Great place to stay if viewing UCLA campus, or want a close location to Westwood, Santa Monica, Brentwood. The rooms were very big. It is located right by Westwood on the bottom of Sorority Road. You can walk to Westwood and the UCLA campus. The rooms have a delightful livingroom like area, with the bedroom in the back, also a work station for computers. I nice pool, and everyone is so friendly. Has valet parking, but also a parking a garage kitty corner just in case....... would definitely stay here again. Oh bliss products in the rooms, very nice. You can walk to Westwood, they have everything there that you could need.

Once you pass the glitz of the W, you'll notice the halls and rooms are getting tired and are ready for an update. Sleeping was not comfortable. The windows were covered with plantation shutters without light blocking shades, so a lot of sunlight came into my room. I had to wear an eyemask. Plus, sounds from nearby rooms came through the walls and vents. I had to wear ear plugs. There was no digital alarm clock in the room - just an analog clock with a small face that was hard to see at night. HVAC made grinding noises. Fitness center was crampt with low ceilings, which made my workout a little depressing. Nonetheless, my room was generously sized and I liked the large vanity table in the bathroom to spread out my toiletries. Bliss toiletries provided, very nice.

I stayed at the W because it was the most convenient in the vicinity for a business trip that offered the meeting facilites we needed. The suites are big and comfortable. Good beds, good showers, etc. The business side is a bit iffy. We told them we needed to stream video to someone, for which they charged a substantial fee. The meeting rooms were large enough and comfortable enough, but the lighting is somewhat dim. I can only guess that hangovers and dissipated appearances dictate soft low lighting? But the necessary arrangements were not in place at the appointed hour. Little things that require minimal investment, like high speed printing and copying, are not on offer and there is no real business center. But I must say the conference catering was quite good. Another letdown was slow elevator service in the early morning because on lift is used for freight service. Not a good thing at a busy time for us. Overall, service was better than average, but somewhat irregular. On the bright side, some boy band was staying there, so we were treated to the spectacle of screeching, rampaging tween girls which added some high humor to the visit.

Pros: Humungous suites, on premises Bliss Spa staff, expert concierge, sweet large HD televisions, unstuffy to the max
Cons: Room service food has sharply declined over last year (get a new menu for heaven's sake), the new gym is so-so, the location is only good for UCLA, what's with the room service trays not being picked up in the hallways?

Maybe I've stayed here too many times in the last three years, but I'm getting less and less enamored with this W property. All Ws are heavy on gimmicks (a cam in the elevator that displays your image), a Whenever-Whatever service that is highly dubious (it gets you the usual stuff a hotel can get you, hardly anything unexpected) and bathrooms that look spiffy and hip but are actually kind of uncomfortable (shower heads that pummel you with tiny high-pressured arrows of water and counters that hold a toothbrush and not much more).

As long as you've never stayed at a W before, you may not mind these things, but after the 5th or 6th visit, the gimmicks lose their charm, the inconveniences are glaring, and the food is so lousy you'll be able to swan around like all the other underfed guests.