W London, Located in the Heart of London’s Entertainment Scene, Celebrates the Dual Personality of the Brit.

W Hotels Worldwide today premieres its newest flagship hotel, W London – Leicester Square, the W brand’s 40^th hotel globally. Set in the epicentre of London’s entertainment scene, W London is situated on the corner of Leicester Square and Wardour Street, nestled between cultural Soho and the world famous square. The building, which was developed by Northern Irish property company McAleer & Rushe, stands 10-storeys tall and is veiled in translucent glass that will change colour according to the time of day, the ambience of the area or happenings within the hotel and city. The opening of W London marks a significant milestone in the W brand’s global expansion, coinciding with today’s opening of W Taipei.

“From New York City, the birthplace of W Hotels, to London – from Times Square to Leicester Square –, this iconic opening is sure to propel the W brand in its continued transformation into a global powerhouse.”

“London is an important gateway city globally, and the opening of W London has been highly anticipated by us all,” said Eva Ziegler, Global Brand Leader, W Hotels Worldwide. “From New York City, the birthplace of W Hotels, to London – from Times Square to Leicester Square –, this iconic opening is sure to propel the W brand in its continued transformation into a global powerhouse.”

Through W Hotels’ unique and distinctive programming, W London is set to become a new scene in the city for both guests and locals alike. The hotel features 192 guest rooms, including 17 suites, three WOW suites and one Extreme WOW suite as well as the UK’s first Spice Market, a signature restaurant by three Michelin-starred chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, inspired by the vibrant street life of South East Asia and Wyld, a new take on the hotel bar scene run by London-based nightlife gurus, Ignite Group.

W London also features the signature W Lounge welcome experience, offering cocktails and bites with a twist on traditional English favourites; SWEAT^®, state-of-the-art fitness facility, offering rooftop views of Soho and beyond as well as exclusive images by photographer Marcel Van Der Vlugt; AWAY^® Spa with a focus on detox and refuel; a modern Screening Room with seating for 38; and W Studio Spaces that are dynamic enough to host a cocktail reception, board meeting or cosy dinner. All of this is supported by the W brand’s signatureWhatever/Whenever service philosophy, providing guests whatever they want – from a private fashion show to an insider tour of London’s alternative nightlife scene – whenever they want it, as long as it’s legal!

“We are thrilled to launch the W brand in the UK with the opening of W London,” said Roeland Vos, President, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Europe, Africa and Middle East (EAME). “After opening W hotels in Istanbul, Doha and Barcelona, the brand is on track to more than double its footprint over the next three years with further new hotels in prime destinations such as St. Petersburg, Paris and Milan.”

Design – Buttoned Up, Buttoned Down

Taking inspiration from its surroundings, the duality of British culture forms the basis for W London’s design concept – Savile Row meets Soho. Amsterdam based design team, Concrete, has crafted an interior to specifically suit the contemporary business and leisure traveller for work and for play. Within the hotel, an attitude of formal day turns quickly into informal night aided by classic design with a contemporary twist and nightlife accents.

W Lounge – Britishness Remixed

The W Lounge is a contemporary expression of British culture, reflecting the duality of the Englishman. The open fires and double-depth modern Chesterfield sofas are complemented by fine British food and drinks – traditional classics reworked with a modern touch. Serving breakfast, all day dining, afternoon tea and with a full service bar, the W Lounge is a perfect space for guests to spend all day and all night.

Wyld – Bringing Rock ‘n’ Roll back to Soho

Run by the Ignite Group, whose CEO is Matthew Hermer, and named after Sir John Wyld, a Victorian entrepreneur who specialised in outrageous large-scale entertainment projects, Wyld brings the wow factor back to central London’s hotel bar scene. The music and drinks have been inspired by Rock ‘n’ Roll London taking inspiration from Soho’s musical heritage and featuring a specially curated premium tequila selection, alongside a full service bar.

