W Hotels has unveiled a tone-setting transformation for its global flagship property – W New York – with the design lead by Rockwell Group taking the hotel into a new chapter…
Marriott’s W Hotels has revealed its highly anticipated grand transformation of W New York – Union Square. Following an impressive $100 million reimagination, the iconic 256-room hotel in the heart of New York City now stands as a defining expression of W Hotels, the original luxury lifestyle hospitality brand, reflecting its global evolution across design, culture, and elevated service. With a full room-to-rooftop reinvention, W New York – Union Square reclaims its place as a cultural cornerstone in the city where the brand was born over two decades ago.
Image credit: W Hotels
Rooted in New York City’s rich history, W New York – Union Square is housed in the former Guardian Life Building, a magnificent Beaux-Arts style property completed in 1911. As part of the hotel’s transformation, its historic architecture steps into the spotlight, most notably in the Living Room, the brand’s signature take on the hotel lobby.
Inspired in part by the grandeur and symmetry of Grand Central Station, the space showcases soaring ceilings, intricate moldings, and early twentieth-century charm. Yet it’s more than a Living Room in a hotel, it’s a Living Room for New York City itself, a magnetic downtown hideaway where locals, travellers, and creatives converge, and where timeless design hums with a distinctly modern pulse that ignites curiosity and expands worlds.
In a full circle moment, W Hotels turned to Rockwell Group, the visionary firm behind the hotel’s original debut in 2001, to lead the reinvention. This time, David Rockwell and his team looked just outside the front door for inspiration. Drawing from the textures, tones, and ever-changing spirit of Union Square Park, the interiors shift with the seasons and capture the electric rhythm of the neighbourhood itself.
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“W New York – Union Square holds a special place in our global portfolio. It is at the heart of our brand, powered by the pulse of our birthplace, New York City. This is where our story began, and this global flagship reintroduction is about more than honouring our legacy – it’s about leading the next chapter of what a luxury lifestyle brand can be,” commented George Fleck, Senior Vice President and Global Brand Leader, W Hotels. “This transformation reflects years of global brand work – evolving our design ethos, elevating the meaning of Whatever/Whenever, amplifying emotion per square foot, and embracing an immersive, culture-forward perspective. With deeply layered interiors, dynamic programming, and an unapologetic point of view, this hotel captures everything W Hotels stands for: energy, edge, and our unmistakable signature sense of style, inspiring stories worth sharing. It’s a reimagination rooted in the audacious spirit of New York City, and a bright beacon of how W Hotels continues to be a true catalyst of culture on the global stage from Abu Dhabi to Aspen, Barcelona to Bogota, and Sardinia to Sydney. We’re proud to bring this legendary landmark back – not as a replica of what it was, but as a bold expression of what’s next.”
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Guests are welcomed into a world of clean maximalism, where every detail invites discovery. The hotel’s iconic grand staircase has been transformed with a mesmerising carpet that appears to drip and pool in a cascade of abstract colours, guiding visitors up its elegant curve wrapped in lush botanicals. This striking centrepiece is perfectly balanced by the dramatic contrast of black-and-white houndstooth banquette Welcome Desks, gleaming marble floors, and a captivating original mural by renowned artist Shantell Martin.
At the top of the curved staircase, the experience continues into the Living Room, where the journey begins at the Living Room Café – the first of its kind for W Hotels. Serving expertly crafted coffee by Devoción by day, the café seamlessly evolves into a lively cocktail bar as night falls. Steps away lies the hotel’s former ballroom, now transformed into the brand’s signature Living Room, a show-stopping Beaux-Arts space with original white marble columns, ornate Corinthian capitals, and soaring ceilings with carved rosettes.
A rich palette of greens and blues sets the tone, accented by serpentine velvet benches, petal-inspired chandeliers, and a double-height bar with real botanicals cast in resin with a nod to classic Art Deco-flair. Every detail is meant to evolve with the rhythm of the city, including projected cinematic lighting that shifts from day to night, creating an atmosphere that pulses with energy.
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Dripping in a nature-inspired palette of greens, oranges, and greys, the guest rooms mirror the stunning seasonal changes of Union Square Park through botanical carpeting, curved lacquered walls, ombre wallpaper, drapery, and lush burnt orange velvet headboards. Tucked in an inviting curvature of the wall, rounded, hunter green tufted couches and circular bronze tables make for the perfect space to work or play.
