The Westin New York at Times Square

In Manhattan, where space is at a premium, Times Square is a great place to stay if you want to be right in the middle of the action. There are several Starwood properties in the area. One is the Sheraton New York Times Square, and even though it includes “Times Square” in its name, it is actually far from the square, about ten blocks away. A bit farther away is The St. Regis New York. Closer to the center of Times Square, there are three hotels: a W Hotel, a Four Points, and this Westin.

The Westin New York at Times Square (Photo source: Times Square Gossip)
The Westin New York at Times Square (Photo source: Times Square Gossip)

The Westin is on 43rd Street near Times Square station, right next to the Port Authority Bus Terminal. You can take the E line directly, then conveniently transfer to a bus for LaGuardia (LGA is not subway-accessible) and the AirTrain to JFK. This Westin is an SPG Category 6 hotel, and if redeeming points it costs 20,000 to 25,000 Starpoints per night. Room rates generally fluctuate around $300. Interestingly, due to the Starwood and Marriott merger, the owners of this Westin are in litigation with Starwood, Westin, and Marriott International, but the hotel service has not been affected. I stayed as a paid stay, and the rate was not expensive for New York—just over $200 per night. It also lined up with both the Westin AMEX Offer and the More For You promotion. Splitting the room charge across two AMEX cards earned me $50 on each card, plus triple Starpoints from More For You.

Check-in

The Westin lobby is on the second floor, while the main entrance is on 43rd Street. Because Times Square can be chaotic at night and very busy, guests entering the front door at night need to have their key cards checked.

The Westin New York at Times Square: Front Desk
The Westin New York at Times Square: Front Desk

The check-in process was straightforward and unsurprising—no upgrades at all—and I was assigned a Deluxe Room on the 22nd floor. Light spill and noise in the room at night were not too severe. This was probably because lines can be very long during peak times.

The Westin New York at Times Square: Lobby
The Westin New York at Times Square: The lobby is spacious, with some places to sit

Room

Right when you enter the room, the first thing you see is the bathroom. There is a bathtub, and it was cleaned very well (nothing much to comment on). The photo doesn’t show the basin, but the design is modern.
[caption id="attachment_4208" align="aligncenter" width="3024"]The Westin New York at Times Square: Bathroom The Westin New York at Times Square: Bathroom[/caption>
New York hotel rooms are generally very small, and once a bed is placed in, the remaining space is still pretty tiny. Still, there was enough room for a desk, a chair, and a TV over 40 inches.
[caption id="attachment_4207" align="aligncenter" width="4032"]The Westin New York at Times Square: Standard Room The Westin New York at Times Square: Standard Room[/caption>
The good part was that this is a corner room with one window facing east and one facing north, and no adjacent building right next to it. If you’re lucky enough to get a west-facing room, you may be able to see the Hudson River.

Breakfast

I overslept and missed breakfast time, so I didn’t get breakfast. Imagine it yourself.

Summary

The biggest advantage of this Westin is location, location, location. If you plan to spend New Year in Times Square, staying here for 20,000 SPG points is a strong option. If you get a south-facing room, you may even see the square. The hotel service also met my expectations. Of course, it would be nice if it were on a higher floor.