Rockwell Group Transforms Two W Hotels, Ushering in a Bold New Era

Sam Cochran
·4 min read

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Photo: Michael Kleinberg/W Hotels

When W Hotels opened its first location in 1998, at the heart of Manhattan, they pioneered a new model: the personality of boutique lodgings with the services of a mega hospitality group. “It’s an impression, an experience, a feeling,” says George Fleck, senior vice president and global brand leader of W Hotels, reflecting on that ethos. “We consider the emotion per square foot.” Central to that winning formula, in other words, was its design, a task that first fell to AD100 Hall of Famer David Rockwell, who notes: “We had to create something that had eccentricity and the energy of New York City.”

A proscenium-like installation serves as a focal point in the revamped W New York–Union Square’s so-called living room, once the ballroom and historically an insurance trading floor.
A proscenium-like installation serves as a focal point in the revamped W New York–Union Square’s so-called living room, once the ballroom and historically an insurance trading floor.
Photo: Michael Kleinberg/W Hotels
Glass bricks and a custom carpet in the lobby.
Glass bricks and a custom carpet in the lobby.
Photo: Michael Kleinberg/W Hotels
A guest suite at the W Hollywood.
A guest suite at the W Hollywood.
Photo: Michael Kleinberg/W Hotels

Today, Rockwell is among the talents writing the brand’s next chapter, having just fully transformed two iconic properties: W Hollywood and W New York–Union Square, the latter of which he first designed in 2001. “When you redo something, you get to study what worked and what didn’t,” he reflects. Key changes to the property (the group’s global flagship) include shifting the lobby staircase, which now meets guests head-on, its carpet a vibrant swirl inspired by the colors of the city. Glass-block walls nod to the Big Apple vernacular while a mural by Shantell Martin invokes the local legacy of street art.

At the W Hollywood, a view toward the lobby bar and courtyard beyond.
At the W Hollywood, a view toward the lobby bar and courtyard beyond.
Photo: Michael Kleinberg/W Hotels
The courtyard upholds the see-and-be-seen vibe.
The courtyard upholds the see-and-be-seen vibe.
Photo: Michael Kleinberg/W Hotels

All guide visitors to the second level, where a lounge in dashing shades of green offers a verdant precursor to the vast former ballroom—reimagined as a living room of sorts. “The furniture and lighting create neighborhoods,” notes Rockwell, who compares the space to a park. Indoor-outdoor connections predominate at the W Hollywood, where a terraced lobby opens onto a courtyard. “It’s like a landscape,” he says, citing the undulating banquettes, sinuous stairwell, planters, and sylvan hues. Overhead, installations of bronzed-mirror panels and translucent rods add Tinseltown glamour. “Context is central to the narrative,” says Audra Tuskes, vice president of design at Marriott International, the brand’s parent company.

A mirrored installation crowns the lobby lounge at W Hollywood, also transformed by Rockwell Group.
A mirrored installation crowns the lobby lounge at W Hollywood, also transformed by Rockwell Group.
Photo: Michael Kleinberg/W Hotels

Rockwell’s guest rooms for each property deepen that sense of place. At the W New York–Union Square, yellow faucets call to mind taxicabs and custom lights subway fixtures. In Hollywood, on the other hand, blue glass frames window views, invoking sea and sky. Allusions remain open to interpretation. “The less you are able to nail the reference the better,” he says.

Subtle Ombré wall treatments distinguish the guest rooms at the W New York–Union Square.
Subtle Ombré wall treatments distinguish the guest rooms at the W New York–Union Square.
Photo: Michael Kleinberg/W Hotels
A blue-and-white palette distinguishes the guest rooms.
A blue-and-white palette distinguishes the guest rooms.
Photo: Michael Kleinberg/W Hotels

What remains clear, however, is the brand’s distinctive mix of pared-back maximalism and unconventional drama. “We have embraced a more elevated approach without losing that daring spirit,” says Fleck of the changes now underway across the world, as firms such as AvroKO and Meyer Davis spearhead their own updates. Of course nowadays, with the heightened role of social media, design has to do double duty as a digital marketing tool and IRL mood enhancer. “Spaces have to deliver more in person than they do in image,” says Rockwell. “You can’t have a design strategy that’s just a one-liner. A hotel should be a place that invites discovery.” w-marriott.com

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

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