W Hotel Rumours

[interchange42]

There are a few condotel projects at various stages of development where the hotel component operator is unknown at this time. 550 Wellington West, just down the street from the aloft location is one of those, and being that it's in a funky W kind of neighbourhood, could be a good fit for them. One City Hall 2 (or is it to be Two City Hall?) is another, that one not far west of Times Square Jr. I could see that one happening too if Diamante ever finishes One City Hall 1. And then there's Maple Leaf Square - there's a hotel that will sell itself. While I'm unsure that W would want to position itself with the sports crowd, the classy complex might be very appealling to Starwood.

Meanwhile, we're without a Crowne Plaza downtown now, and there's no Embassy Suites, no Sofitel...

Just having a little fun speculating.

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[mark simpson]

we can always use another Marriott chain

 

[andreapalladio]

I've never seen a W in a funky neighbourhood - Murray Hill, Union Square and Times Square in New York scarcely qualify as funky, nor does across from the big Sony dodecaplex cinema in San Francisco, neither does the pier next to the Sydney Opera. W does want to be located near locations where bankers, lawyers and pr agents with expense accounts will be doing business.

 

[interchange42]

Well, maybe funky was not quite the right word, but I do mean to say that W does look for locations with a certain hipness and buzz, and while Murray Hill doesn't fit that description so well either, the others do (despite the Sony Center's meltdown), as do most other W locations I know of such as Montreal's Vieux Montreal, New Orleans French Quarter, and Seattle's Pike Place Market Area.

It will be interesting to see where they eventually locate in Toronto.

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[EnviroTO]

Don't believe Expedia Read CAA, there's no such thing as 4.5, I've been in "2.5* hotels" that were listed on expedia and they weren't like a 3* at all.

True. Only AAA and Mobil's rating systems matter in North America. Michelin's ratings are the standard in Europe. Unfortunately they don't do hotel rankings around the world and travel websites, hotels, tourism bureaus, etc often have their own systems set up to server their own interests. Too bad there isn't a worldwide rating system with the same standards applied everywhere. Sometimes I hear people making comments about a five star hotel in cuba or a hotel somewhere in the middle east being the first six or seven star hotel and roll my eyes because without a standard rating system people can claim as many stars as they want. Many of the travel websites use a user ranking which dilutes the meaning of five stars.... "I loved the hotel - five stars" does not equal "I was pampered, the hotel was immaculate, and the amenities beyond expectation - five stars". A person who is limiting the hotels they stay at because they are on a budget will probably have never expienced five star quality and therefore any ranking he would give out would likely be inflated.

 

[samsonyuen]

What about the rumours of the Bloor Mr. Sub location? I didn't know aloft was coming? If I remember correctly, that's a chain that W has set for the younger traveler, kinda like Hollister is to Abercrombie & Fitch.

 

[maestro]

W Hotel rumour by maestroâ„¢

10 storey W hotel at the defunct Mode condominiums? call it a rumour!