Spice Market – From New York to London

At W London, three Michelin-starred chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten premieres the sister restaurant of the iconic Spice Market in New York’s Meatpacking District. The toast of the New York restaurant scene, Vongerichten has teamed up with Chef de Cuisine Tim Tolley to create bold and tantalising dishes, inspired by the street flavours of South East Asia. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, there are 34 seats downstairs available for dining, along with a cocktail lounge and sushi bar. The upstairs area can host 95 guests with an open kitchen and a private dining room that can accommodate up to 40 guests.

Guestrooms – London by Day and Night

W London’s guestrooms feature an innovative design with unexpected details, unique to W and never before showcased in a London hotel. This focuses on the changing needs and demands of guests and their desire for a more studio-inspired open space. The ‘studio living’ concept no longer recognises the bathroom and bedroom as two entirely separate areas, rather as spaces that flow into each other, though privacy still remains. This design spirit of ‘duality’ continues into the public spaces where huge floor-to-ceiling windows draw in light and frame the architecture of Soho behind them.

Screening Room – The Heart of London Film

Further enhancing W’s passion for entertainment, the 38-seater 3-D state-of-the-art Screening Room is just off the W Lounge, which allows guests to mix and mingle before taking in the newest flick. The screening room is used for exclusive private hire and is sure to become the hottest new venue for small scale premieres.

AWAY Spa – Relax and Detox

The hotel’s AWAY Spa offers a full range of treatments to help guests unwind and recover. Guests can indulge in body treatments, waxing, manicures, pedicures, brow and eyelash tinting and facials. AWAY Spa guests can also access SWEAT, state-of-the-art fitness facility, where guests can book a personal training session or use any of the equipment at their leisure.

W Hotels Worldwide will continue to showcase what’s new and next in design with the opening of six new W Hotels around the world in 2011.

Design has been at the forefront of W Hotels since the opening of the David Rockwell-designed W New York – the first ever W Hotel – more than 12 years ago and has evolved with more recent hotel openings by designers such as Patricia Urquiola (W Vieques), United Design (W Doha), and Ricardo Bofill (W Barcelona), among others. As a way to further fuel innovation in design, W Hotels has also forged unique design partnerships such as its “W Hotels Designers of the Future” award with Design Miami/Basel.

“Design has always been an integral part of the W brand,” said Eva Ziegler, Global Brand Leader of W Hotels Worldwide and Le Méridien. “As W continues to transform into a global powerhouse, we have evolved our design approach to include contextual insights that lead to locally relevant designs bound together by W’s DNA.”

On track to reach more than 50 hotels by the end of 2012, W Hotels will, this year, open:

W Taipei (February 14, 2011) – GA Design International has created a “nature electrified” design concept that fuses the rural surroundings of Taipei with the vibrant, high voltage core of the city. W Hotels Designer of the Future winner Zigelbaum + Coelho has also been commissioned to create an interactive chandelier for the hotel.

W London Leicester Square (February 14, 2011) – Debuting as the 40th W Hotel globally, W London has been designed by renowned London architects Jestico + Whiles and Dutch interior design agency, Concrete. Veiled in translucent glass that will change color according to the time of day or happenings in the city or hotel, the 10-story hotel is sure to become the epicenter of entertainment. Interiors are based on the “dual personality” of the Englishman – buttoned-up by day and uninhibited and free-spirited by night.

W St. Petersburg (March 2011) – With architecture by Grigoriev + Partners and interior design by Milan-based Antonio Citterio and Partners, W St. Petersburg will be located in a historic building near the lavish Winter Palace, a new place to experience the white of night. Inspired by the jewel-tones and layers of a Fabergé Egg, the “hidden gem” design of the hotel will reveal surprises throughout the guest experience.

W Retreat Bali – Seminyak (March 2011) – For its latest Retreat experience, W Hotels has partnered with SCDA Design International and AB Concepts Hong Kong. An island marked by worship and celebration, the design of W Bali was inspired by the more than 20,000 temples that populate the Island – each with private inner courtyards and public outer courtyards that constantly “conceal and reveal,” introducing a new scene unseen.

