Element By Westin Times Square

This Element hotel was our home for 4 nights September 2019. We enjoy staying in this area of Manhattan with the walkability score and the convergence of subway lines. Partly chose Element because it is in the Marriott family and we were in the midst of building up points and nights. We had an end room facing 39th St. so you open the door and turn 90 degrees into the short hall. The bathroom is humungous to the point you wish they took some of that room and gave it to the main area of the room. The bed was king-sized and to our firmness liking. The short sofa across from the foot of the bed was convenient but not the most comfortable and was very close to the bed. The glass table/desk quickly gets covered with all of your things and really there is minimal space to adequately sit at the desk and eat, at least with the way our room was configured. Even though we didn't cook we like having a kitchenette plus the fridge/freezer is definitely a useful size, not one of those puny units. The fridge came in handy for leftovers and soda. The closet was tiny, for those that like to hang their clothes. As I mentioned before the bathroom is huge and ADA compliant but I cannot say that regarding the rest of the room. We found the front desk staff very pleasant and helpful and we were happy they included breakfast (remember this visit was pre-Covid) though we can't say that the breakfast will excite you. There is a queue system for the elevator which is helpful as it really does allow those that have been waiting the longest to get the next ride. If the price is right we would stay here again.

This is not a high end hotel. I have stayed in some of the most luxurious places in the United States. You can check my other reviews. This is definitely for an extended stay, pet friendly, downtown with needs for a kitchen and on a budget. During the month of July 2020, I had to stay for 3 weeks at a hotel that had a microwave and refrigerator while I was waiting for my new apartment in New York. What made this more challenging is that I had my daughter and my emotional support dog (7lb. Cavalier). This was exactly what I needed. The Element is close to Times Square (via the back end), but this hotel has the following: Stove top (2 Electric spaces), Full Refrigerator, freezer, microwave, sink, dishwasher, large closet/cabinet, sofa, king bed and rain forest shower. You can spend a few more dollars and get a bedroom with a sliding door that separates the sleeping area from the living room area or spend a few extra dollars and get a city view. I was on a budget and couldn't afford either. The laundry room is very small and guests tend to leave laundry in the 4 washers and 1 dryer that is in the space. I preferred to take an Uber to a coin laundry center in Chelsea. Food deliveries have to be met at the Security Stand. i I did see some guests get boxed breakfasts in the morning. I guessed that they were boxed due to COVID-19. There were issues with the fresh linen delivery during my stay, but the cleaning lady was nice enough to leave the linen closet unlocked every evening where people could get extra towels if they needed them. Again, due to COVID-19, the linen was frequently being delivered late. You can sit trash in a big bag in the stairwell for daily removal. The high volume of traffic in the lobby is unavoidable due to the reduce room costs on the third party sites. The biggest pros: I had a pet friendly space where I could cook my own meals and remain unbothered until my apartment was ready at a very reasonable price. This was a life saver for me, my daughter and my dog. I was already anxious and fearful about the pandemic and my new place being ready on time. The staff are professional and do not hassle the guests, but are there if you need them. Most of the smokers were smoking outside, there were people having birthday parties in the rooms, but I couldn't hear any noise - I only saw balloons the night of or the morning after...If you are on a budget and need a clean place to stay with strict security at the door; this is the place! Thank you Element Staff!!!

I cannot believe what happened at this hotel. I was woken up at 2:30am by a sole male member of staff (I was staying as a single woman in the hotel) to "check if I was still here" - then the phone rang, when I tried to answer it didn't work. The man knocked again and said that I had to go to the front desk immediately or they will be calling the police. This was my second night in the hotel and I had literally finalised checking out EARLY at 10pm that evening - they had my credit card on file too. I booked a stay over the phone because my power was out. I did not receive an email confirmation - I believe that the person on the other end of the phone didn't enter my email correctly. I was supposed to have a 2 night stay and then 2, 1 night stays lined up which I could cancel if my power was restored earlier. I arrived and I was only booked for a 1 night stay - no problem they "extended it" to cover two nights. First night is fine - I head out for dinner and return (no problem with the key card - nor when I went out for a walk and came back at 4pm either) at 8pm - at 10pm I go to the front desk to cancel my following nights because my power was restored. They said it was all sorted. Off to bed. 2:30am I get the knock on the door and phone call - no ID shown, no apologies made. Not even "Oh there must be a mistake with your booking, I am sorry but you will have to go to the front desk to sort it out." It was "They said you shouldn't be here and you need to go to the front desk now or we will call the police." I get to the front desk and they said that, the original booking had been put in wrong, that the check in person did not extend my stay, and that the person I spoke to at 10pm didn't check the booking either. (That is 3 staff members making errors on this booking.) I said that I have NEVER been told the police will be called because of a booking error - even if I was overstaying they had my credit card on file - and I had to sign that they would hold $500 for just these reasons. Why would they not just wait until morning? Why did the key card still work after check out was 12pm? She said "take it up with management". I called the help line - they could not locate my details - finally found them and said I had a booking in Texas.... when I gave them my address to double check - they hung up (immediately after me finishing my address). The person on the phone said they couldn't verify I had ANY booking and that I would only be able to speak with the hotel about it. I called again and asked for my details and someone found the correct account and changed the incorrect email address. Now on my bookings it says I have one night stay - Friday night when I arrived on Thursday and Friday night is when they came to tell me I had to leave. - When I asked them to check where the Thursday night booking was they put me on hold for 10 minutes and then hung up on me also. It is covid times - the hotel was only $88 a night - why are you threatening your clients with the police at 2:30am over $88 when it was your mistake and you have my cards on file anyway? Disgusting. The room was fine, the breakfast was awful - a plain bagel, butter, apple and tiny juice box, the walls are thin, you can smell smoke and cannabis smoke coming through the bathroom vents even on the 34th floor. I could bring my dog - just FYI if you want to leave them in the room alone you need a crate with you.