W Hotels

Starwood Sponsors First Skating Rink at Boston's Prudential Center

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Sports

Luxury hotel megabrand Starwood is sponsoring the first-ever ice rink at the Prudential Center in Boston, now open through the end of March. Starwood's Boston properties – Sheraton Boston Hotel, The Westin Copley Place, The Boston Park Plaza Hotel, W Boston, and The Westin Boston Waterfront – dedicated the rink to the Boston community in the hopes that Bostonians will take the time to connect with one another on the ice. "This rink speaks to our commitment to give back to the community that has been home to the Sheraton Boston for more than 45 years," notes Colleen Keating, Sheraton Boston's Marketing Manager. All opening day proceeds went to the Bruins Foundation. In celebration of the occasion, the Sheraton Boston (above) is offering two "Share the Ice" value stay packages:

Tags: Boston, hotel deals, ice skating, sports, Starwood, W hotels, Westin, winter sports

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Fashion Next Designers Celebrated at W Times Square with Music by Alexandra Richards

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Celebrity Design

Last night, W Hotels celebrated what's new and next in fashion with an event at the W Times Square that celebrated the W Hotels Fall 2011 Fashion Next designers Tess Giberson, Michael Angel, Amanda Ross (W Hotels Global Fashion Director), Mandy Coon, Frank Tell, and Mara Hoffman (see photo above).

Alexandra Richards (seen below), daughter of Patti Hansen and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, served as the guest DJ. The statuesque blond, who is an actress and model in addition to being a professional DJ, was a great fit for the event which celebrated the rising stars of the fashion world.

Fashion Next is a program of W Hotels that fosters and supports emerging designers during fashion week and beyond. In addition to partnering with W Hotels during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, Fashion Next designers will travel to W Hotels globally for exclusive trunk shoes, design limited-edition pieces for W's next Global Glam fashion and accessories collection, and collaborate with W on other fashion projects through the season.

Luxist had the opportunity to speak with a few of the Fashion Next designers about their Fall 2011 collections, including Mandy Coon, Michael Angel and Tess Giberson. Each described their inspiration, the materials and color schemes they used for their collections and much more.

Tags: Alexandra Richards, Fashion Next, fashion week, Fashion Week Fall 2011, Fashion Week New York 2011, Frank Tell, Keith Richards, Mandy Coon, Mara Hoffman, Michael Angel, michael+angel+fall+2011, michaelangelfall2011, New York Fashion Week Fall 2011, Patti Hansen, Rolling Stones, Tess Gilberson, W Hotels, W Times Square, w+hotel+fashion+next, whotelfashionnext

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Love-Sick Package at the W Hotels of New York, Hoboken

by Ann Brenoff (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Ready for a "love sick" Valentine's Day package? The W Hotels of New York and the W Hotel of Hoboken have something special planned for the Big V Day. The hotel group is offering what it hopes will be the yummiest Valentine's package around. And of course it starts with chocolate.

Guests can indulge in a Max Brenner Chocolate Syringe as part of the hotel's remedy for what ails you. The W New York Downtown will provide private skating at the hotel's one-of-a-kind ice rink as part of its WOW package.

Tags: new york hotels, valentines day hotel package, valentines day hotel packages, w hotels

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Helena Christensen Stars In W London Promo Film

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Enigmatic actress and model Helena Christensen is the star of a short film made by W Hotels to tease London's new Leicester Square, W London. Christensen plays fictitious guest Alex Worthington who has a dark little "meet cute" with Adam, a mysterious brooding stranger played by male model David Gandy. It's a step above some of the other short film brand promos I've seen in that it appears to have a story rather than just a collection of music-video-like vignettes. The film, titled, "Away We Stay" was written and directed by Edoardo Ponti and is a bit of a nod to the 1966 classic Blow Up produced by Edoardo's father Carlo Ponti. The hotel isn't the star here but it forms a nice backdrop to the glamorous story which showcases London's chicer side.