W Paris – Opéra (December 2011) – Located steps from the world-famous Opéra Garnier, W Paris – Opéra has been designed by Rockwell Group Europe (“RGe”) and inspired by both the energy of New York City – W’s birthplace – and Paris as the “City of Light.” Sure to light up the refined district, W Paris will melt the somber traditions of the 1870s Haussman-era building in which it will be housed with a “spark” of modern radiance.

W Guangzhou (December 2011) – With architecture by Hong Kong-based Rocco Design and interiors by renowned Yabu Pushelberg, the design of W Guangzhou, located in the city’s buzzing Zhujiang district, has been inspired by the region’s ancient Kesi Tapestries. Throughout the hotel, guests will find themes around unraveling, mesh work and emerging patterns.

Inspired by these unique design personalities of W Hotels around the world, W has recently launched the Global Glam collection of exclusive designer fashion and accessories. An intrinsic expression of design, W Hotels is using Fashion to communicate its global growth. This week, during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York, W will launch the fourth season of the Global Glam collection, reflecting the designs of W Taipei (opening February 14, 2011), W Austin (opened December 2010) and W Mexico City (undergoing renovation).

In 2010, W Hotels had an exciting presence at key international design weeks, kicking the year off by announcing a partnership with Design Miami/Basel, the most prominent and substantive forum for international design. The new alliance began at Salone del Mobile in Milan in April, when Design Miami/ Basel announced the “W Hotels Designers of the Future Award” recipients. The four winners of the first ever W-sponsored prize – Beta Tank, Graham Hudson, rAndom International and Zigelbaum + Coelho – debuted exclusive concepts for W Hotels at Art Basel Switzerland in June and then presented these works at various W Hotels across Europe throughout the year. The designers’ projects are also being integrated into soon to open W Hotels around the world. In September 2010, W was an official sponsor of Istanbul Design Week, hosting a Young Designer Competition and also displaying the innovative “W Hotels Designers of the Future” works within W Istanbul. Closing out 2010, W Hong Kong hosted a variety of special events, dinners and presentations during Hong Kong’s annual Business of Design Week in December.

Just weeks after the grand opening of the first Edition hotel, in The Waikiki EDITION in Hawaii, Marriott International has acquired the historic Berners Hotel in London and will spend two years renovating it into The London Edition.

The 175-year-old Berners has been closed since 2006 and was placed in administration in August of this year. The purchase price has not been disclosed, but analysts estimate it to be less than US$100 million.

“We are delighted to acquire Berners. It is a perfect property for an Edition hotel in London,” says Arne Sorenson, Marriott’s president and chief operating officer. “With its great location, beautiful façade, the building is a perfect canvass for creating a true work of art.”

The new boutique Edition brand was conceived by Ian Schrager in partnership with Marriott. “I am thrilled to be returning to London for an incredibly special and historical building like Berners Hotel,” Schrager says. “I am excited and passionate about creating an authentic and original experience for this special Edition hotel in this gateway city.”

Marriott expects to open the brand’s second property, The Istanbul Edition, early next year. Earlier this year, Marriott also acquired the Seville Hotel in Miami Beach to redesign and redevelop into an Edition hotel. Marriott plans to manage the hotels under long-term agreements after selling them to third-party owners.

Sol Meliá has announced the acquisition from Anida, a subsidiary of the BBVA bank, of the City Bank building in London, redesigned as a cutting-edge contemporary hotel by the British architect Norman Foster, winner of the Pritzker Prize for architecture and the Prince Felipe of Asturias Award for the Arts.

The hotel is in the final stage of construction and is located in the tourist and business heart of London, next to Covent Garden and Trafalgar Square, in the district of Holborn. The building has 10 room floors and four underground floors and occupies a triangular piece of land which was previously the site of the famous “Casa Marconi” and the City Bank building. The hotel will provide 173 rooms in four different categories and its strategic location and characteristics – it will also offer a 730 m2 Convention Centre and spectacular restaurants and bars – will make the future ME London Hotel an icon of the London hotel industry for both business and leisure travellers.

