wma

Did a search and didn't find anything current. Going to ATL in two weeks and need to stay in the Perimeter Area. I'm PLT. I usually go for the extra bucks of the W, is it worth it in ATL? What's the probability of upgrades? Anyone with any experience in these two hotels? Thanks

ryan754

Both great hotels.. W has upgraded me to very large suite with a kitchen etc in it. And of course I prefer W beds over Westin any day.. Go with the W in my opinion, and really quick walk to cheescake factory for desert..

sc flier

Check out this map that shows the locations of both. The Westin Atlanta North at Perimeter is SE of the W Atlanta at Perimeter Center. Though only 1 1/2 miles apart, they seem like completely different areas. The Westin is down by the King and Queen towers. The W is by Perimeter Mall.

As a Plat, I, too, have gotten an upgrade to one of the W's large end-of-the-hall suites. (And more than half the rooms there are suites.) The kitchen's retro furnishing was unique, but we shut the kitchen door (or was it a curtain?) so that we didn't have to listen to the noisy hum of the antique refrigerator. We had several problems at the W. First, no soap or bottled water in the room. After complaining, got a Service Promise type of points credit. But after checkout, about $12 extra got charged to my credit card. It took several calls over a couple weeks to get them to remove the charges.

On the positive side, I hear that their restaurant has great food and is worth eating at even if not staying there. I don't feel as if the W is completely up to date on the hipness factor, though. From their library, you can check out CDs and DVDs that might've been in style a few years ago but don't make as much sense today. (So maybe it doesn't matter if you were searching for something current about the W. I can't tell that it's changed over the years.) Still, the CD/DVD is a nice idea overall. Convenient self-parking was $7, I think. Walking distance to MARTA rail. If you have to have a suite, your odds are best here.

The Westin Atlanta North is very nice, though I don't think that I've ever gotten a suite there. I think that all three or four of my one-night stays there have been when on short notice when the area's hotels have been pretty full. It's a better than average Westin. Nice lobby bar/lounge. Easy check-in. Convenient self-parking was free. Quiet and nicely landscaped location doesn't feel closed in by a city. Free access for Plats to the really nice Concourse Athletic Club next door.

My favorite Starwood in Atlanta is probably the Westin Buckhead if you have access to their Club level lounge that offers treats from morning to night -- including a late night dessert bar. Dinner at The Palm is pricey, but should be top notch. Even underground self-parking is expensive -- $23, I think it was. South from the W, here's a map to the Westin Buckhead. If you're not truly tied to staying in Perimeter, consider this as another option.

FWIW, the Westin Atlanta North (Cat3) is available available on Cash & Points this month (Dec 2005). 2800 points + $45.

Mahalo

The W has almost always upgraded me to a suite as a Platinum member. Great W beds and decor. Some have commented that they don't like the kitchen but I like the fact that I can store juices and other things from the supermarket if I am staying several days. I like that it is across from the mall and gives me the option of grabbing something to eat without driving.

The Westin Perimeter has never upgraded me with the exception of the "conference suite". A conference room with a small bedroom. I had to request that they give me another room. If you do plan to work out, this is a good choice since as SC Flier noted, they provide Platinums with access to the next door health club. I only found this out during my last visit but I was unprepared so didn't use the club.

Flyertalk members have raved about the Westin Buckhead so I did try it months ago and I also agree that this is a great option when in Atlanta. It is also across from a mall and the club lounge has an excellent selection of food in the evenings. I've never received an upgrade here in my last 2 stays either. What's with the Westins?

sc flier

What's with the W not always upgrading you? According to their website, 154 of their 275 rooms are suites.

I know nothing about the Westin Atlanta North's suites. Maybe a search would find something about this. My bookings at this property were usually last-minute, so my expectations for advance booking into a suite were not high and I expect that they might have a lot of repeat business travelers competing for whatever suites are available.

dankohn

I would definitely go with the Westin. I'm normally a huge W fan, but I found the Atlanta W to be the most lackluster of the 7 I've stayed in. It's a converted chain hotel (and I think they mainly spent on the furnishings), and so just can't offer the style and design of a W Seattle, San Francisco, or any of the New York properties. I was upgraded when I was there, but I suspect it's because it's not very popular. I also found the location much less convenient than being right downtown with the Westin.

By contrast, the Westin is the tallest hotel in the Western Hemisphere. The rooms are just standard (boring) Westin decor, but if you can get a higher floor, the fact that one whole side of the room is a window makes for a compelling stay. Even if you don't get upgraded, you should definitely enjoy an overpriced drink in the rotating roof bar. Of course, you could do that even if you're staying at the W.

PaulH2S

I believe you are thinking of the Westin in downtown Atlanta. The OP is asking about the Westin at Perimeter, which is a different property/area completely. So, no rotating bar for them on this stay!

sc flier

Depends on how many drinks they have in the lobby bar.

(I'm not so fond of the Westin Peachtree in downtown Atlanta. Thin walls and worn out furniture. The bar at the top is an amazing view for late drinks, though. Been more than three years since I was last inside, though. Was sometime after 9/11, and I recall being shocked that they'd gotten rid of the Club Lounge. Wasn't this hotel once the prize skyscraper in ATL???)

Rusty65

I know that there are many threads about Atlanta, but I was having some difficulty getting information about these three hotels for when I was choosing to stay at one of them. They are located within 1 mile of each other, so they are just asking to be compared.

