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]

The W hotel brand is taking on an old Minneapolis landmark for their latest Midwest hotel. The Foshay Tower is a striking 447-foot Art Deco tower. The W Hotel will transform the Foshay into a hotel with 229 guest rooms, including 18 suites. The tower will also be home to a signature restaurant, skybar lounge, fitness center, meeting space and a destination bar. The new Foshay will preserve many of the building's original design details such as Italian marble, terrazzo floors, ornamental bronze and a massive, gold and silver-plated lobby ceiling. Because they don't have a whole building to create, this W hotel has a pretty fast turnaround, and it is set to open in late 2008. The W hotel isn't the first luxury hotel to take over an older building in Minneapolis. In May, the Twin Cities' first Westin hotel opened in the Farmers & Mechanics Bank building at 88 S. Sixth St. in downtown Minneapolis.

The W Hotel chain will become part of the Dubai hotel boom. The W Dubai Festival City will be a 350-room luxury hotel at Dubai Festival City, the 'city-within-a-city' being built on the banks of Dubai Creek. It will be  the first W hotel in the Middle East. Dubai Festival City is an area that will include waterfront homes, office, cafes, clubs and restaurants. The hotel will have loft suites, restaurants, and a Bliss spa. The W Dubai Festival City is scheduled to open in 2008 and will be at the heart of the 'Marsa al Khor' (Harbour of the Creek) development.

[via Hotel Chatter]

Buy a drink, win a diamond. That's the premise behind the Diamond Sapphire Martini being offered at the NineThirty Restaurant, located inside the W Hotel Los Angeles. From now until Valentine's Day anyone who orders the martini has a chance to win a one-carat diamond pendant from Kraiko Diamonds valued at $10,000. The martini includes strawberry liqueur, gin and cranberry juice topped with a fresh strawberry and basil leaf. The drink costs $14 and you can order as many as you want. The winner will be chosen at a randomly selected date and time during the dates of the promotion and will receive the diamond immediately.