The ME London is expected to open in 2012 and will become the second hotel for the Sol Meliá chain in the British capital, joining the Melia White House, located next to Regent’s Park and which has enjoyed a decade of uninterrupted success.

The acquisition has been made for 133 million euros and Sol Meliá will take over responsibility for finalising construction and equipping the hotel, estimated in 52 million euros.

The operation supports the Sol Meliá strategy for growth in its hotel business through enhanced brand equity, one of the focuses of the company’s Strategic Plan in recent years, and thanks to which the company has been able to combine rigorous control over costs and investments while also taking advantage of the most attractive market opportunities which have arisen during the crisis, including assets which have become available due to the real estate crash.

As explained by the Vice Chairman and CEO of Sol Meliá, Gabriel Escarrer Jaume, “this deal brings the addition of a strategic asset in a key destination, and also positions the brand in one of the most important feeder markets in the world travel industry”.

Sol Meliá is confident that the ME London, located in the heart of London’s social and business life, will further raise its brand awareness and reputation in international markets. The ME by Meliá brand is the most innovative and avant-garde luxury brand operated by Sol Meliá and currently includes two hotels in Spain, the ME Madrid and ME Barcelona, and two in Mexico, the ME Cancun and ME Cabo, with the addition also scheduled of the ME Vienna, occupying 22 floors of the tallest building in the Austrian capital.

Designed to be integrated like the other ME brand hotels within the fabric of city life, the Foster-designed hotel will have 2 destination restaurants and bars at ground level, a “The Level” floor, and a lounge providing an extraordinary setting for leisure and business travellers, astonishing urban views and distribution of internal spaces.

Built in line with the most rigorous standards, the ME London hotel is scheduled to open in 2012 with “Biosphere Hotel” certification, a social and environmental hallmark already granted to the ME Madrid, ME Cancun and ME Barcelona” hotels of the same brand.

Project Orange was recently approached to design a new 15m2 concept room to further develop The Hoxton Hotel‘s existing brand of ‘urban comfort’

Says James Soane of Project Orange “Since the mid-nineties much gentrification has occurred within Shoreditch, however the urban fabric remains gritty. Our interpretation of the context lead us to propose a bedroom set within aged and distressed building fabric with a mixture of newer, more luxurious artefacts placed within it. The walls, floor and ceiling reflect something about the urban condition, whilst the loose furnishings offer comfort and provide users with what they need.”

Raw plaster walls and a painted concrete ceiling create the room shell. A semi-circular glass shower creates a focus in the bedroom and brings natural light into the bathroom. The built-in  2m x 2m bed is constructed from old reclaimed floorboards allows for different lounging positions. There is a long desk for work, and a purposely-distressed carpet underfoot. A screen-printed sheet of plywood slides into place to cover the window, and doubles as a piece of robust artwork.

Soane concludes: “To complete the room, we carefully collaged the loose furnishings to suggest a quirky  juxtaposition with the distressed aesthetic. The result is a room that has a story – it feels authentic and personal – a million miles away from a standard hotel room.

www.projectorange.com

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is growing its boutique hotel portfolio opening a new Hotel Indigo in London today, situated moments from the city’s iconic Tower Bridge.

Located on Minories in the City of London, between Aldgate and the Tower of London, Hotel Indigo London-Tower Hill has 44 bedrooms and two suites. The converted office building will offer guests easy access to the city’s most famous sights, with excellent transport links to London’s airports and train stations. Owned by the Thai Square Group, the hotel has eight floors with a bar, two restaurants and views over Tower Bridge from the top floors.

Hotel Indigo is IHG’s newest hotel brand and offers guests boutique hotel design with the peace of mind they get from staying with a large hotel group. There are 34 hotels open worldwide and 53 more planned including four new hotels in the UK. The brand began its global roll out last year with the opening of Hotel Indigo London-Paddington in January 2010.

All Hotel Indigo properties have a unique character. Brand standards don’t dictate the number or size of rooms, making it ideally suited to conversion properties. Conversions are attractive to developers because they require less financing than new builds and can be up and running in a shorter period of time.

