W New York Union Square

This morning a water pipe burst in our house.

We went blissfully about our business when we woke up, totally unaware that down below in the depths of our basement, chaos was erupting: water cascading out of a pipe at such strength that firefighters could have driven off flames with it. It was only when we were heading out of the house through the basement that we became aware of our own personal Antarctica - big sheets of ice by the garage door, cold water floating everywhere else.

Nice.

What does all of this have to do with the W, you ask? Nothing, except for the fact that we were there the previous night and boy do we wish we were back there now...

The W hotel chain isn't the first one that comes to mind when one thinks "family-friendly." But of course, part of our quest is to find those hotels that may not necessarily make a big deal out of advertising that fact, but that do a bang-up job of welcoming you once you get there.

The W Hotel Union Square definitely does a bang-up job.

Service Pros: When we first arrived at the hotel, coming in out of what felt like sub-zero temperatures, the front desk staff immediately offered our daughter some hot chocolate and apples. A weird combo, yes, but being hungry and cold, hey, it worked. D loved the cocoa so much she had 3 cups, which they kept supplying without complaint. The staff was more than just gracious to D - they genuinely seemed to like children and really pampered her.

Service Cons: The only problem - mainly because of being 5 months pregnant - was the door service. Now, we're usually okay with opening a door for ourselves, but the front doors at the W are heavy, made moreso by the fierce arctic winds churning across Union Square. More often than not we had to open those babies ourselves because the lone doorman was already occupied. Note to management: can you get more doormen? Please? We can vouch for the fact that you sometimes actually have more than one guest entering and/or leaving the hotel at a time...

Room Pros: We had a Spectacular room, which was definitely big enough for two adults and a toddler not to feel cramped, and did feel rather spectacular. The room sported a king-sized bed with really plush down pillows that I wanted to steal; cots and cribs are available and the room easily accommodates either one. The room is nicely decorated in neutral beige and brown tones, complemented by eggplant and gray touches like throws on the chairs and throw pillows that were also soft and huggable. The DVD player was a big hit, especially since we were prepared for it with a Laurie Berkner DVD for D. (W has a selection of DVDs for you to choose from but we didn't get to see how much of it is kid fare.) D also liked the cool lounge music already loaded into the bedside CD player and we danced around the room to it like lunatics in front of the floor length mirror (see more on that below).

For some reason we never seem to have enough towels when we travel. That was not a problem here. Washcloths and bath towels were big, plentiful and plush. The tile around the bathtub made it feel more like a homey NYC apartment than a hotel, which was a nice touch.

Room Cons: The duvet cover on the bed was a mauve matte silky material, which had us running around behind D as she gobbled up her pizza and fries out of fear that she would leave greasy fingerprints on the damn thing. Of course, she did manage to get one or two small ones on there. Oops.)

There was a fabulous mirror, at least 7 feet tall and framed in hardwood, propped up against the wall. We loved it and if staying sans toddler, we would have loved it even more. The problem was, all of us loved it: D kept hugging it and leaning on it. We kept seeing images of it crashing down on her, which made it hard to relax and appreciate her healthy self-image as she vigorously kissed and hugged her reflection.

The window in our room (# 2007) was very narrow, although it had a great night view. But since the ceilings were extremely tall and the drapes were heavy as well as ceiling high, it was impossible to close them - we couldn't get the drapery to move across the rod. Not so great when you're trying to fool a child into thinking it's not time to get up yet.

For those that care, they were rather spare with the bathroom amenities (bar of soap, shower cap, shoe mitt on the bathroom counter, body wash, shampoo and conditioning rinse from Bliss in the bath) but we didn't mind - we usually bring our own anyhow and it must save money, trees, parts of the Amazon rainforest and a polar bear or two. (The several unexpected doodads they put on the minibar - from a teddy bear to an intimacy kit, ooh la la - might make up for those that like "stuff", but those are all for purchase.)

One other feature that was cool for the childless but maybe not so cool for parents of toddlers: the sliding door on the bathroom. It's a great spacesaver and makes complete sense in the room. With an opaque glass inset, it slides easily into place, but there was no lock - meaning it slid OUT of place just as easily. D literally caught the paternal unit with his pants down more than once, and giggled mercilessly. So much for privacy...

Room Service: The excellent Todd English's Olives New York restaurant is downstairs providing wonderful fare both in-restaurant and in your room. For room service, there is a child menu, with the usual faves: chicken fingers (which they were out of), hamburgers, mac and cheese, etc. When we ordered and included D, they were sweet enough to add 2 boxes of candy hearts gratis just for her. It warmed our hearts. It also pissed us off slightly. Of course, we loved that they added a special something for her. But the gentleman who brought our order up made a big deal of pointing them out to D, which made it all the harder to get her to eat her food first and not hit the candy immediately. Long after he left we were engaged in conversation, including tears and drama, about why we have to eat our food before the candy. It began to get very Rain Man. Note to management: Very thoughtful touch, but how about something healthier (we'd even take an oatmeal cookie) and placing it discreetly on the tray so that parents can decide if and when Junior gets it? We're not ungrateful, really; it's just hard to fight the lure of candy...

Restaurant: We ate at Olives for breakfast in the midst of downtown business people wheeling and dealing. There was enough on the menu to keep D happy : cold cereals, oatmeal, sausages, etc. All of the food was quite good, but if you want to save Olives for dinner there are other options in the surrounding area, including the Coffee Shop across Union Square, which also does a nice lunch and is far more fashionable than the name would imply.

Being a W, of course there is the requisite lounge just off the lobby, providing comfortable seating by day and turning into quite the dimly-lit scene at night. There's also the Underbar in the basement which we didn't peep at - why tease ourselves? We didn't get to make a visit on this trip, obviously, but we'll be back.

Fitness & Spa Stuff: The paternal unit tried out the fitness center and loved it. Each treadmill has its own TV - a small thing, maybe, but a luxury when the person already there is into Oprah and you want SportsCenter. The hotel doesn't have a spa but they can arrange for in-room services including mani/pedis or massages.

Other Info: This hotel is dog-friendly: you'll see bowls of kibble and water by the front door, as well as a pet menu alongside the human ones for room service. We love dogs ourselves, but when a big golden retriever got off the elevator and made a lunge for D (who was doing nothing to excite or even attract said dog), we did have to wonder what W would have done if it had bitten D. Maybe something for them (and the growing number of pet-friendly hotels) to think about.

Lastly, W has a Whatever/Whenever service that will provide whatever, well, whenever. As long as its legal, they'll help you do it: you can see some of the more unusual things they've done on their website. Our admittedly lame request came about when we bought salads from Whole Foods Market across Union Square and forgot to get utensils. Whatever/Whenever provided us with full place settings for 3. There was a nominal fee for this service, but given that it made the meal much nicer, it was worth it.

Hmmm...maybe we can get them to redo our basement.