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W Hotels

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Hospitality
Founded	1998
Headquarters	Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.
Number of locations	71 (2023)
Area served	Worldwide
Parent	Marriott International
Website	w-hotels.marriott.com

W Hotels is an American hotel chain founded by Starwood Hotels and Resorts but now owned by Marriott International operating around 70 upscale hotels and long-stay apartment facilities worldwide.

History

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

The earlier W Hotels in the U.S. were renovations of existing hotels within the Starwood group. Replacing the lobby with the "living room" concept, where guests could gather at the bar, differed from the traditional hotel. 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. 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.

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

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

In 2024, it was announced that the Delano Las Vegas which is located on the campus of Mandalay Bay will become the W Las Vegas.

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

References

1. "Starwood Hotels says it's exploring strategic alternatives". Fortune. Reuters. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
2. Trejos, Nancy (March 1, 2018). "W Hotels to drop original flagship hotel in New York City". USA Today. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
3. ^ Trejos, Nancy (November 25, 2019). "Marriott's Mission: Make W Hotels Cool Again". Yahoo! Finance. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
4. ^ Higley, Jeff (April 29, 2013). "W Put 'lifestyle' on Map 15 Years Ago". Hotel News Now.
5. "W Hotels: The McDonald's of Hipster Exclusivity". Slate. August 1, 2000. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
6. "The W Residences". Elevated Boston. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
7. "The W Residences". Urbanspace. Archived from the original on July 3, 2024. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
8. 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.
9. Clausing, Jeri (July 2, 2018). "W, the brand that invented 'lifestyle,' moves to abandon older properties". Travel Weekly.
10. "Starwood opens W Hotel in Istanbul". Travel News Asia. May 12, 2008.
11. "W Hotel Barcelona – first W in western Europe". Design Scene. October 1, 2009. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
12. "Marriott buys Starwood, becoming world's largest hotel chain". CNBC. September 23, 2016. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
13. MGM Resorts, Marriott to open W Las Vegas on Strip
14. "New Opening: W Hotels Prague". www.travelmarketreport.com. December 5, 2024. Retrieved December 6, 2024.

External links

Media related to W Hotels at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website

v t e W Hotels
Hotels	Foshay Tower Hotel Washington W Austin Hotel and Residences W Bangkok W Barcelona W Boston Hotel and Residences W Hong Kong W Taipei W Las Vegas canceled project W San Francisco W Sydney
Related	Marriott International
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v t e Marriott International
People	J. Willard Marriott (founder) Bill Marriott (Chairman & CEO)
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Related	List of Marriott hotels 2018 Marriott Hotels strike Marriott Bonvoy Marriott Vacations Worldwide
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• W Hotels
• Hotels established in 1998
• Marriott International brands
• Luxury brands