs: AA, CO, DL, WN, SPG Gold
Posts: 1,842
The opening of all openings was last night -- no, I was not there. 
http://frontburner.dmagazine.com/archives2/015703.html
http://frontburner.dmagazine.com/archives2/015706.html
http://www.dallasobserver.com/blogs/?p=901
Earlier this week:
http://www.guidelive.com/feature/54/column.htm
To the upthread question: it's in "Victory" which is about a 10 minute walk from the west side of the downtown CBD. Next door to American Airlines Center (Mavs and Stars). It's also on the DART light rail line.
http://frontburner.dmagazine.com/archives2/015703.html
http://frontburner.dmagazine.com/archives2/015706.html
http://www.dallasobserver.com/blogs/?p=901
Earlier this week:
http://www.guidelive.com/feature/54/column.htm
To the upthread question: it's in "Victory" which is about a 10 minute walk from the west side of the downtown CBD. Next door to American Airlines Center (Mavs and Stars). It's also on the DART light rail line.
Jun 30, 2006, 3:36 pm
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Wanting First. Buying First.
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Posts: 17,481
Originally Posted by WineIsGood
I don't know Dallas too well either, but it was a pretty short drive into downtown from the W. I'm not sure how many places you could walk from the hotel.
So long story short, lots of places are walkable from the W. Just go to Uptown, not Downtown!
Jul 5, 2006, 9:59 am
#7
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: The Big D
Programs: AA, CO, DL, WN, SPG Gold
Posts: 1,842
Good points on Uptown and the trolley! ^
Here's a different kind of review from this past weekend. Methinks there may be some shake out still needed.
"The valet Friday night took us just over 1 hour to get our car at 11:30, mostly because the valet circle was only one lane deep. How are they going to
manage with another 2 clubs, 8 restaurants, a 45-story office hotel next door, 6 more residential buildings and events every other night at AAC? This is going to turn out to be the biggest parking/traffic debacle in Dallas history.
Craft was a complete joke, charging $40-$50 per entry for microscopic portions and middle-of-the-road service (very similar to The Standard Restaurant on Cedar Springs in Uptown, except at a higher price point), but I guess they will simply feed off the hotel business until there are other options within walking distance. Food was decent but way overpriced.
..........
The W pool was a nightmare and almost completely useless. They only had 8 lounge chairs for several hundred guests, and none of them got any sun the entire day. The water part of the pool itself only got about 3 hours of sun from 2-5 p.m. Lots of people congregating on towels on the cement deck were not happy about the situation. There were also kids and dogs running around all day, which didn't seem appropriate for this pool scene. About every 10-15 minutes, older couples (perhaps condo owners coming to check out their new condo pool for their million-dollar condo) would come out to the pool, get a horrific look on their face, and just to turn around and leave. This kept us entertained most of the day. Did I mention no bathroom on the pool level?
................
On a positive note, our suite at the W was nothing short of amazing. Two plasma HDTVs, an incredible stereo system, a full living and dining room with more unique ammenities than I have ever experienced at a hotel. The design of the room and bathroom was spectacular. It was one of the most comfortable rooms I have ever experienced.
Link
Here's a different kind of review from this past weekend. Methinks there may be some shake out still needed.
"The valet Friday night took us just over 1 hour to get our car at 11:30, mostly because the valet circle was only one lane deep. How are they going to
manage with another 2 clubs, 8 restaurants, a 45-story office hotel next door, 6 more residential buildings and events every other night at AAC? This is going to turn out to be the biggest parking/traffic debacle in Dallas history.
Craft was a complete joke, charging $40-$50 per entry for microscopic portions and middle-of-the-road service (very similar to The Standard Restaurant on Cedar Springs in Uptown, except at a higher price point), but I guess they will simply feed off the hotel business until there are other options within walking distance. Food was decent but way overpriced.
..........
The W pool was a nightmare and almost completely useless. They only had 8 lounge chairs for several hundred guests, and none of them got any sun the entire day. The water part of the pool itself only got about 3 hours of sun from 2-5 p.m. Lots of people congregating on towels on the cement deck were not happy about the situation. There were also kids and dogs running around all day, which didn't seem appropriate for this pool scene. About every 10-15 minutes, older couples (perhaps condo owners coming to check out their new condo pool for their million-dollar condo) would come out to the pool, get a horrific look on their face, and just to turn around and leave. This kept us entertained most of the day. Did I mention no bathroom on the pool level?
................
