hospitalitystyle.com

(November 2009) posted on Fri Nov 06, 2009 EST

Hotel to open in two years in 19th century building

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Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has hired Rockwell Group Europe (RGe) to design the W Paris-Opéra, W Hotels' debut in France. Slated to open in 2011, the hotel will occupy an 1870s Haussman-era building that's located across the street from the Opéra Garnier and near Galeries Lafayette and Place Vendome.

Taking the inspiration from combining New York's energy, where the W brand began in 1998, and Paris, the “City of Light,” Starwood says RGe plans to flood the new W Hotel with illumination and color. “Taking the W brand into Paris, the European capital of fashion, will mark a true milestone in W's global expansion into the world's most exciting and vibrant destinations,” said Eva Ziegler, global brand leader, W Hotels Worldwide and Le Méridien.

Diego Gronda, managing and creative director of RGe, the Madrid satellite office of New York's Rockwell Group, is leading the design team on the project. Along with a new modern concept restaurant, W Paris-Opéra will feature a destination bar, a state-of-the-art fitness facility and 90 guest rooms. “Our design feeds off the elegance, history, richness and radiance of the city, while layering in the contemporary cool and light-hearted approach of the W brand,” says Gronda. “Our goal was to transform this historic building into a W Hotel that literally shines with innovative and unexpected details, materials and technology.”

The hotel's central design feature will be an oversized undulating wall of light that will define the building from the inside and from the street, as it weaves through the public spaces, the corridors and into each guest room. This programmable wall of light can transform based on season, event or time of day to create a festive and celebratory atmosphere.

Guest rooms and suites, including W Hotels' renowned WOW suites and Extreme WOW suites (W Hotels' take on the traditional Presidential Suite), feature three-meter ceiling height and views of the Opéra. All its suites will feature an existing fireplace, white marble bathrooms and oversized dressing rooms.

David Rockwell, founder and ceo of Rockwell Group says he is “thrilled at this fantastic opportunity for Rockwell Group Europe – their knowledge of and experience in creating transformative and evocative spatial experiences will be a perfect fit for this new W Hotel in Paris.”