[via Breaking Travel News]

Tags: david gandy, Helena Christensen, leicester square, w hotel, W Hotels, w london

Four New W Hotels Set to Open Starting in December

by Ann Brenoff (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

File this under: You can never have too much of a good thing.

Four new W Hotels are debuting beginning this December. The new W's are in Austin, Texas; Taipei; Koh Samui Thailand; and a W Retreat and Spa in Bali. All are built-from-the-ground new facilities and all feature high-end resort-style amenities including cutting-edge restaurants and bars. Room rates vary by location and season, but are approximately $300 a night. The rollout plan begins in December and ends in February.

The W Austin, acknowledging the city's unofficial slogan of "Keep Austin Weird," captures the city's local flavor -- although hardly in a weird way. The 251-room hotel, with a rooftop pool and bar is surrounded by the city's hippest night spots and restaurants just steps from Sixth Street and the Warehouse District.

Tags: austin, bali, hotel opening, koh samui, new hotels, starwood, starwood hotels, tapei, w hotels

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W New York - Downtown Debuts Near Ground Zero

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Real Estate Developments, Architecture & Design

Starwood has just opened the doors of its newest property, the W New York – Downtown, featuring 58 floors of upscale urban luxury and signature comforts in New York City's rapidly revitalizing Financial District. The towering building also houses the new Residences at W New York - Downtown for those who want to make their stay more permanent. Poised for a prime view of the new Freedom Tower being constructed at Ground Zero, the hotel features architectural design elements by award-winning Gwathmey Siegel & Associates with interior design by GRAFT and a special "light shower sculpture" by UK light sculptor Bruce Munro. Hospitality offerings include BLT Bar & Grill and The Living Room Bar and Terrace with outdoor space (above). The hotel features 217 rooms including 16 studio suites, one WOW and two Extreme WOW suites. The Residences are comprised of 223 luxurious W-branded modern condominiums with access to the hotel's luxe amenities.

Tags: hotels, New York, New York City, Starwood, W Hotel, W Hotels, W New York - Downtown

Michigan Set To Lose Its Only Ritz-Carlton Hotel

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Michigan is about to lose its only Ritz-Carlton hotel. The Detroit Free Press reports that the hotel currently known as the Ritz-Carlton Dearborn has been sold to an investment group. It will be managed by Greenwood Hospitality Group and as of June 2, it will lose the Ritz-Carlton name. A decision hasn't been made yet as to what brand the hotel will operate under after that. The new owners plan to renovate the property and keep it as an upscale hotel. The hotel has 308 rooms including a 1500-square-foot presidential suite. This is the second time this week we've seen an upscale hotel lose one from the fold. Starwood Hotels & Resorts announced that it is selling two of its New York locations, the W Court and the W Tuscany.

Tags: dearborn, michigan, ritz-carlton, StarwoodHotels, w hotels

Selling The Sound Of The W Hotel

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Hotels used to just be places to rest your weary head. Now hotels are lifestyle brands. Buy the bed, buy the sheets, buy the scent wafting through the halls, it's all about having the guest carry the hotel experience into their lives long after the visit ends. W Hotels is ready to colonize your hotel-loving ears with Symmetry, the first CD curated by W's New Global Music Director Michaelangelo L'Acqua. The CD was produced by Sony Music Entertainment's Commercial Music Group and it debuted at a listening party at W South Beach, which featured a live performance by The Golden Filter, who has a remix on the new CD.

The songs are meant to provide the aural version of the W's too cool mystique. And it isn't just for guests, check out this press release quote from Eva Ziegler, Global Brand Leader, W Hotels Worldwide and Le Meridien: "Through our CD compilation, we want to offer our guests and W enthusiasts insider access to an eclectic and exclusive mix of sounds." Enthusiasts? For $15 the CD offers a version of hotel aspirational luxury, maybe you can't afford a week at the W but you can still have a piece of the W brand. The playlist is after the jump.

