The new Starwood Luxury Privileges program is a very exciting opportunity for us to add even more value to your hotel stays. While we always try to get you special amenities through programs like Virtuoso, some hotels fall through the cracks and there was a gap in what we could offer you, especially at the luxury Starwood hotels around the world that are not part of Virtuoso. Luxury Privileges fills that gap perfectly. Now, every Starwood luxury hotel, that means every St. Regis, Luxury Collection, and W hotel, is offering exclusive amenities to our clients. Unique privileges include:

Complimentary room upgrade on arrival*
Complimentary breakfast for the duration of your stay
Complimentary early check-in or late check-out*
Complimentary ‘welcome amenity’ such as a spa session
Personal welcome by senior member of hotel management
* = subject to availability

In addition to launching this new program, Starwood has also announced some exciting news for 2014 that we are keeping our eye on including a new partnership between the Luxury Collection Hotels and the online home decor retailer, One Kings Lane (personally, I’m addicted to this site!) and a new Luxury Collection Hotel opening in 2015 in St. Helena/Napa Valley, CA. I’ll be sure to share more as the updates come in!

The View from the W Times Square

While I was in New York City to gather all of this exciting news, I also visited the W Times Square and the newly renovated St. Regis hotels. I really enjoyed the W Times Square much more than I anticipated. I’m not really a Times Square girl and I was afraid that the W would take the “loudness” of its address and blow it even further out of proportion. That was 100% absolutely not the case. Instead, the design at this W hotel recognizes the need for balance and a bit of serenity. When you walk into the ground floor lobby, you feel like the grit and grime of the city is washing right off as you pass under a glass enclosed waterfall, which flows all around you and reflects off every surface. The main lobby, high above the city still has the sense of energy that you expect from a W. But, you can easily shut that out when you escape to your roomy, light-filled, and quiet room. Colors are subdued and the views are the real star here. All-in-all, if you don’t mind the Times Sq. location, this hotel is a winner!

A light-filled room at the W Times Sq.

In contrast, the St. Regis New York City is in a world of its own. Tucked away at the corner of East 55th and 5th, this Grande Dame of New York and the flagship St. Regis hotel, has recently undergone a face lift and she is looking like a million bucks (more like 100 million!) these days. One thing that struck me was the level of attention to detail that was paid to the hallways. Often an afterthought during hotel redesigns and renovations, it was clear that this hotel paid attention to every last detail and that quality of design definitely traveled through into the rooms themselves. I spent two restful nights in a Grand Luxe Room, which is laid out like a studio or Jr. Suite and has space for a sitting area and a work space with plenty of room to move around.

The Bentley Suite

The real highlight, however, was the Bentley Suite; I loved the masculine leanings of the decor and the historical architecture of the room. The arched windows stole my heart!