HOTEL W HOBOKEN

I recently spent a weekend in Hoboken, one of the best little cities in existence.  I decided to stay in town, and that meant that I was at the somewhat pricey W Hoboken.  Since I am normally at a Holiday Inn (I've belonged to their loyalty program for decades), I thought I'd give my thoughts as a point of contrast.  The W is about $100 more than the Holiday Inn in Manhattan, and it is nice.  The room was spacious, and had a variety of mood lighting choices.  I particularly liked their choice for the obligatory side chair, as I do like to sit with my feet up..

Of course, it is big enough for two, but I had to make do by myself. 

Another cute touch was a small metal cylinder on the desk, which puzzled me until I called down to the desk for an explanation .  It turned out to be a kaleidoscope.  Such an odd touch!  And there was another in the mini-bar: a so-called 'intimacy kit' consisting of a condom and some lubricants.  Sadly, I hadn't an occasion to use that item.  The mini-bar wasn't the only way to spend money in the room, though.  Placed around the room were three bottles of water.  One was complimentary, the other two were so-called 'smart water' and were $5.  But as they were marked in a soft grey font the price could easily be overlooked.  Bit sneaky, if you ask me.

The building is designed as a V pointed at Manhattan, so that the rooms on either side all have NYC views.  I was on the south side and this was mine - the Freedom Tower.

Of course, if the building next door gets any higher, some of the W's rooms will drop in value.

And speaking of views, there was a full-length mirror in the shower, which has to be the oddest place for a mirror imaginable.  After all, I have often joked that there is a picture of my naked body in Webster's under O, for obscene.  Thankfully, it got steamed over!  Unfortunately, although the water was hot enough, the pressure was anemic.  This is one of my pet peeves with hotel managements, and I hardly expected this issue at this pricey a place.  On the other hand, they did provide robes, which is a nice touch, although I was once again able to prove that 'one size fits all' doesn't.

Two final quibbles.  Their cable service didn't include the NBC Sports Channel, which meant I had to watch the Olympic events on tape delay, rather than live.  And they charge for Internet access, which seems very chintzy.