The ‘extrovert and playful’ design for the new 192-bedroom W Hotel in Leicester Square, due to open in summer 2010, has been unveiled.
Designed by Jestico + Whiles and Concrete, the hotel is currently being constructed by McAller & Rushe Group on the former site of the Swiss Centre in Leicester Square.
Once completed, W London-Leicester Square will include 10 two-level residences, a restaurant, gym, and W-branded Living Room, while the exterior of the hotel will feature a translucent glass ‘movie screen’ that will be lit up by night using colourful, artificial lighting, but hang ‘restrained’ during the day.
John Whiles, director of Jestico + Whiles, said the design was inspired by the film and theatre culture of neighbouring Piccadilly Circus.
“The building takes its architectural cues directly from its context but interprets them in a wholly contemporary way,” he said. “It was decided early on that the hotel would have a cool, understated Englishness by day and then would become extrovert and playful, properly dressed for a night in vibrant London.”
W London-Leicester Square will be the newest hotel in the UK for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, as the group continues with the W brand’s ‘aggressive expansion’ into Europe. It joins Starwood’s six existing London hotels, the Sheraton Park Tower, Sheraton Belgravia Hotel, Park Lane Hotel, Sheraton Skyline Hotel and Conference Centre, Sheraton Heathrow and Le Meridien Piccadilly.