What is a W Hotel? Everything you need to know about the ‘coolest’ hotel brand
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2023 will be the year that W Hotels celebrates its 25th anniversary. The brand has gone from strength to strength and you can now find these luxurious style icons in many major cities around the world as the brand continues an aggressive expansion plan.
In this article – the first in a new occasional series of overviews of the major global hotel brands – we look at the history of W Hotels, what you can expect when you stay at a W, future openings and a list of all our reviews of W hotels.
History of W Hotels
The first W Hotel to open was on Lexington Avenue, New York City, in 1998. The brand was founded by Starwood Hotels after it spotted a gap in the market for a more lifestyle and leisure focussed luxury hotel brand aimed at younger people.
(Ironically, the original property is now no longer part of the chain. It rebranded in 2018 – the brand had moved on by that point and it no longer compared well to newer openings – and closed for good in 2020.)
The idea behind the W was to create a fun, design-focussed hotel that took its influences from fashion, music and design rather than traditional business hotels.
Like IHG’s Kimpton chain, the brand maintains the luxury of top-class hotels but delivers a more casual experience, with staff in t-shirts rather than suits and a more personal, less stuffy service style.
The original W properties were converted from existing Starwood hotels, which placed restrictions on what could be done. As the chain grew it moved towards new-build openings which gave it more flexibility. The chain also moved further upmarket, a move driven by its customer base.
The first W to open in Europe was the W Istanbul in 2008, followed by the iconic W Barcelona in 2009. Other European properties currently open include Ibiza, Verbier, Amsterdam and London (Leicester Square).
There are currently around 60 W Hotels worldwide, with many more in the pipeline.
Branding
Marriott categorises W Hotels in its top bracket of brands, under ‘distinctive luxury’.
Many W Hotels also offer serviced luxury apartments under the ‘Residences at the W’ brand. These let guests enjoy hotel-style living with access to all the amenities you can expect at a W Hotel including 24 hour concierge, daily housekeeping and more. There are currently 18 W Hotels with Residences.
W Escapes is a sub-brand which is used for ‘resort’ hotels in the portfolio.
W Hotels became part of the Marriott Bonvoy family in 2016, when Marriott acquired Starwood Hotels. You can now earn and redeem Marriott Bonvoy points at W Hotels worldwide. Our guide to the Marriott Bonvoy program is here.
What you can expect at a W Hotel
W Hotels share a number of unique features that distinguish them from other hotel brands.
Instead of a lobby, you can expect to find a ‘Living Room’ that acts as a natural gathering place for the hotel with a bar and seating.
W Hotels have a unique naming convention for their guest rooms. Instead of traditional naming schemes, you can expect to find ‘Cozy’ and ‘Wonderful’ rooms all the way to ‘Fabulous’ and ‘Spectacular’ suites.
The top-category room is always called the ‘Extreme WOW Suite’ and you can expect to find this in every W Hotel or Resort. The room categories are usually as follows, from lowest to highest:
- Cozy Room
- Wonderful Room
- Fabulous Room
- Fantastic Room
- Marvellous Room
- Spectacular Suite
- WOW Suite
- Extreme WOW Suite
W Hotels use Davines MOMO and /skin regimen/ branded toiletries, which recently replaced the Bliss brand:
The shower gel, soap and body cream are exclusive to W Hotels, although you can buy them on the W Hotels shop.
Pools at W Hotels are called ‘WET Decks’ whilst concierge is called ‘Whatever/Whenever‘.
A big emphasis is placed on live music, with W Hotels many featuring their own nightclubs and hosting club nights with celebrated DJs. Music takes more of a chill vibe during the day, although you’ll still often find DJs mixing chillout music at the WET Deck. In the evenings you can expect more of a party vibe, particularly with WET Deck pool parties.
Future openings
W Hotels has expanded significantly in recent years, with openings in Rome, Melbourne, Osaka and more.
In the next few years W Hotels will open new properties in Edinburgh, the Algarve, Sydney, Dubai and Toronto.
Our W Hotel reviews
We have reviewed a number of W Hotels in recent years. Our review of the W Barcelona is here, whilst our review of the newly opened W Ibiza is here. We have also reviewed the W Dubai – The Palm.
Other guides in this series
Confused about the differences between all of Marriott Bonvoy’s 30+ hotel brands? We’ve written a series of guides to explain what you can expect:
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How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (March 2025)
There are various ways of earning Marriott Bonvoy points from UK credit cards. Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.
The official Marriott Bonvoy American Express card comes with 20,000 points for signing up, 2 points for every £1 you spend and 15 elite night credits per year.
You can apply here.
Marriott Bonvoy American Express
20,000 points for signing up and 15 elite night credits each year Read our full review
You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points by converting American Express Membership Rewards points at the rate of 2:3.
Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Marriott Bonvoy Gold status for as long as they hold the card? It also comes with Hilton Honors Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.
We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.
The Platinum Card from American Express
80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review
You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points indirectly:
- American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
- American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)
and for small business owners:
- American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
- American Express Business Platinum (50,000 bonus Amex points)
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 8th April 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 60,000 points. You receive 40,000 points when you spend £6,000 within three months and a further 20,000 points if you spend on the card between Month 14 and Month 17. Points convert 1:1 into Avios and many other programmes. Click here to apply.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 8th April 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to 120,000 points. You receive 80,000 points when you spend £12,000 within three months and a further 40,000 points if you spend on the card between Month 14 and Month 17. Points convert 1:1 into Avios and many other programmes. Click here to apply.
The conversion rate from American Express to Marriott Bonvoy points is 2:3.
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