I was lucky enough to be close enough to 25 stays with the double stay reward that I stayed at these 3 hotels in 3 nights to make my final 2007 push (and stayed in the Westin and Sheraton as a platinum in 2008).

I found all three hotels to me well maintained, clean, functional, rooms updated and new seeming, and overall solid hotels. The W hotel definitely had a stylistic difference (as they try to do) that edged into the hipster and cool place to be. The other hotels were definitely more business oriented. Actually, checking into the W for a business trip seemed odd with the dimmed lights throughout the hotel and the music from the bar making its way through the lobby.

I received an upgrade at the W as a Gold and the restaurant (Sava I believe) was top notch but pricey if the company was not paying for it. The staff were friendly and helpful.

The Westin did not upgrade me to a suite as a gold or platinum (I was able to get a high floor with a view). There was no club lounge or breakfast available for platinums. Overall, I was not impressed with the service at the hotel, highlighted by the restaurant which was really slow. Also, one of the nights it was closed and the only food option was at Jasmine, the bar, with the same menu as the main restaurant but sitting on stools eating a pricey meal is not the same. I also had an issue with a request for some toiletries that I had forgotten and that was not handled well, although I think things like these are usually 1 off ocurrences that should not reflect poorly on a hotel until they add up.

The Sheraton was a great business stay, with instant SPG recognition. I received upgrades as both a Gold and Platinum and had access to the club lounge for a continental breakfast and free use of the internet.

Overall, I thought these hotels were solid hotels in the Starwood chain. I will give the Westin another chance, but of the three I believe that is the weakest. I recognize that everyone's experiences will give them different opinions, and would love to see if mine are consistent with the others on Flyer Talk.

KENNECTED

Great post. We have a Westin-W comparison thread and I like that you've done all three.

I was thinking of staying at all three of these hotels over the next long weekend, but you beat me to it. Thanks for doing the leg work! ^^

asforza

I just returned from a stay at the Sheraton in Perimeter, and other than it being out of the way, it was wonderful. It was obviously just redone and I was upgraded right away. Very clean and spacious rooms with great customer service.

socalterp

Thanks...spent many, many nights at the W last year, and a few at the Westin, but haven't tried to Sheraton yet.

As a Plat, always got upgrades at the W to really spacious suites on the "ends" of each floor...a lot of space, decent furnishings, but generally pretty dinged up. They all had kitchens, but small and dated. Generally, I didn't love the W - service was ok, gym is an embarassment, and you have to pay for parking. Upgraded maybe 50% of time as a Gold - the hotel has more suites than regular rooms, so the chances of upgrades are pretty good.

Made the switch to the Westin late last year, mostly because of the free access to the really large & well-equiped gym at the Concourse Athletic Club next door. Rooms are pretty small, but nice furnishings, except for not having flat screen tvs. Didn't get upgrades as a Gold, but did get an upgrade to a "jr suite" (slightly larger room) my last stay as a Plat. The location is smack in the middle of a large office complex, but convenient to the highways.

Rusty65

I returned to Atlanta and stayed 4 nights - Westin-Sheraton-Westin-Sheraton for 8 stays, 2000 platinum points and the 1k, 2k, 3k promotion got me the second and third stay at each hotel for an extra 10,000 points. Everyone else thinks I am crazy, but from reading flyertalk I think here I am sort of normal.

My stays consist of arriving at 9 PM and checking out at 7 AM, so my experience may not translate to everyone. However:

My 2 sheraton stays were good experiences again. Check in was very pleasant and I was on the club floor both times - once with an upgrade to a large suite. The person who checked me in was very friendly and explained that the staff at the Sheraton are particulary proud of their hotel and a close knit group because it is so new and most of them were here from before the time the Sheraton was even open to the public. I also found out that there is free wireless in the rooms as well as the LINK computers in the lobby, so that saved me $10+.

My 2 stays at the Westin were good, with one upgrade to a nondescript club floor room and no upgrade the other night. The rooms are a step below the Sheraton, without the flat screen TV's, but not a bad experience - just nothing to pull me in. My last trip to the Westin had me write the hotel about my experience and mentioned a couple of items that I thought were slight service hiccups included in a review of the hotel (hey were advertising their interest to get feedback on their hotel at the front desk and I did not receive a survey and thought the e-mail would be helpful and appreciated). I honestly did not expect any points for what I experienced, but I never got a response that said my e-mail was received and read, let alone apologized for the inconvenience that I was put through. More due to the lack of response than the okay hotel experience, it looks like I am going to be shifting my non Sheraton stays to the W in the future - unless of course there are promotions at the Westin that I can not turn down :-)

chris flyalot

I will be in Atlanta for meetings, this week and need suggestions on which hotel to choose. I would prefer if it had a "lounge", with a quiet area to sit and talk.

I have checked to two hotels (W and Westin, Perimeter), but cannot see if either offers lounge?

My guess is that the W is the nicer, but need somewhere to talk - anyone know if the suites are an option at either of these?

Thanks

bl4666

Both W and Westin has no lounge. The W has a club like atmosphere in the lobby, so can be loud, and the lighting tends to be dim. The Westin has a quiet lobby.
In terms of location, the W is a better location, you are close to many restaurants and a mall. The Westin is in an office park, and you will need to drive to everything.
Hope that helps.