KEY POINTS:
I've been known to filch the odd thing from hotel rooms over the years.
Those high-end lotions and potions they put in the bathroom, the fluffy white towelling slippers that come in sealed plastic bags (only once, and I still feel a little guilty) and even the teabags if they make a robust brew and they're the sort you can't find in the supermarket.
But I draw the line at the TV and the remote control that goes with it.
Or bundling the monogrammed velvet blanket into my suitcase. And I wouldn't know where to begin dismantling an entire marble fireplace and sneaking it down the stairwell piece by piece.
But people do it. Annually, in the United States, guests steal up to $100 million of hotel goods.
I must admit I've long hankered after a hotel bed - king-sized, wrapped in the crispiest, whitest sheets, the sort that makes you feel like you're the first person who has ever slept there.
If there had been a chance I could safely smuggle it past the concierge desk and into the back of the Toyota Camry without anyone blinking an eye, I probably would have taken it.
Which may be one reason hotels have begun selling their wares online. Rather than trying to wedge a king-sized bed out the door, the Westin will now pack one and deliver it to my home.
Everything from the 100 per cent white cotton sheets and feather pillows to the goosedown duvet and the specially designed bed that features in the hotel's 172 rooms can be bought to take home.
The Westin is the first Auckland hotel to sell its furnishings to guests. But then the Westin likes to do things a little differently. Recognising that in most cases one five-star hotel is pretty much like the next - apart from perhaps the view and the colour of the furniture - the Westin has positioned itself as the Deepak Chopra of hotels. The gym is referred to as a wellness centre, and scented candles are lit around the foyer each night, filling the room with the hotel's signature white tea scent.
Guests can have a room transformed into a "serene sanctuary" while a spa therapist provides a private treatment. Those in a more energetic mood not wanting to leave their room, can have workout equipment, such as treadmills and exercycles, delivered.
The hotel has adopted superfoods - those powerhouse ingredients, including blueberries, spinach, salmon and walnuts, that are rich in nutrients and antioxidants and meant to improve your health - on to its menu. On the in-room dining room you'll find waffles with roasted coconut, blueberry compote, walnuts and vanilla yoghurt or porridge with blossom honey.
The idea is to leave you feeling better than when you arrived - refreshed and healthier.
That doesn't mean there isn't the chance to overindulge as the minibar is well-stocked and guests can call room service in the middle of the night and have a three-course meal delivered while they're taking a bubble bath. As the wise Dr Seuss said, these things are fun and fun is good.
The way to make the most of a day and night at the Westin is to begin at the hotel's spa, Senses, which offers a mix of contemporary spa treatments and age-old Thai therapies. The hostess offers a calming ginger tea and warm towels before you head to a low-lit room for your treatment. Within minutes, you feel in a meditative state and at one stage I fell asleep during my hydrating facial, which included a terrific massage, but the beautician didn't seem to mind.
Then it's back to the room. Here, the Westin ticks all the boxes - floor-to-ceiling windows offering views of the Auckland Harbour and the Viaduct, a private balcony off every room, an oversized luxury bathroom and plenty of space. As well, of course, the aforementioned covetable king-sized bed.
Before dinner there is a nightly "wind-down ritual" that is unique to the hotel.
Guests can gather on the pontoon near the hotel living room and - with drinks in hand - race remote-controlled yachts.
The idea behind it is that businesspeople who travel are often on their own and it's a good way to get them to interact and relax. It's also good fun.
The Westin's restaurant, Q, is a short walk from the living room but it feels like it's a world away. With its orange, yellow, and black-glowing marble walls, chain-metal curtains and gorgeous waterside views, it's one of the most elegant eating spots in Auckland.
And the only one where you can moor your boat, walk a few paces and step right into the dining room.
The menu, inspired by Italian country cooking, is printed monthly, making the most of available seasonal food. We had king prawns, salmon, steak and lemon souffle on the night we were there and it would easily rate as one of our top dinners.
It's true that in such a terrific location, with its waterside views and city buzz, it would be hard for a hotel to go wrong.
But the Westin has gone out of its way to offer something different to local and international guests. Rather than a place to lay your head for the night, it feels a bit more like an inner-city retreat.
And if leaving is hard, remember you can take the bed with you. However, it's extra to have the maid come to your house and turn down your sheets each night.
Michele Crawshaw was hosted for the night by the Westin Auckland Lighter Quay.
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Guests staying at The Westin Auckland Lighter Quay can now relive their night of comfort - without paying a cent more. From now until January 18, guests booking a Friday, Saturday or Sunday night will receive two king-size pillows and matching pillowcases (worth $340) from the Westin's "Heavenly Bed" range.
Last year alone, Westin sold more than $13 million worth of Heavenly Beds and linen through its website in North America, Europe and the Middle East. Yet most sales were directly to guests wanting to replicate the experience at home.
The "Take A Piece of Heaven Home" deal, priced from $390 a room, includes an overnight stay for two, full breakfast, valet parking and the pillow gift. Phone the hotel on (09) 909 9000 by quoting "heaven" or book via the website www.westin.com/auckland.
