Premier Hospitality

W London Leicester Square

W
Written by Roma Publications

W London

As part of the W brand’s mission to fuel its guests’ lust for life, the hotel’s daring Leicester Square renovation shatters the traditional concept of luxury, through its provocative new look paired with innovative in-room technology to give guests full control of their stay.

Each of the property’s 192 rooms, including 28 suites, has had a bold makeover. Krause Architects closely collaborated with the client starting with Concrete architects sketch concepts which served as a framework for further design and development that responded to the hotel’s unique vision. The rooms have benefitted from various upgrades along with daring new feature walls, refreshed avant-garde furniture and atmospheric lighting. Sleek white details, photo-friendly mirrored walls, and party-starting disco balls complete the provocative new look.

David Jode of Krause architects said:

“The brief was to upgrade the rooms and give each room category its own unique look, whilst in keeping with an overall unifying design style. The bar and restaurant had been refurbished a few years ago and the final phase was the upgrade the guestrooms, suites and circulation areas. We started the design in spring 2018 and the project completed on-site July this year.

“In the three categories of standard rooms called Wonderful, Spectacular and Fabulous, the existing open plan dressing areas have new stone resin vanity units and refreshed finishes. The bed areas have large-scale feature walls inspired by the Union Jack and are finished in a luxurious mix of leathers, velvets, coloured glass and embossed metals. 55 inch TV screens and mirrored disco balls add to the distinctive look. The Union Jack and disco balls are a continuation of elements that appear in the public areas as subtle backdrops or bold features. The rooms contain new lounge chairs, rugs and pendant lights and have been redecorated. Later this year Mini Mega Bar units will be rolled out that look like luxury flight cases with a cocktail cabinet to enhance the in-room minibar offer. The suites have been refurnished including new pendant lights, redesigned vanity units, desks, built-in minibars and remodelled feature walls.”

Ever the rebel, the hotel is the first in the UK to embrace the full DigiValet technology – one of the most advanced tablet-based systems in the hotel industry which allows each guest to be in control of their stay right from check-in. Upon entry, music and lighting greet the guest to offer a truly immersive and memorable stay. All settings are adjustable and customisable to the guest’s preference and mood.

A user-friendly tablet controls the in-room temperature, lighting and media, including personal streaming services at the touch of a button. W London has teamed up with Kobalt, a music tech company, to curate playlists showcasing London’s coolest up-and-coming artists, including W London’s own Music Curator, DJ/producer Olivia Dawn. Global music-lovers can tune in to hear what’s playing in real time at any of the 55 W Hotels worldwide through advanced music technology by Soundtrackyourbrand.  The tablet also gives guests insider access to what’s new and next in London with an ever-evolving calendar of happenings including the hotel’s music programming and the latest dining and entertainment suggestions across the city.

Furthermore, W London has partnered with fashion visionary and dynamic artist, Jack Irving, to create a one-of-a-kind ‘techorative’ pillow, along with a range of immersive in-room experiences. Best known for his eye- catching designs injected with a shot of engineered technology, Irving has dressed the likes of global superstar Lady Gaga. Taking inspiration straight from the catwalk and remixing it with the bold attitude of W London, the spiked pillows, available in every guest room, appear muted to the naked eye until they are brought to life through the click of a camera flash.

David commented: “A challenging thing was the timescale. It was very tight with a lot of different room types to work on, so from our point of view it was full on and intense period but the clients was fantastic and great to work with, fun and engaging.”

“Guests love the upgrade, the new technology and the new features so we’ve had very good feedback so far. The W hotel provides very unique environments that challenge the traditional ideas of what a luxury hotel should be and it is very much geared to its vibrant West End location. To work with this client and on such a dynamic hotel has been very rewarding for us as designers.”

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About W Hotels Worldwide

Born from the bold attitude and 24/7 culture of New York City, W Hotels, part of Marriott International, Inc., has disrupted and redefined the hospitality scene for nearly two decades. Trailblazing its way around the globe with over 50 hotels, W is defying expectations and breaking the norms of traditional luxury wherever the iconic W sign lands. With a mission to fuel guests’ lust for life, W ignites an obsessive desire to soak it in, live it up and hit repeat. The brand’s provocative design, iconic Whatever/Whenever service and buzzing Living Rooms create an experience that is often copied but never matched. Innovative, inspiring and infectious, the brand’s super-charged energy celebrates guests’ endless appetite to discover what’s new/next in each destination, to see more, feel more, go longer, stay later.
For more information on W Hotels, visit whotels.com/the angle or follow them on Twitter,Instagram and Facebook.

 

Crafted By Design

Crafted By Design is a solid surface and worktop fabrication specialist. In operation for 3 years, Crafted By Design is a Corian approved fabricator, a Krion Affinity fabricator and part of the HI-MACS quality club / Staron quality club.

The company boasts a highly-experienced team of experts that specialise in providing outstanding quality at a very competitive price for both commercial and residential projects. This year alone it has completed a number of projects at venues including The Mill at Sonning, Porton Down and Grange Park Opera.

More recently the company was involved with the W London – Leicester Square hotel. It carried out the technical drawings, fabrication and installation of all the Corian vanity islands within the hotel refurbishment.

James Robertson, Sales Manager, said:

“This is a prestigious job in a well-known established hotel chain which prides itself on quality for its customers, therefore having our bespoke vanity units as a centre piece in each room is very proud moment. This project allows us to showcase our quality when carrying out large scale projects and our ability to carry out large scale fabrication from design to installation.

“As a company Crafted By Design prides itself on its quality, our ability to adapt to situations and our customer service. We like to ensure that the customer receives the highest quality throughout their experience of using Crafted By Design.”

To find out more, please visit www.craftedbydesign.co.uk.

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Roma Publications