Re: W Hotel
I'm always suspicious of attempts to make places that have become avoided for a reason into "destinations". Even in its darkest days, Times Square was a vital transport hub. To try and pretend the Theatre District is worth lots of lighted advertisement strikes me as an artificial band-aid. On a similar note, I really hate Toronto's Dundas Square, a literal attempt to recreate Times Square, but it's at least in a relatively central location.
I'm not condemning the area forever, I'm just trying to give it a proper diagnosis. What would help it most of all would be an incentive to revive of Boston's nightlife and entertainment scene in the area - a revival that would preferably not solely be funded by Emerson College. A shot in the arm in the form of arts grants, small business loans for trendy little bars and music clubs, maybe even a dash of Combat Zone venues would be best for it.