W Hotels

Last updated

W Hotels
Company type Subsidiary
Industry Hospitality
Founded1998;27 years ago (1998)
Headquarters Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.
Number of locations
71 (2023)
Area served
Worldwide
Parent Marriott International
Website w-hotels.marriott.com OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

W Hotels is an American hotel chain franchise founded by Starwood Hotels and Resorts but now owned by Marriott International operating around 70 upscale hotels and long-stay apartment facilities worldwide. [1] Globally, the 2024 Average Daily Rate was $321, and Occupancy 67%. [2]

Contents

History

W Hotels was launched in 1998 with W New York, a conversion of the former Doral Inn hotel on Lexington Avenue, Manhattan. [3] [4] Barry Sternlicht, then CEO of Starwood Hotels and Resorts Hotels 1995–2005, created the brand. [5] The concept included dark, muted colors, brushed metal, hotel staff in black T-shirts, photographs, and a bar. [6] His demand for all-white bedding required manufacturers to develop white fabric that stayed clean without weekly dry cleaning. [5] Many properties are co-located with luxury apartments known as "Residences at the W", such as W Boston and W Austin. [7] [8] About 3 in 10 W Hotels have Residences. [9]

The earlier W Hotels in the U.S. were renovations of existing hotels within the Starwood group. [4] Replacing the lobby with the "living room" concept, where guests could gather at the bar, differed from the traditional hotel. [5] Although W Hotels receives credit for the idea, the underlying concept was once common. In the 1800s, the lobby provided a social gathering point in most communities. In earlier eras, the bar was often unseparated from the lobby. [4] In 2001, Starwood added W New York - Times Square, a design model for the rapid expansion of properties in the United States over the next decade. [10]

W Hotels opened its first hotel in Europe in Istanbul in 2008. Within the renovated Akaretler Row Houses, a group of historic structures built in the 1870s to house the employees of the Dolmabahçe Palace. [11] Opened in 2009, W Barcelona hotel was W's first in Western Europe. [12]

In 2012, W Hotels opened its first property in Singapore — W Singapore-Sentosa Cove on Sentosa Island — marking the brand’s 43rd hotel worldwide and its seventh in the Asia-Pacific region. [13]

In 2016, Marriott incorporated the W chain into its own portfolio as part of its acquisition of Starwood. [14]

In 2024, the Delano Las Vegas, located within the Mandalay Bay, and owned by MGM Resorts International & VICI Properties, became the W Las Vegas. [15]

In December 2024, W Hotels opened W Prague at the Grand Hotel Evropa in Prague, its first hotel in the Czech Republic. [16]

W Hotel in Union Square, Manhattan W Hotel in Union Square New York City.JPG
W Hotel in Union Square, Manhattan
W Hotel in Barcelona Hotel W Barcelona (2).jpg
W Hotel in Barcelona
W Hotel in Sydney 20230909 W Sydney.jpg
W Hotel in Sydney

References

  1. "Starwood Hotels says it's exploring strategic alternatives". Fortune . Reuters . Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  2. "Marriott International Reports ... Full Year 2024 Results". Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2024 : Average Daily Rate (ADR), Occupancy Rate : 320.94, 67.0 %
  3. Trejos, Nancy (March 1, 2018). "W Hotels to drop original flagship hotel in New York City". USA Today . Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 Trejos, Nancy (November 25, 2019). "Marriott's Mission: Make W Hotels Cool Again". Yahoo! Finance. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 Higley, Jeff (April 29, 2013). "W Put 'lifestyle' on Map 15 Years Ago". Hotel News Now.
  6. "W Hotels: The McDonald's of Hipster Exclusivity". Slate . August 1, 2000. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  7. "The W Residences". Elevated Boston. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  8. "The W Residences". Urbanspace. Archived from the original on July 3, 2024. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  9. Jones, Rhys (January 27, 2022). "What is a W Hotel? We look at the history and background". Head for Points . Archived from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved July 3, 2024. There are currently around 60 W Hotels worldwide, with many more in the pipeline. [...] There are currently 18 W Hotels with Residences.
  10. Clausing, Jeri (July 2, 2018). "W, the brand that invented 'lifestyle,' moves to abandon older properties". Travel Weekly.
  11. "Starwood opens W Hotel in Istanbul". Travel News Asia. May 12, 2008.
  12. "W Hotel Barcelona – first W in western Europe". Design Scene. October 1, 2009. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  13. "W Hotels Opens W Singapore-Sentosa Cove". September 20, 2012.
  14. "Marriott buys Starwood, becoming world's largest hotel chain". CNBC . September 23, 2016. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  15. MGM Resorts, Marriott to open W Las Vegas on Strip
  16. "New Opening: W Hotels Prague". www.travelmarketreport.com. December 5, 2024. Retrieved December 6, 2024.

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