Tags: hotel music, symmetry cd, w hotels

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Starwood Hotels Sell Off Bliss Spas

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spas

W Hotels and Bliss Spas have been an unshakable combination for Starwood Hotels. But after a tough year for the travel and tourism industry Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. has sold off the Bliss spa unit for $100 million to Steiner Leisure Limited. The Bliss and Remede brands will stay at the Starwood's W Hotels and St. Regis Hotels. Bloomberg News quotes Chief Executive Officer Frits Van Paasschen who said during a conference call in October that the company was looking at "assets that are non-core or that are so attractive that we can still get a good multiple."

The Bliss spa brand was founded in 1996 in New York City. The brand quickly grew and has become famous for its playful approach ot beauty and skin care treatments. The Bliss brand includes not just the Bliss and Remede spas but also branded products. Bliss products are also sold outside the spas through an e-commerce and catalog business and distribution in Sephora and many major department stores.

The brand is a natural fit for Steiner Leisure Limited which is a provider of spa services. The company operates spas and salons on 126 cruise ships and in 51 resort spas and two luxury day spas for brands that include Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Harrah's Entertainment, Hilton Hotels, Holland America Line, InterContinental Hotels and Resorts, Marriott Hotels and many others. Steiner Leisure also owns and operates five schools that offer degree and non-degree programs in massage therapy and,skin care, training spa professionals for health and beauty positions at Steiner spas and salons.

Source

Tags: bliss spas, BlissSpas, hotel spa, HotelSpa, remede, spas, st regis, starwood, starwood hotels, StarwoodHotels, steiner leisure, SteinerLeisure, StRegis, w hotels, WHotels

W Hotel Scottsdale Out Of Foreclosure

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

We write about hotels when they enter foreclosure and its nice to see that some of them get out of it too. The W Scottsdale hotel in Arizona has announced a resolution to its battle with contractors and with its lender HSH Nordbank AG. The hotel's developer, Los Angeles-based Triyar Cos., has paid off the hotel's $82 million mortgage for an undisclosed amount. Lawsuits between Triyar, Nordbank and general contractor Hunt Construction Corp. were dropped. The Wall Street Journal reports that Triyar Chief Executive Michael Mahoney said that hotel is the first to "successfully come out of the situation with the whole project restructured without the need for bankruptcy or foreclosure." It's a pretty neat feat at a time when the number of hotels in foreclosure is reaching an unprecedented height. Details on how Triyar did it haven't been revealed but Mahoney said the developer put together money and an outside investor chipped in. The hotel remains open and has a variety of special offers available include an offer that when you stay two or three nights the second or third night will be charged at a rate equal to your birth year (for example, if you were born in 1970, your first night would be $269 but your second night is only $70).

Gallery: Hotels In Transition

Source

Tags: arizona, hotel foreclosure, hotel foreclosures, HotelForeclosure, HotelForeclosures, hotels, hotesl in trouble, HoteslInTrouble, w hotels, w scottsdale, WHotels, WScottsdale

W Unveils 1st Hotel in South America, the W Santiago

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels

W Hotels Worldwide just unveiled its first ever hotel in South America, W Santiago and The Residences at W Santiago in Chile. The W brand's 33rd hotel, W Santiago is the cornerstone of a larger, mixed-use complex, Isidora 3000, which includes a convention center, boutique office space, and high-end retail shops in addition to the W Hotel and W-branded residences. Developed by the Territoria Group, W Santiago is located in the heart of the fashionable El Golf district of the Chilean capital city and surrounded by the magnificent peaks of the Andes. Renowned New York designer Tony Chi partnered with native Chilean designer Sergio Echeverria to create cutting edge interiors for the hotel and residences that are a cool, contemporary take on the varied Chilean landscape. The property features several restaurants and bars as well as a rooftop pool overlooking the city lights (above).

Tags: Chile, hotel, Rande Gerber, RandeGerber, rooftop bar, RooftopBar, Santiago, South America, SouthAmerica, W Hotels, WHotels

W Hotels Unveils the Future of Luxury Suites

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Events

Since the W Hotels brand launched in 1998 their properties have featured a reinterpretation of the classic hotel Presidential Suite, dubbed the Extreme Wow Suite. Now W has commissioned Paris-based architect / designer Patrick Jouin to create the Extreme Wow Suite of the future, taking technologically advanced customization to the max. The resulting design includes hidden details and elements of surprise in addition to every imaginable luxury. The main feature of the suite is a large pod (above) housing a bathtub that can move around to capture different views, containing movable screens that will display greeting messages, time, temperature and information on the location city. The concept suite was just unveiled in Sao Paolo, Brazil as part of a special touring exhibition entitled "Le Paris de Patrick Jouin."