Subtle, clever nods to the city include custom light fixtures that pay tribute to subway entry lamps and bike chains, nightstands inspired by the ‘Metronome’-esque art installation on Union Square South, side tables with chessboard patterns, and bathrooms with grid line-inspired tiling. Unexpected use of colour reinforces the maximalist design, with taxicab-yellow faucet handles in an otherwise hushed bathroom.
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At the top, the Penthouse Suite features thoughtfully designed zones for relaxing, working, and entertaining. Spanning 1,215 square feet, the suite provides unparalleled city views that invite guests to fully immerse themselves in Manhattan’s beauty. With separate living and bedroom areas, a private bar, a generous seating area, a bespoke curved wood bar, and striking vanity set against expansive windows, the suite delivers elevated amenities and embodies a lifestyle without limits.
Opening this fall, Seahorse is a modern seafood brasserie from restaurateur John McDonald and Mercer Street Hospitality – the team behind Lure Fishbar, Bowery Meat Company, Bar Mercer, and Cha Cha Tang. Led by industry veteran Chef John Villa, the menu offers a refined take on seafood and raw bar classics, tapping global influences while staying rooted in seasonality.
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Accessible via its own entrance off an iconic corner of Park Ave South, as well as through the hotel, the 125-seat dining room blends maritime nostalgia with modern polish. Rockwell Group has crafted a timeless environment that features mother-of-pearl inlays, mermaid green tile, yacht-style wood finishes, and a dramatic central seafood bar. A moody hand-painted mural by Brooklyn’s En Viu adds depth and atmosphere while paying homage to the city’s own seafaring history.
Seventeen stories above, Union Square’s only rooftop bar makes its debut – an intimate indoor/outdoor space designed by AvroKO, the acclaimed design studio behind W Prague, W Hoboken, and W Florence. Tucked behind the hotel’s iconic marquee sign, the aesthetic draws from the legendary art-meets-nightlife institutions such as Andy Warhol’s Factory and Max’s Kansas City, once located just around the corner. The rooftop’s concrete floor pattern echoes the large-scale design of the park below, a poetic nod to the ebb and flow of Union Square’s street life. With sweeping skyline views unlike any other vantage point, and a touch of nostalgic glamour, this sky-high space is built for golden-hour cocktails and nightcaps.
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As wellness becomes a cornerstone of modern luxury, W Hotels is rewriting the script of its FIT philosophy. The hotel’s former subterranean bar has been transformed into an expansive wellness space, FIT, the brand’s take on the signature hotel gym, which features the brand’s first in-hotel Peloton Studio, offering five bikes available for guests. With elongated corridors, striped carpeting, and a woven ’14’ design, FIT is encased in green and yellow mosaic tile and rubberized flooring paying homage to the nearby 14th Street-Union Square subway station. Post-workout, guests can unwind in a high-design recovery zone, complete with hydro-massage chairs, turning restoration into part of the ritual.
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The hotel also offers 2,587 square feet of meeting and event space designed to inspire connection and creativity. With four versatile Studio rooms, three of which boast views of Union Square, groups can host multiple events conveniently right down the hall. Thoughtfully furnished with Herman Miller pieces and layered with intentional design details, the Studios strike the perfect balance of focus and comfort, inspiring collaboration and creativity. Custom carpets and textured fabrics draw inspiration from the New York sky and the lively energy of the Union Square Greenmarket, while virtually limitless technology keeps every meeting seamlessly connected.
The transformation of W New York – Union Square not only honours the brand’s rich legacy but also propels W Hotels confidently into the future. The brand is well underway on its multi-year evolution marking an exciting new chapter for W Hotels, with the transformations of the West Coast flagship W Hollywood, W Austin, W Toronto, and W Dallas, the debut of W Punta Cana, the brand’s first luxury adults-only, all-inclusive property, and the openings of W Budapest, W Florence, W Macau – Studio City, W Prague, W São Paulo and W Sydney. By 2028, 80% of the global portfolio will be fully transformed – including marquee North America properties such as W Hoboken and the return of W Las Vegas, alongside upcoming international openings including W Sardinia – Poltu Quatu, W Naples, and W Riyadh – KAFD.
Main image credit: W Hotels
