Large standard rooms; beautiful views of NYC
Great in-room electronics: DVD player, flat-screen, iPod dock
Excellent fitness center
Bliss spa on-site; Bliss bath products in the room
24-hour room service and concierge services
Popular on-site lounge and nightclub
Ferry, subway train, or expensive taxi from New York
Wi-Fi costs $10 per day.
Mediocre, overpriced restaurant
Non-enclosed business center, next to a noisy nightclub
No tubs (just showers) in Cozy Rooms
No in-room coffeemaker
Located in New Jersey, across the river from New York City, this 225-room W struggles to feel sceney in a fairly clean, quiet neighborhood that most New Yorkers ignore. Its plush rooms, exceptional gym, so-so spa, overpriced restaurant, and less-exciting nightclub compare to more expensive Ws, but there are other, equally comfortable hotels in NYC for the price.
Scene
Poised on the Hudson River in Hoboken, New Jersey, overlooking the New York skyline, the new, 225-room W Hoboken is a quality option for New Jersey, but NYC travelers can do better in NYC.
It's new. It's stylish. It's in New Jersey. An unpopular cousin to the five W sisters in New York City, the freshly built W Hoboken (opened in March 2009) is a nearing-hip add-on to the nearing-upscale Hoboken riverfront. Like other W's, it has the on-site nightclub (the Chandelier Room), the abundance of purple mood lighting, and a self-obsession with the letter "W" (there's even a Woof written in the dog bowls). But as much as these quirky corporate consistencies might seem to devalue the "proper" boutique hotel experience, there is value in Starwood's long-tested hospitality expertise. Beds are superb. There's rarely a service-related slip-up. Details -- like cookies and citrus-infused water at check-in; the especially comfy sofas in the Living Room lounge; the top-notch fitness equipment in Sweat -- all work to create a seamlessly pleasant stay. And like the W South Beach, the Hoboken W has smart architecture that allows great views from just about every guest room.At times the W Hoboken can be cheaper than its Manhattan counterparts, but these savings come at the cost of convenience. Top-tier dining is hard to find in Hoboken and the food at the in-house Italian restaurant, Zylo, is overpriced and mediocre. The Whatever/Whenever concierge services are helpful, but only to a point -- Hoboken is a city that does indeed sleep. And getting to Manhattan can be either costly ($50 to $60 taxi, one-way) or time consuming (20 minutes on the $2 PATH train if you're lucky, an hour if you're not). All told, if you're doing business in Jersey and looking for something a little swankier than the Sheraton Weehawken or the Westin in Jersey City, the W Hoboken is a fair choice. But for anyone interested in NYC, there are much better, equally comfortable options -- like the Affinia Gardens, the London NYC, the Ace Hotel, or the Hotel Gansevoort, just to name a few.
Location
Located on the waterfront in Hoboken, New Jersey, the best asset of the W's location seems to be its views of the New York City skyline from across the Hudson River.
Outside the hotel, there are well-manicured jogging and walking paths along the riverfront. In general, Hoboken is a quiet, mostly residential neighborhood -- no skyscrapers; no congested traffic; no all-night crowds. Its handful of pubs and beer-chugging sports bars mix with some Italian restaurants, the occassional natural food store, and historic homes. At night, the immediate area around the hotel (about two blocks in all directions) can become very dark and desolate (relative to New York, that is). It is a safe, comfortable neighborhood; it's just not very exciting.Getting to Manhattan requires one of three methods: a) drive, and pay a fortune in parking and tolls; b) take a $50 to $60 taxi, and hope to convince a yellow cab in NYC to take you back to Jersey; c) Walk about five minutes to the PATH train station (like a subway), pay $1.75, wait about five to 20 minutes (or longer, at night), ride into in Manhattan, and then pay another $2 and wait even longer to ride another subway to wherever it is you wanted to go in NYC; or d) take a scenic water taxi ($6) to Lower Manhattan (also, not the most exciting part of Manhattan).- Five-minute walk to the New Jersey PATH (subway station)
Rooms
Clean, well-equipped, and very comfortable guest rooms with stunning views of NYC -- these rooms are among New Jersey's best
Features
Excellent gym, spa, and other perks, like a free drive around town
All-Inclusive / Food
Style over substance -- high-priced, mediocre Italian fare, from a single on-site restaurant
Pets
With dog bowls filled with treats and water at its entrance, the W opens its arms to pets (for an outrageous price).
Cool Corner Room
Cozy Room
Extreme WOW Suite
Fantastic Suite
Spectacular Room
Wonderful Room
WOW Suite
225 River St, Hoboken, New Jersey, United States
(201) 253-2400