Tags: design, hotel suites, HotelSuites, Patrick Jouin, PatrickJouin, W Hotels, WHotels

W Hotels Announces RedWire Package

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

As part of World AIDS day today, W Hotels has announced that it will be the official hotel partner of (RED)WIRE, the new online music magazine by (RED). Applying the (RED) idea to music, (RED)WIRE helps to buy lifesaving medicine and other services for those living with HIV/AIDS in Africa by contributing a portion of the proceeds from memberships to the Global Fund, which works to help eliminate AIDS globally. Subscribers will pay for a subscription that will entitle them to exclusive tracks from artists including U2, John Legend, The Killers, Kid Rock and Coldplay. Half of the money goes directly to Africa and half goes to the artists and the music company.

All W Hotels in the United States will be giving guests access to a free, two week membership to (RED)WIRE during the month of December and will feature a (RED)WIRE package that includes a six month membership, Through December 2009, W Hotels" (RED)WIRE package will include in addition to accommodations, a limited edition USB drive featuring beautiful (PRODUCT)RED-inspired artwork from African artist Joseph Amedokpo, which connects guests to exclusive content on (RED)WIRE, a six month (RED)WIRE membership and a special bonus track from (RED)WIRE artist John Legend as well as two INSPI(RED) cocktails.

Source

Tags: project red, ProjectRed, redwire, w, w hotels, WHotels

San Diego Auto Museum's $75 Million Ferrari Exhibit

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Events

To celebrate its 20th anniversary this fall, the San Diego Automotive Museum (SDAM) is staging a a $75 million Ferrari exhibition. Ferrari: Cavallino Rampante will run from October 1st through the end of the year. Over 30 classic Ferraris will be on display, some for the very first time, during the exhibit which is being mounted in partnership with the Ferrari Owners Club of America.

SDAM will host a variety of events during the three-month show, including a two day Autostrada dei Deserto (From Shore to Sands) rally on Oct. 10-11 complete with a lavish party at the chic W Hotel San Diego. The first half of the exhibit will feature historic racing Ferraris, and the second half will focus on classic touring vehicles including a 1963 Ferrari 250 GT/L "Lusso", valued at over $2.5 million, and the beautiful 1965 275 GTB pictured above. See the gallery for more.

Gallery: San Diego Ferrari Show

Tags: Classic cars, ClassicCars, Ferrari, Ferrari Owners Club of America, FerrariOwnersClubOfAmerica, San Diego, San Diego Automotive Museum, SanDiego, SanDiegoAutomotiveMuseum, W Hotels, W San Diego, WHotels, WSanDiego

Take a Tour of the New W Istanbul

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

As my colleague Deidre Woollard noted the other day, Istanbul has become something of a hotspot for foriegn brands. In addition to the Christian Dior boutique she wrote about, Marc Jacobs, Chloé, Bottega Veneta and Jimmy Choo have all recently opened shops in the Besiktas district, aka the SoHo of Istanbul. The centerpiece of the neighborhood is undoubtedly Starwood's new W Istanbul (which she mentioned as well). This is the first European outpost for W, the fastest growing luxury hotel brand in the world with 22 properties and 18 more in development. Here's a tour of the hip new hotel which W constructed out of a row of beautiful 1870s townhouses. The W Istanbul features 134 luxurious guest rooms including 26 suites -- many with their own private gardens, terraces and cabanas -- a branch of chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten's New York hotspot Spice Market, a sexy Sip Lounge bar, and a signature spa. It also boasts spectacular views of the Bosphorus, the renowned waterway between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara.

[via UrbanDaddy]

Gallery: The W Istanbul