On a positive note, our suite at the W was nothing short of amazing. Two plasma HDTVs, an incredible stereo system, a full living and dining room with more unique ammenities than I have ever experienced at a hotel. The design of the room and bathroom was spectacular. It was one of the most comfortable rooms I have ever experienced.
Link
Jul 18, 2006, 12:43 pm
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Programs: AA Exec Plat, United Plat
Posts: 451
I really want to like this hotel, but...
The W is not helping me like it. I'm begging it to let me like it, giving it 2nd, 3rd, 4th chances, but it just does not want me to like it.
The service snafus continue, weeks after the hotel opening. Mostly the same stuff as my original post on this thread, with the addition of being offered something free as an apology gesture and the free item never arriving at my room! Now, I know it was a freebie so I can't complain too much, but if you offer me something please deliver it.
It ain't getting better at W Dallas yet...if service is important to you, you might want to choose another hotel for the time-being.
The service snafus continue, weeks after the hotel opening. Mostly the same stuff as my original post on this thread, with the addition of being offered something free as an apology gesture and the free item never arriving at my room! Now, I know it was a freebie so I can't complain too much, but if you offer me something please deliver it.
It ain't getting better at W Dallas yet...if service is important to you, you might want to choose another hotel for the time-being.
Jul 18, 2006, 12:54 pm
#9
Join Date: Jun 2005
Programs: SPG
Posts: 194
Originally Posted by WineIsGood
The W is not helping me like it. I'm begging it to let me like it, giving it 2nd, 3rd, 4th chances, but it just does not want me to like it.
The service snafus continue, weeks after the hotel opening. Mostly the same stuff as my original post on this thread, with the addition of being offered something free as an apology gesture and the free item never arriving at my room! Now, I know it was a freebie so I can't complain too much, but if you offer me something please deliver it.
It ain't getting better at W Dallas yet...if service is important to you, you might want to choose another hotel for the time-being.
The service snafus continue, weeks after the hotel opening. Mostly the same stuff as my original post on this thread, with the addition of being offered something free as an apology gesture and the free item never arriving at my room! Now, I know it was a freebie so I can't complain too much, but if you offer me something please deliver it.
It ain't getting better at W Dallas yet...if service is important to you, you might want to choose another hotel for the time-being.
Thanks for the heads up, I decided to cancel a stay in two weeks and will wait for better reviews.
Jul 18, 2006, 2:08 pm
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Sacramento
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Posts: 12,152
Originally Posted by Austin99
Thanks for the heads up, I decided to cancel a stay in two weeks and will wait for better reviews.
The unfortunate reality of the internet is that news spreads fast.....and continuous problems like the OP's will result in lost business. Any new business will have some problems, but some of these issues could have been addressed way before opening.
Let's hope they clean up their act.
Jul 28, 2006, 5:10 pm
#12
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: dallas, tx
Programs: aa gold, amex plat, spg gold, hertz gold (former wn cp, aa plat)
Posts: 113
I live across the street from the W. There's still a fair amount of construction going on at the hotel and around the area. Still, it looks like there's pretty good business at the hotel, though it's hard to really tell. We went to Ghostbar the other day on a weekday and the place is full of "pretty" people wanting to see and be seen. It's worth a visit if you're in the area.
FYI - ladies always get into ghostbar free. Guys are charged $10 on Thursday and $20 friday and saturday. You may get VIP's as a hotel guest from concierge, or ask to be put on the guestlist on a weekend so you don't have to wait. Drinks we had were about $8-10 each.
FYI - ladies always get into ghostbar free. Guys are charged $10 on Thursday and $20 friday and saturday. You may get VIP's as a hotel guest from concierge, or ask to be put on the guestlist on a weekend so you don't have to wait. Drinks we had were about $8-10 each.
Oct 26, 2006, 12:50 pm
#14
Join Date: Jun 2005
Programs: SPG
Posts: 194
Originally Posted by airpaco
I was wondering what people thought of this property and the success rate for plats to get suites. Thanks.
The property itself is nice but I have also been to better W's, i.e. Seattle. It's in walking distance to the West End which has a few bars and lots of places to eat. If you are going on the weekend the ghost bar will be packed, which in turn means the lobby, bar next to the lobby and the front of the hotel will be packed.
I would stay here again provided the rates were comparable to the Westin. It's not worth paying more then $300/night, IMO.
Oct 27, 2006, 2:44 pm
#15
Used to be Sydneysider
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: CPH
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Have not yet been there myself, but I'm hearing that its Ghost Bar is one of the it spots in Dallas right now. Probably worth checking out if you're into the trendy bar and lounge scene.
And if you're not, why stay at a W?
And if you're not, why stay at a W?