Kirk Kinsell, IHG’s president for Europe, Middle East and Africa, commented: “Hotel Indigo is our youngest brand but it’s already proving to be a winning formula. We opened the first Hotel Indigo in the UK last year and have since signed five new hotels in London, Liverpool and Glasgow. The success of the brand lies with the fact that it offers guests the best of both worlds – the individuality and unique design you get at a boutique hotel with the reassurance and benefits of booking with a big hotel group.”

Haim Danous, managing director, Thai Square Group, said: “Our location close to the historic Tower Bridge and Tower of London but also moments from London’s financial centre makes the hotel an ideal base for tourists and businesspeople. Because we have just 44 bedrooms and two suites, we’re able to provide a personalised approach to customer service which we believe will be a winning formula with our guests.”

In October last year, IHG signed two new Hotel Indigo properties in Glasgow and Liverpool. Hotel Indigo Glasgow with 96 bedrooms and the 151-room Hotel Indigo Liverpool are both scheduled to open in spring 2011.

Hotel Indigo first launched in Atlanta in 2004. IHG plans to open its first Hotel Indigo in Asia later this year. Hotel Indigo Shanghai on the Bund is expected to open to guests in autumn. IHG has also signed the first Hotel Indigo in Southeast Asia. Hotel Indigo Bangkok Wireless Road is expected to open by the end of 2012.

Luxury hotel brand’s first European outpost set to open in summer 2011

Thompson Hotels, an elite collection of service and design-driven hotels in major urban centers, has proudly announced its transatlantic expansion with the planned addition of Belgraves, a Thompson Hotel to its portfolio.  In a joint venture with The Harilela Group, Belgraves is scheduled to open in summer 2011 in London’s affluent and international Belgravia neighborhood, featuring bold interior architecture and design by acclaimed British designer, Tara Bernerd and architectural design by EPR Architects.  The 85-room hotel will include an 80-seat signature restaurant, an intimate library bar and a fitness center, offering a seductive oasis in the heart of Central London.  The chic and eclectic lobby is set to become a second home for both hotel guests and London’s glitterati alike.

“Our first hotel, 60 Thompson in NY, was ideologically based on the intimacy of British hotels,” said Jason Pomeranc, co-owner of Thompson Hotels.  ”They have always been an inspiration to our brand, particularly those of London, and the British traveler has been very supportive of our US hotels.  London is a natural transition for the Thompson brand.  The opening of Belgraves brings us full circle.”

Blending traditional British hospitality with an American bohemian attitude, Belgraves will interpret the Thompson luxury experience in London, joining the on-going creative movement in design, dining and art that is currently forging the “new Britannia”.

“Thompson Hotels is known for offering unique experiences and first-rate service in stylish, urban areas,” said Stephen Brandman, co-owner of Thompson Hotels.  ”I am delighted to extend this reputation to the European market.  Whether staying at Thompson LES or Smyth in NY, the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in LA or Belgraves in London, guests will rest assured that they will receive the same high level of service that defines the Thompson brand.”

Business and leisure travelers will delight in Belgraves’ attention to privacy, personalized amenities and thoughtful design.  Working closely with progressive interior architect and designer, Tara Bernerd, Thompson Hotels has set out to create a luxurious home away from home in the desirable Belgravia district, just minutes from London’s renowned shops, sites and the bustling Sloane Square.

“Belgraves is iconic for location alone.  Combining this with the opportunity of working with the forward-thinking and design-savvy Thompson Hotels, has magnified the appeal of the project and allows us all as a team to create a very seductive hotel,” commented Tara Bernerd.  ”We intend on creating a rich, eclectic and tactile design that combines traditional elegance with a modern architectural language.”

“Thompson Hotels has a style that London is calling for,” said Dr. Aron Harilela.  ”There is a niche in the market that is waiting to be filled and I believe we have found the perfect match.  I am confident that bringing Thompson Hotels to the heart of Belgravia in creating Belgraves, we will reinvigorate the area, giving Londoners what they have been looking for and international travelers a slice of the new London.”