W Hotels
W Hotels is a luxury lifestyle hotel chain owned by Marriott International[3] that is generally marketed towards a younger age group than their other properties. As of December 31, 2018, W operates 55 hotels in 25 countries with 15,043 rooms and is continuing to expand both domestically and internationally.[1][2]
W New York - Union Square in Union Square, New York City | |
Industry | Hospitality |
---|---|
Founded | 1998 |
Number of locations | 55 hotels (December 31, 2018)[1][2] |
Area served | Worldwide |
Parent | Marriott International |
Website | w-hotels |
History
W Hotels was launched in 1998 with W New York,[4] a conversion of the old Doral Inn hotel at 541 Lexington Avenue in Manhattan. The first few W hotels were mainly conversions of existing hotels already within the Starwood group. In 2001 Starwood added W New York - Times Square and made it its Starship property. W Hotels expanded its number of properties quickly in the United States over the next decade and is now focusing its expansion efforts abroad for the most part.
W opened its first hotel in Europe in Istanbul in May 2008. The hotel, located in the renovated Akaretler Row Houses, a group of historic structures built in the 1870s to house the employees of the Dolmabahçe Palace, blends the traditional Ottoman design of the row houses with the contemporary feel of the luxury hotel chain. W Barcelona hotel was W's first in Western Europe and opened in October 2009. It features a futuristic design by architect Ricardo Bofill in the shape of a sail and, standing 26 stories tall, it can be seen from all over the city. W's most notable properties under-development include the 62 storey W Mumbai also known as Namaste Tower.
Features
The lobbies of all the hotels are known as the "Living Room" to embrace a personable and socially encouraging atmosphere. W Hotels attempt to include the letter W wherever possible - the swimming pool is known as "Wet," the concierge and Service Express use the slogan "Whatever/Whenever," valet is referred to as "Wheels," and the front desk is called "Welcome." Other cheeky branding queues that play up W Hotels cheeky and playful but still luxurious vibe can be found in their "P.A.W.S." or "Pets are Welcome" policy. Careful care is put into incorporating Ws into as many elements as possible, making for a tasteful, modern, and omnipresent reminder of staying somewhere different. W Hotels are often accompanied by their well regarded Bliss spas. W Hotels exclusively use Bliss products for all bathroom amenities.
Many W properties are co-located with luxury apartments known as "Residences at the W" such as W Boston and W Austin. These residences are also marketed towards a younger, more affluent demographic than other properties in the area.
All W properties are centered around the concept of showcasing the best features of their respective locales. W Hotels "cocktail culture" plays a large role in W's efforts to reflect their setting--many properties offer "champagne check-ins" and feature nightclubs with noteworthy local DJs and well-known artists performing.
Locations
North America
Canada - W Montréal
- W Toronto (Opening Summer 2020)
Mexico - W Mexico City
- W Punta de Mita
United States - W Aspen (Opening Summer 2019)
- W Atlanta - Buckhead
- W Atlanta - Downtown
- W Atlanta - Midtown
- W Austin Hotel and Residences
- W Bellevue
- W Boston
- W Chicago - Lakeshore
- W Chicago - City Center
- W Dallas - Victory
- W Fort Lauderdale
- W Hoboken
- W Hollywood
- W Los Angeles - West Beverly Hills
- W Miami
- W Minneapolis - The Foshay
- W Nashville (Opening 2020)
- W New Orleans - French Quarter
- W New York Downtown Hotel and Residences
- W New York - Times Square
- W New York - Union Square
- W Philadelphia (Opening June 2019)
- W San Francisco
- W Scottsdale
- W Seattle
- W South Beach
- W Washington, D.C.
Caribbean
Puerto Rico - W Vieques Island
Central America
Costa Rica - W Costa Rica
Panama - W Panama
Europe
Czech Republic - W Prague (Opening November 2020)
Spain - W Barcelona
- W Ibiza
- W Madrid (Opening June 2019)
Portugal - W Algarve (Opening March 2019)
Netherlands - W Amsterdam
Serbia - W Belgrade (Opening September 2021)
Hungary - W Budapest (Opening June 2020)
Turkey - W Istanbul
United Kingdom - W Edinburgh (Opening June 2021)
- W London - Leicester Square
France - W Paris - Opéra
Switzerland - W Verbier
Africa
- W Sharm El Sheikh (Opening July 2020)
- W Tangier (Morocco)
Middle East
- W Abu Dhabi - Yas Island
- W Amman
- W Dubai - The Palm
- W Doha
- W Muscat
Asia Pacific
- W Bali - Seminyak
- W Bali - Ubud (Opening Year 2020)
- W Bangkok
- W Beijing - Chang'an
- W Brisbane
- W Changsha (Opening June 30, 2019)
- W Chengdu (Opening January 1, 2019)
- W Goa
- W Guangzhou
- W Hong Kong
- W Jakarta (Opening January 2019)
- W Koh Samui
- W Kuala Lumpur
- W Maldives
- W Melbourne (Opening June 1, 2020)
- W Mumbai (Opening December 1, 2019)
- W Osaka (Opening February, 2021)
- W Sanya - Haitang Bay (Opening January 1, 2019)
- W Shanghai - The Bund
- W Shenyang (Opening January 1, 2019)
- W Singapore - Sentosa Cove
- W Suzhou
- W Sydney (Opening June 10, 2020)
- W Taipei
- W Xian (Opening January 1, 2019)
- W Xiamen (Opening September 1, 2019)
Gallery
- W in Washington D.C.
- W in Downtown NYC
- W in Union Square, NYC
- W in Boston
- W in Hoboken, New Jersey
- W in Dallas
- W in Barcelona
- W Hong Kong(rightmost)
- W in Bali
File:W Goa
References
- https://marriott.gcs-web.com/static-files/5a0ddc51-1246-422d-9743-61c0cb1198a4
- "Starwood Hotels and Resorts Annual Report" (PDF). Starwood Hotels and Resorts. 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
- Reuters. "Starwood Hotels says it's exploring strategic alternatives". Fortune. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
- Karmin, Craig (December 23, 2014). "Starwood's Sternlicht Returns to Hotel Operations". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved May 15, 2015.